By Ng Choon Hau
The History Club made the first-ever field trip, out of the state, to Taiping, Perak from 23 to 25 March 2019. Two Teacher-Advisors led the group of 35 members of the Club on this excursion of history.
Our first and foremost destination was the very famous Matang Museum; the story, artifacts about the life of Malay chieftain Ngah Ibrahim and major events took place in the formation of Perak State are well preserved in this historical place. Our tour guide has successfully piqued everyone’s curiosity and interest with amazing stories about the greats of the past.
Moving on, we went to a joss stick manufacturing factory located in a small town. It seemed to us it was dying tradition where other giant, intricately crafted joss sticks are made and sold at a much cheaper price. However, during the visit all of us tried our hand at shaping and making joss stick clay into various shapes and designs. It was a creative and stimulating handicraft activity as well.
And then, we moved on to visit a charcoal factory, where the process of charcoal making was introduced. Some club members even brought home with them charcoal extracts and soaps, which are said to bring forward various amazing health benefits. We continued our journey to a famous Heong Beng store in Taiping; we were enriched with knowledge about the cookie’s production, we took pictures with statues depicting the production process, and tasted sample of the cookies with much delight. Another highlight of the day was about a visit to the coffee production factory. From here, we obtained the knowledge of behind-the-scene of coffee powder production. We had also been treated with nice, good smelling local coffee!
A tour to the Taiping Lake is a not-to-be-missed itinerary when visiting Taiping. We enjoyed the serenity of the lake and natural beauty in the surroundings. We even took pictures with a newly-wed Malay couple who were at the spot taking their wedding shots. Later, when traveling past the Taiping Clock Tower and Markets, we moved on and wrapped up the day with a seafood dinner at one of the most popular Sepetang restaurants.On March 24, second day of the trip, club members gathered in an early morning and set off to Kellie’s Castle, an old but majestic castle with a mysterious yet dark history. Members enjoyed walking through the many rooms and hidden stairways as well as taking group pictures at the top of the castle.
The last stop of the whole trip was spent in visiting Tanjung Tualang, Tin Dredge No. 5 in Perak. Everyone wore helmets before we entered into this much torn, abandoned tin dredge. We were told about its function when it was still operational in the past. A group photo being taken outside the tin dredge had marked the official end of the field trip, before we returned to Kuen Cheng High School. It was a memorable tour filled with historical knowledge, interests and joy.
