Hong Kong comes to Terengganu
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Setting the stage: The caretaker of the Ho Ann Kiong Temple in Kampung Cina, Kuala Terengganu busy replacing the lanterns at the temple to welcome the lunar new year.
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KUALA TERENGGANU: The Chinatown here will take on the look of the famous Temple Street of Kowloon, Hong Kong, in a move to get more Chinese youths to stay longer during the Chinese New Year.
Many local youths who work elsewhere, particularly Kuala Lumpur, would only return home for a day to have reunion dinners with their families before leaving for the capital for more “merry making”.
“The youngsters say there is a lack of excitement and celebratory mood here so they go back to Kuala Lumpur or the west coast,” said state MCA chief Toh Chin Yaw.
To keep them here, the state MCA has set up a pro-tem committee to organise events for youths during the celebrations.
“The committee has decided to turn Chinatown into the place to be this Year of the Tiger. The events lined-up for this Chinese New Year will cater for all Malaysians,” he said in an interview yesterday.
Toh said the idea was to make Chinatown resemble the famous Temple Street which is well-known for its night markets and celebratory atmosphere.
Affordable merchandise and Chinese New Year goodies will be sold at the makeshift stalls and several mini-concerts will also be organised during the period.
The street of Chinatown has been decorated with lanterns and other ornaments to usher in the new year.
Wong Hee Hong, 35, a tourist from Seremban who visited Chinatown on Tuesday, said the ambience was good and the decorations were authentic like those in ancient China.
“It is wonderful to be here during this period of time,” he said. He, for one, planned to stay and spend the second day of Chinese New Year here with his family.
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