Source: New Sunday Times
Date: 31.5.2009
Aside from houses, Skea also offers hotels, villages, mansions and cafes. |
A TOY house.
This is the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the miniature two-storey classic Japanese house, which comes equipped with an outdoor hot spring bath and manicured lawn.
But the 65cm model, roughly the height of a medium-sized television, is no child's play.
It's actually a paper house meant for the afterlife.
Although it has always been the Chinese custom to burn paper offerings, especially a house, at one's departure, it is hardly a tradition that one offers such an intricately designed abode.
The mini masterpieces on display at the Asia Funeral Expo by Taiwanese company Skea jarred with the conventional plain, boxy types that most people who attend funerals are accustomed to.
In fact, they are so ideal in their assimilation to real-life products that it's hard to tell them apart from the real thing in Skea's catalogue.
The product list is endless -- from fully furnished cottages, mansions, villas and beach houses to mahjong sets, mobile phones, laptops, golf clubs, baby prams and grand pianos.
True to its name, Skea (Spectacular Kind of Elysium Accessories), seems to offer a paradise of items for those who have passed away.
For Skea director Yean Han, from whose deft fingers these products come, the venture into this industry was "accidental".
She wanted to get her grandfather, who passed away two years ago, a nice house but couldn't find any to suit his taste, so she built her own.
"I designed and built him a classic Japanese house because he was always interested in visiting Japan.
"I never thought of turning that one-time episode into a business, until some people who liked the house, expressed interest in buying it," says Han, who is a fashion writer and illustrator.
Since setting Skea up with her father and sister, Han has sold more than 1,000 units of houses in Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Japan and America.
She has also received more than 300 orders for personalised models.
Some of the more peculiar requests include houses atop the sea, specific calligraphy on the walls, and kaya buns on dining tables.
For such elaborate artwork, it's not surprising that these paper houses do not come cheap.
An apartment costs RM1,500, a single-storey house RM2,000 and prices can go all the way up to RM17,000, like the intricate Japanese model.
Isn't it a better idea to work towards a dream house in this life?
"Some laugh at the idea of spending so much on a paper house that is going to end up in flames anyway.
"But for many people, they just want the best for their loved ones, or themselves. Not everyone can afford a dream house in this life.
"Why not the next?" says Han.
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