Are ‘pasar malams’ dying? Man seeks the answer in poignant self-made documentary (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — Hearing that pasar malams (night markets) were experiencing a decline, Lim Yang Jun decided to do his own little investigation. Lim had shared his film on Reddit (under his username bigkahunaburgerjoint) in a post that stated: “I made a video looking into the decline of Pasar Malams. Do you guys think Pasar Malams will disappear in 10 years?” The around 18-minute-long video entitled Why are Pasar Malams disappearing: An Ode to Pasar Malam documents his recent visit to the Sri Petaling night market on September 13.

Lim talks to various night market traders, asking them their experiences and their thoughts on the waning fortunes of night markets. “Now, as I upload it to YouTube, I still don’t think I know the purpose of this short film. What I do know is that I’m less troubled now,” Lim said in the YouTube description of his work.



While praising Lim’s efforts, Malaysians commenting on the video also shared why they thought pasar malams were dying out — stating expensive prices, convenience of online shopping and the more comfortable experience of eating at a mall as reasons for them to stop visiting. Perhaps videos like Lim’s will serve as a reminder that some things really don’t last forever, including pasar malams ..