NGOs
Over 200 people attended Professor Dr Richard Ng’s Chinese New Year open house at his residence in Desa Tambun Indah, Ipoh on Monday, February 5.
Richard heads two very active Ipoh-based non-governmental organisations namely, Koperasi Hijau and Ipoh City Watch.
“Most of my guests are members of NGOs who are very involved in ongoing community programmes.”
He hoped they would work harder for the betterment of Perakeans.
PCCCI Open House @ WEIL
The Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCCI) held an open house on the fourth day of Chinese New Year at WEIL Hotel with Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu as the guest of honour.
“We are very grateful to the state government under the new leadership of Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Ahmad Faizal for the continuous support given to PCCCI. The support enabled us to carry out the Octagon Chinese New Year Festival two weeks ago successfully. This collaboration between the government agencies and NGO like PCCCI serves as a good example that we Perakeans can work hand in hand with the state to ensure sustainable enhancement of the state economy and its development,” Dato’ Liew Sew Yee, President of PCCCI explained.
“PCCCI will be organising the Perak Trade Expo in Ipoh in early November this year. We are working closely with Perak Malay Chamber of Commerce, Perak Indian Chamber of Commerce, Malaysia International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers Perak Branch to promote Perak products to the consumers. We will also collaborate with overseas business chambers to bring in overseas investors and buyers to this expo,” he unveiled.
Present were Human Resources Minister, M. Kulasegaran, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker, Nga Kor Ming, Life Honorary President of Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) and PCCCI, Dato’ Lim Kok Cheong and Chief Executive Officer of Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian.
Students Celebrate CNY
Performance galore as students of St Michael’s Institution (SMI) put together a Chinese New Year celebration at the school assembly ground on Friday, February 1.
The highlights included 24 seasons drums and diabolo performance by pupils of SMK Pinji Ipoh. In addition, there were a lion dance, traditional dance and tunes played by the Chinese orchestra and Michaelian military band.
Present were guest of honour, Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian, the Chairman of the Board of Governors and Sit Wai Yin, Excellent Principal.
“The important thing we must remember is that we are all Malaysians. I’m very happy to see SMI and other schools are taking the opportunity to celebrate the culture of this event. It’s important that we learn the culture of each race and celebrate together. Thank you very much especially to the organising committee for this initiative. I hope also to celebrate with you all the Hari Raya, Deepavali, Christmas and other events,” Lee enthused.
The morning concluded with the distribution of red envelopes, mandarin oranges and decorative Chinese calligraphy written by the students.
Colourful CNY @ Meru Valley Resort
The crowd decked out in new clothes of red hues flooded into the lobby of the Meru Valley Resort clubhouse on Thursday, February 7 to catch a glimpse of the performers in lion costume as they pranced around the clubhouse. It was performed by Persatuan Tarian Naga & Singa Chiau Hooi Bee, Kuala Kangsar.
This year, the celebration was made merrier with the performance of Northern Lion and the Neon Dragon Dance. The Northern Lions performed in pairs resembling Pekingese or Fu Dogs in Northern China, featuring thrilling acrobatic stunts like lifts or balancing the giant ball. Following that was the appearance of God of Prosperity and the ‘Fu’, ’Lu’, ‘Shou’, the Chinese Three Star Gods of happiness, prosperity and longevity to give away oranges.
Equally iconic was the Neon Dragon Dance which took place in #18 of the golf course.
A bright blue neon light shone from the forehead of the dragon as bright fire-red ears flopped back and forth and googly dragon eyes blinked and fluttered. Intricate wavy dragon scales and feathers resembled the elegance of the dragon and the passionate fierceness of the celebratory dragon dance. Grace and strength shown through as the dragon dancers performed acrobatic moves and body positioning.
The event drew hundreds with the young ones receiving gifts of ‘hongbao’ (red packets) as a symbol of luck from the directors of the resort. The lively affair was aimed to strengthen the relationship between people of different ethnic groups by bringing them together.
Reunion at Market Lane
The idea of having a culture and art corridor at Market Lane was conceived by Ipoh-born trio, Tan Kai Lek, Ewe Hock Seng and Chin Choon Yau, who are art enthusiasts or talented artists themselves. In conjunction with Chinese New Year, the trio together with other volunteers organised the first ever reunion feast for over 600 at Market Lane, also known as Third Concubine Lane on Saturday, February 9.
“Our NGO aims to provide a nostalgic gathering spot for Ipohites who return from working outstation for the lunar new year as it had never been organised here before,” Kai Lek explained to Ipoh Echo.
Present were Tan Kar Hing, Executive Councillor for Tourism, Arts and Culture and Dr Ko Chung Sen, Adun for Kepayang.
Stretching along the lane were rows of red lanterns and a long table covered with red cloth. Guests were served with auspicious dishes.
Meanwhile, in the morning, there were arts and culture bazaar, lion and dragon dance with the highlight being a string of 400 feet firecracker which covered the lane with bright red confetti once lighted.
Mei Kuan & Rosli
