The Chinese Cultural Week is a significant annual event organised by the HuaXia Chinese Cultural Society. The members of this Society consist of IMU Foundation in Science students and health professions undergraduate students. The purpose of the event is to promote Chinese culture especially to the international community of staff and students.
The 2022 IMU Chinese Cultural Week was held at the IMU Bukit Jalil campus from the 21 to 23 September. This year, the event was divided into two stages, with the exhibition on the first two days and the Mid-Autumn Night Concert on the last day of the event. Participation was very encouraging, with a total of 98 participants joining the exhibition and 102 attending the Concert.
For the exhibition, stalls were set up on the Atrium to match the theme of the event – “Four Seasons”, whereby each booth represented one of the four different seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter). Moreover, a Hanfu (ancient traditional Chinese clothing) counter was set up for participants to try on the costumes and have memorable snapshots. In addition, this event also served as a community engagement initiative in collaboration with the Ti-Ratana Welfare Society – a fundraising corner enabled IMU students and staff to contribute cash and kind.
On the last day of the event, a small entourage of 22 children from Ti-Ratana Welfare Society were treated to a Mini Bazaar and DIY Corner. A wide variety of food was sold in the Mini Bazaar, such as herbal eggs, herbal jelly, and other Chinese traditional snacks. The DIY Corner which was set up in the Atrium, allowed the children from Ti-Ratana to create their own lanterns and fans. Besides, the children enjoyed and appreciated a fun story-telling session which was facilitated by the ‘I Can Read’ team. The ‘I Can Read’ System is the first in the world to link clusters of letters to single sounds in a unique manner.
That evening, a Mid-Autumn Night Concert was held in a lecture hall and IMU staff and students, as well as family members, were invited to attend. Various exciting cultural performances were featured – a Chinese Yo-yo (diabolo) team and Chinese Orchestra team from Asia Pacific University (APU) provided a feast for the senses!
In summary, the IMU Chinese Cultural Week 2022 had a successful run this year, after a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Feedback from Club President, and Event Overall Coordinator are as follows:
Chiah Ming Zhe, President of Hua Xia Chinese Cultural Society 2022/23
The Chinese Cultural Week and Mid-Autumn Night is an event that is hosted by the International Medical University’s Hua Xia Chinese Cultural Society annually, with the aim of informing the IMU’s community about the traditions that is the Chinese culture. An event of such grandeur is always a challenge, especially with it being the first physical event since 2019.
Despite the complications we faced, I am proud to say that this year’s event was a success. With a diverse group of participants who contributed to the event, it just goes to show that the Hua Xia Chinese Cultural Society welcomes all who wish to immerse themselves in Chinese Culture regardless of race, ethnicity, and religion. It is an incredible feeling when one sees such a fruitful outcome after months of work, and it couldn’t have been so without the IMU Community.
As the Society President and Concert Coordinator of this term, I would like to commend the Committee’s dedication and tenacity during the planning and execution of this event, extend my gratitude to our society advisor, Dr Lim Chooi Ling and the working departments of the IMU, and thank all of those who participated for making this event a success.
Chin Yu Qian, Overall Coordinator of Chinese Cultural Week 2022/23
It has been a long time since Hua Xia Chinese Cultural Society last organised a face-to-face Chinese Cultural Week. We came across lots of challenges for the past 3 months. However, I am proud to say that we successfully organised a major event that involves external parties after 2 years of pandemic.
I was content when I saw people of different ethnicities attend our activities and beaming with smiles. Not to forget, I would like to thank all sponsors and the Ti-Ratana Welfare Society Malaysia for their collaboration. Of course, I would like to also take this opportunity to thank our Club Advisor, Dr Lim Chooi Ling in assisting us throughout the way. Lastly, sincere appreciation should be given to all the committees and helpers who contributed much time and effort to make this event a success.
Even though the event may not be perfect, but undeniably, we learnt a lot throughout the whole journey. Hua Xia Chinese Cultural Society is ready to bring up more interesting activities, ensuring Chinese culture reaches out to each and everyone.
