What was it about Cantonese that attracted Maznah?

Malay Aunty Selling Yau Char Kwai Speaks Fluent Cantonese, Netizens Praise
Her For Being A True Malaysian

A Malay aunty selling yau char kwai (Chinese crullers) is perhaps one of the best, nonnative Cantonese speakers in the country.

The senior citizen, who introduces herself as Maznah, grew up learning the language as a kid.

What was it about Cantonese that attracted Maznah?

Maznah and her whole family speak Cantonese which they learn from their neighbors.

She and her siblings grew up on an estate, where they spent most of their time with kids from other communities.

Maznah recalled how her friends used to give her a Cantonese nickname that rhymes with her name.

While it was not flattering, Maznah said she did not take it to heart as they were all kids at that time.

Passing On A Legacy

There is a saying in Cantonese – “Saam Doi Baat Bou”, meaning things can’t be
preserved over three generations.

Maznah would have liked to pass on her linguistic skills, but her daughter does not speak Cantonese at all.

She recalled how her daughter cried in her early days at a Chinese primary school because she could not adapt to the environment.

In the end, the mother relented and send the daughter to a national school.

The Malaysian Spirit

Her flawless Cantonese and friendliness earned her praise and admiration from netizens. Netizens were also curious about how she was able to learn to make yau char kwai and speak Cantonese.

Maznah’s story also reminded many Malaysians of the happier pre 2000s Malaysia they once knew.

They lamented that back in the old days, people in Malaysia were extremely happy despite not having much materially.

Netizens said they would have good friends from all races and a wonderful memory of learning about their friends’ cultures themselves.

But today everything is so divided. The balance between the different communities in Malaysia has shifted so much.

Some netizens drew a comparison to Maznah with veteran Hong Kong’s default ‘gweilo’ (Caucasian) actor Gregory Charles Rivers, also known as Ho Kwok-wing. The Australian, who was a driver for Leslie Cheung and an English teacher for Chow Yunfat, is admired for being able to speak better Cantonese than most Hongkongers.

New Found Popularity

Meanwhile, Maznah said her business had improved tremendously ever since her Cantonese went viral.

Netizens praised and thanked Maznah for evoking nostalgia of Malaysia in yesteryears, when people were really close to each other regardless of race and religion.

She said many new customers straightaway speak Cantonese within they arrived at her stall at Karak’s main street.

Her customers said Maznah reminds them of Mui, a baker with severe acne who uses tai chi to bake mantou in Stephen Chow’s 2001 blockbuster Shaolin Soccer. The character was played by mainland star Vicki Zhao Wei.

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS

Prepare the content of your report on Makcik Maznah’s “Yau Char Kwai” based on the following requirement:

(a) Recommend market segmentation, and targeting strategy (s) for Makcik Maznah’s “Yau Char Kwai” roadside business.

(b) Plan product positioning strategy(s) for Makcik Maznah’s “Yau Char Kwai” roadside business.

(c) Suggest suitable pricing strategy(s) for Makcik Maznah’s “Yau Char Kwai” roadside business.

(d) Create promotional strategy(s) for Makcik Maznah’s “Yau Char Kwai” roadside business

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