TIME and again I come across similar questions posted in forums as to who started this Ah Beng and Ah Lian for describing notorious teenagers, hooligans and street ruffians? Now, before I go on, you can label me a Chao Ah Lian for my err…experience being one of those CentrePoint Kids in the past. I don’t care anyway, it’s all the past. And this, it takes a true blue Ex-Ah Lian to elucidate straight from memory and definitely, no research required! Steady boh?
Chinese newspaper editor coined it in the mid 80s. It was then; “Ming Chen Lian Hua” (HanYu PingYin) that rhymes very well in Chinese, for derogative use. This phrase made it’s appearance in 1986 from local Chinese newspaper. I’m certain of the year of publication as I was in Secondary 2 when teenage crimes were on the rise. Someone by the name of Ah Seng was brutally slashed to death at Chinatown’s People’s Park Complex after he was chased by 13 men armed with knives who dashed out from 7 taxis. With the four names phrase, the article describes teens of those days back in the 80s, the CentrePoint Kids and their obsession for flamboyant fashion wears, spiky punk-like hairstyle and the infamous baggy-pants. The rest were all about juvenile delinquency, glue sniffing was a trend and the upswing of Secret Societies making a return. Famous CIDs were John Lim, Jeffery Aw and another uncle by the nick – ParrotIt used to be “Ah Beng Ah Seng” for someone to say in contempt and “Ah Lian Ah Huey” which is on girls. Over the years, the press and public have forgotten about Ah Seng and Ah Huey and that four names phrase disappeared in the 90s. However, Ah Beng survived the oblivion and so did Ah Lian and both lived up to what they are till now, after the millennium. With the same derogative treatment today, even adults deemed uncouth, speaking with obscene expletives and hooligan-like will be labelled Ah Beng. Not even Ah Lian is spared from such err…social segregation. But, keep in mind that it’s only a label and nothing personal against those with names ending with Beng, Seng, Lian and Huey. Just why is it not Ah Huat, Ah Bee or maybe Ah Kiat? My guess is, probably it’s coincidental that most of these CentrePoint Kids have names as mentioned but I can’t confirm anything here. My name? Please stop guessing.
Those were the days at Orchard Road and CentrePoint Shopping Centre the rendezvous. Everyday is all about dressing up like what adults called clowns with vibrant colours and “colourful” faces. Luminous coloured shoelaces for tying hair, big scarves for all creative wearing and again MUST BE luminous colour. Make-up is uber-thick on the face and the whole idea is to be a doll! Yes, and Sam Hui’s Japanese Doll song goes very well with our life and the fashion. Shoes were noisy traditional Japanese clogs. Luminous coloured shirts at knee level and long skirts ending near our ankles. But it isn’t what our hyperbole editor described as being attention seeking, who doesn’t want to look nice, right? Anyway, that’s a brief description. Nostalgic.
