By:
Ng Choon Hau (Sr1A)
Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, is truly a melting pot of vibrant cultures and histories from the three main races, namely the Malay, Chinese and Indian. Nevertheless, the beauty of it has gone unnoticed by most people nowadays. In an effort to make known of this particular section, the History Society (the Club), under the guidance of Ms. Lim Poh Ling and Ms. Lim Ae Teng, took around 50 members on a field trip in the morning of 26 July 2019, to mainly the Petaling Street area.
The group kicked off the city tour as soon as Ms. Lim Poh Ling has finished with a brief introduction about life and history of local Chinese here. The story started with Yap Ah Loy’s starch factory, the Kapitan who was largely responsible for the development of this area. Ms. Lim further elaborated as the members passed by more historical buildings and scenic spots. All students listened attentively and were awestruck by the amazing views. More about Chinese living in Kuala Lumpur need to be preserved. While enjoying the views, many of the tour members took the opportunity in doing purchase of delicious snacks on their way.
After that, the tour group was split into two; a group went to the Guan Di Temple with Ms. Lim Ae Teng and the other went to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple with Ms. Lim Poh Ling. Both groups are told to stay at their respective locations for 45 minutes before moving onto the next.
Members were greeted with majestic lion statues the moment they stepped into the Guan Di Temple. Ms. Lim Ae Teng explained the meanings behind the many statues and carvings present in the temple. It’s no wonder that this temple is the epitome of Taoism in Kuala Lumpur. Students were surprised when seeing the intricacy of the many religious carvings and statues displayed around the temple. During the day, there was also religious offerings and ceremony going on in the temple. As an assignment, all members have been asked to complete different tasks listed on their worksheets, which ranged from finding the actual position of an article in the temple based off of a picture given, to filming a video of group members praying in the temple. No amount of words can express how much fun club members had in such a historical exploration.
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Across the street is the Sri Mahamariamman Temple where giant ornate statue above the entrance of the temple can be easily seen. After taking off their shoes and cleaning their feet, club members walked around the main building clockwise while Ms. Lim Poh Ling enthusiastically told stories of Indian mythology featuring many gods and goddesses. This was followed by club members venturing inside the main building where many statues were kept. Members got to experience a bit of Indian culture through experiencing taste of some traditional spicy beans and wearing of bindis, the decorative mark on the forehead. Once again, tasks such as taking group photos with various monuments and interviewing the staff there had to be completed. This was another great and memorable field trip.
The visits to the two temples ended at noon and all club members moved on to the Petaling Street Heritage House to enjoy their lunch. This heritage house is run by Mr. Chong Keat Aun, who has been trying wholeheartedly to keep the tradition and various Chinese dialects alive. He had been to our Club for a talk a week ago. After having sorted out a smorgasbord of orders and finished eating lunch, the tour group took a group photo outside of the restaurant. This group photo marked the end of the outing of the day before they departed for Kuen Cheng High School.
Overall, this outing was a huge success. Club members had fun touring around and seeing spectacular sights in Kuala Lumpur in addition to the usual curriculum in the school. Both teachers were also very happy for having received the great cooperation and enthusiasm shown by the students throughout the whole journey. Everyone had a blast though the outing was cut short with a few games not being able to be carried out due to time constraint. It was a truly memorable trip, especially for the Senior Three students who are graduating next year. Here’s to the History Society having even greater success next year with their planned trip to Penang!
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