As awareness and sensitivity of multiculturalism is steering its way into the center stage of psychology, more cultural specific studies are needed to expand the understanding of human beings from the universal perspectives. This paper aims to discuss the preliminary research methodology utilized by researcher to understand the strengths of Malaysian Chinese long term marriages. Some of the marital theoretical frameworks and research methodology learned from the textbooks and studies from the Western are not relevant to the fieldwork. Pilot testing allowed the researcher to evaluate the proposed methodology. It also opened the eyes of researcher to be aware of cultural practices which the researcher could have been taken for granted. A few localized marital strengths, which were rarely discussed in Western literature, emerged in pilot testing