A fish-tive Chinese New Year at KL's Kwai Chai Hong

The Star

In celebration of the enduring significance of fish as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity in Chinese New Year traditions, Kuala Lumpur’s heritage lane, Kwai Chai Hong, has partnered with its sponsor, Bangsar Heights Pavilion (BHP), to present a special Chinese New Year art installation dedicated to this meaningful motif.  Titled Bountiful Blessings, the installation is open daily from 9 a.m. to midnight until Feb 16, featuring vibrant fish lanterns, a cherished element of Chinese cultural heritage, symbolising abundance, resilience, and hope.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00Every year at Guai Zai Hong, when we do our Chinese New Year installation, we don't actually

00:14go with the usual auspicious zodiac sign, simply because we think it has enough exposure

00:20around all the other commercial areas like malls, shopping malls and all, right?

00:23So we believe in sharing culture, especially the Chinese culture, that's why we wanted

00:27it to be something very meaningful that maybe people hasn't even seen or experienced.

00:34Now fish, for instance, is a symbol that is not just of culture but it roots into the history of

00:40Chinese community. Fish has so many meanings when it comes to its resilience as an animal,

00:46but also the sound of the word fish. In Chinese, yu, which is fish, is also the same

00:52phonetically sound to the word abundance. So in Chinese New Year celebration, we always wish

00:57people 年年有鱼. 年年有鱼 simply means every year, may you have abundance year after year.

01:03But it also means may you have fish year after year. So that's why fish becomes such a huge

01:07symbol. Even during Chinese New Year reunion, the fish has to be as big as possible with the head

01:11with the tail because it's about completion. So this is Guai Zai Hong wishing everyone 年年有鱼,

01:17not just for us, but we have enough in abundance to share with other people,

01:21which is why 年年有鱼买给人. Okay, so can you tell us what's special about the Fish

01:25Lantern Parade? So Fish Lantern Parade is originated from Anhui, which is in China.

01:31You don't actually see it much in Malaysia. So there is usually Dragon Parade, you will see

01:35Lion Dance Parade, but Fish Parade is literally non-existent in Malaysia. Bringing this culture

01:40to show everyone there is so much of intangible culture. In fact, Fish Lantern is a UNESCO

01:46intangible cultural heritage title. So it means a lot to us to know that we can share this a

01:53little bit of a culture, a little bit of entertainment with everyone to celebrate

01:58Chinese New Year. We have a total of 26 fishes, which is all giant size, some up to three meters

02:03long. And 19 of them will be going to the street for the parade.

Category

Transcript

Recommended