Jointly by Chang Yu Xuan (Jr3M) and Thow Myra (Jr3M)
On 18 May 2019, students of Junior 3, Senior 2 and Senior 3 received the privilege of being given the chance to attending a cultural lecture by Mr Chong Keat Aun. This special arrangement has been made possible by our beloved Mr Ng Sui Thye, the Geography Teacher.
Mr Chong Keat Aun, an important figure to the local scene of culture, heritage preservation, who is also an avid lover of Chinese dialect folksongs in Malaysia. Mr Chong began his talk with the introduction of a video show, in which he had been invited by the China Central Television to share stories about folklore and folksongs of Malaysian Chinese. It was a truly touching and enlightening presentation of history about our fore founders as well.
According to Mr Chong, the origins of our ancestors can be touched, seen through eyes, spoken and even be eaten during Chinese festive seasons. Chinese local dialects are widely used in our daily lives, and a variety of local Chinese cuisines are within easy reach. Many students were very positive when being asked about their dialects of origin. Some had even tried to share the story of their ancestors’ language with the audience.
One of the highlights of the day was when Mr Chong invited a student from Senior 2 to read out loud a poem in Cantonese, which was from a folk song. It was a pitch-perfect performance that had immediately gained a good praise from Mr. Chong, together with a wonderful round of applause from the floor.
Mr Chong continued to introduce characteristics and the ingredients of every type of glutinous rice dumplings with vivid pictures showing on the big screen. It was interesting to know of the origins and its traditional recipes.
Before Talk of the day ends, our Principal, Dr Chua Lee Lee presented a souvenir to Mr Chong Keat Aun. We were grateful that he was so generous in sharing his enormous knowledge about Chinese culture with students of Kuen Cheng High School.
