Inside a century-old Malaysian workshop swarming with tires, a white-haired man in a T-shirt and shorts puts the finishing touches on the rickshaw he's manufacturing.

Chu Yu Chun is an experienced maker of this type of person-drawn cart and is considered the last of the practitioners of this endangered profession on the island of Penang, in the north of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. However, the 66-year-old intends to retire in a few years, although there is no one who will take over this business after him.

Pedal rickshaws are taxis that once traveled between Malaysia and many Asian countries.

Its popularity has declined with the gradual adoption of modern means of transportation and the development of the region.

"I intend to work until I reach the age of 70 and then I will retire," Zhu, 66, told AFP in his workshop, adding that "manufacturing rickshaws requires a lot of energy."

Due to the lack of demand to use them as a means of transportation, the last rickshaws ordered by Malaysians are manufactured with the aim of using them as decoration or for collectors.

Zhou Yuchun is the fourth generation of a family that has been manufacturing rickshaws for nearly a century. Zhou inherited this profession from his father at the end of the eighties of the twentieth century, after his father gave up this activity for health reasons.

While Cho knew how to install tires as a teenager, he had to learn the art of making alloy wheels for these vehicles, from scratch.

The steel structure of the rickshaw is made by bending and welding the parts, then the wooden seats and the rest of the parts like chains are added.

Chu asserts that if he works tirelessly, he can build a rickshaw in twenty days, but most of his rickshaws take about six weeks.

The man produces between three and four rickshaws annually, while selling each for 7,500 Malaysian ringgit ($1,700).

Asked how he feels after finishing the auto rickshaw, he says, "I'm not emotional, it's just work."

There are only 130 rickshaws left in Penang, of a different style than those in the southwestern state of Malacca, where these vehicles are very popular with tourists.

While rickshaw drivers in Malacca sit in front of the passengers, rickshaw drivers in Penang sit behind them.

None of the Chu people are interested in these old vehicles, which require heavy maintenance and are hard to find parts for.

Asked what plan he would choose after his retirement, Chu said with a smile: "Maybe I will visit my son or I will take a vacation."