A few months ago, TikTok did what it does best and helped a humble little mama shop in the basement of Beauty World Centre go viral.
Besides the range of affordable childhood treats and toys, what stood out about the small convenience store was the cute elderly auntie working there, whom MS News met when we went down for a visit.
Dressed in a purple blouse, Madam Sie Choo Yong moved around with a speed and nimbleness that belied her 101 years of age, restocking shelves and counting money faster than most of the contactless payment generation can do.
Now, before anyone starts to feel sympathy for this old woman who seemingly needs to keep working to make a living, know that that is not the case.
According to Madam Sie’s youngest son, their family opened the shop so that she would have something to do.
She also insists on hustling hard and diligently shows up for work every single day, only taking a break during the Chinese New Year (CNY) period.
While alert and in relatively good physical health, Madam Sie has lost most of her voice, which has been reduced to a soft and coarse whisper.
She’s also only able to speak the Fuqing dialect – or Hokchia – and limited Mandarin.
We relied on her youngest son, who requested to remain anonymous, to communicate on her behalf as he stepped in to tell us her story.
He shared that his father, Madam Sie’s late husband, migrated to Singapore from China before asking her to join him later. In a prior interview with Lianhe Zaobao, she said she came here in her 30s.
Their eight children – six boys and two girls – were all born in Singapore. But stay-at-home mum life was not for Madam Sie, who told her husband she wanted to run her own business.
The very first enterprise they opened sold sewing items like buttons, zippers, and thread.
It sat in a traditional wooden house at a wet market that later burned down in a big fire, forcing them to relocate to the then-newly constructed Beauty World Centre in the ‘80s.
There, they opened Lean Seng Lee Goldsmith, which is still going strong to this day. Again, Madam Sie wanted to keep working, but she was unable to help out at the gold shop because of her limited education and language skills.
That’s when her eldest son had the idea to launch Lean Seng Lee Trading – Lean is the family name, and Seng Lee means ‘victory’ in Chinese – especially for her to take care of.
Madam Sie’s youngest son explained that the store’s purpose was never about making money – it was purely to help her stay active and live a good, productive life in her golden years.
A typical day for Madam Sie begins with her youngest son pushing her to Beauty World Centre in a wheelchair from their nearby home. She then has breakfast while he opens up the shop at about 10am.
Madam Sie eventually joins him and begins arranging their wares neatly on the shelves.
If a customer drops by, she greets and serves them, collecting money and returning any necessary change quickly and without needing a calculator.
Although the store closes after 8pm, her son told us he makes it a point to wheel her back home at 6.30pm so she doesn’t overexert herself.
Still, Madam Sie is in impressive shape for a centenarian. For instance, we saw her walk down a moving escalator with ease – not something you often see seniors do.
Her vigour likely stems from a lifetime of working hard and an innate refusal to ‘lose’ to anyone around her.
For instance, her son shared that when Madam Sie was a young woman working as a farmer back in China, she would ‘compete’ with the men to be the best worker.
In fact, even now, Madam Sie continues to work so hard that she only rests on three days every year: the first, second, and third days of CNY.
“She has always been extremely hard-working,” her son shrugged. “That’s just her lifestyle.”
Despite having the traits of an ambitious go-getter, it doesn’t take much for Madam Sie to be content. In fact, she’s happiest when someone supports her business and buys something, even if it’s just a S$2 drink or hair accessory.
That said, as you can probably tell from the fact that her family owns a successful gold shop, the last thing Madam Sie wants is anyone’s sympathy or charity – she’s just glad for the opportunity to do business.
Before we wrapped up the interview, we asked Madam Sie if she had any secrets about living to such a ripe old age to share.
She didn’t, but her son pointed out that she eats very simple food since she cannot chew solids. Madam Sie also avoids anything sweet or spicy, and drinks nothing but water – no coffee, no tea, no soft drinks.
Eating clean may very well be that secret. The Lianhe Zaobao article noted that Madam Sie does not suffer from any of the ‘three highs’ – high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood cholesterol.
And, of course, we’re sure the fact that she’s able to stay active and have something to look forward to every day plays a huge part in that as well.
Many folks envision themselves taking it slow in their twilight years, especially after decades of hustling in their jobs.
However, staying mentally and physically active is also very important at this age, and some may choose to do this by continuing to work.
We all find fulfilment in different ways, and for Madam Sie, it’s by getting to run her own humble little business.
If you’d like to head down to say hi to Madam Sie – she’s very sweet and friendly – and support her store, here’s how you can get there:
Lean Seng Lee Trading Centre
Address: Beauty World Centre #B1-25, 144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 588177
Opening hours: 10am – 8.20pm daily
Nearest MRT station: Beauty World
May we all be as healthy and cheerful as Madam Sie when we’re old and grey.
Know an inspiring individual you’d like to highlight? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image by MS News. Photography by Alastair Pang.
The fierce fight involved items like plates, bottles, containers and a chair.
LTA urged members of the public to avoid using these services for their own safety.
Many are concerned about the possibility of identity theft and heightened scams.
Other recyclables such as old books and magazines are also accepted.
The abrupt stop caused the PHV passenger to spill food all over the car's interior.
No matter why the chicken crossed the road, it should be safe while doing so.