Rose Chan

The infamous Rose Chan. 

Born in 1925 as Chan Wai Chang in Soochow, China to acrobat parents, Chan was brought to Kuala Lumpur in 1931.

In 1941, at age 16, she was arranged to be married to an elderly Chinese Singaporean harbor contractor to become his fourth wife.

Upon divorce and in dire financial strain, she become a cabaret dancer at the Happy World, her husband’s favorite haunt, in order to spite him. In the cabaret, she proved herself an accomplished dancer, and was runner-up in two national championships : 

1. All-Women’s Ballroom Dancing Championships in Singapore in 1949;

2. Miss Singapore beauty contest in 1950 .

In 1951, whilst performing at the Majestic Theatre in Ipoh, her brassiere snapped and the "Queen of Striptease" was born, aged 27. 

In July 1957, Chan embraced Islam by marrying an Indonesian named Mohamed Nazier Kahar and changed her name to Rosminah binti Abdullah. She subsequently married Chong Yew Meng and remarried the Fourth time. 

Frankie Laine's hit Rose, Rose, I Love You is attributed to her.

In 1967, Chan was banned from performing in Kuala Lumpur, following a police raid at BB Park. She took her act to Perth in September 1970 and was charged for prostitution at a massage parlor. She was convicted, and fined A$60.

By the 1970s, public sentiments had changed with the increasing pace of Islamization and in 1973, the government revoked her performing licence. 

In 1980, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she chose to spend her final days in Penang. 

She died at her home in Butterworth, Penang on May 26, 1987. Her husband, Low Kim Seng, son Chong Weng Thye and daughter Irene were at her deathbed.

She was interred at the Beow Hong Lim Columbarium in Air Itam, Penang.

It was made known to me by a senior citizen that her show was more of an event or celebration rather than a striptease. Once the music starts, the troupe emerges from behind the curtains and parade on stage, where she would dance the cha-cha and mambo rock. This is followed by various sideshows, stand up comedians, clowns and jugglers, which served to prolong the mounting anticipation for the star attraction.  

Hence, my acquisition of her biography 

The author, a poet and human rights lawyer Cecil Rajendra, No Bed of Roses: The Rose Chan Story, which was launched on Sept 15 2013.

Rajendra met the legendary Flower of Malaya, introduced by Lee Ying, Rose’s former manager. I managed to get the book dedicated by the author to my family