‘Include event in tourism calendar’
Published on: Monday, January 29, 2024
By: Hayati Dzulkifli
Dr Joachim with Susan, Chan, Christina, Phoong, Dr Sabin, Hamsain, Dr Huang and others.
Kota Kinabalu: The annual Chinese New Year (CNY) Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival, which has been organised for more than 40 years, should be included in the Sabah tourism calendar to attract tourists.
United Sabah Chinese Communities Association of Kota Kinabalu (USCCAKK) President Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen said the request was made through State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew.
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She said the cultural event has become popular among city folks and successfully drawn many tourists.
“This year, we have a record-breaking participation of dragon, unicorn and lion dance even up to 155 troupes, compared to last year only 140 troupes.
“We are very pleased with such participation and thank all the troupes for their hard working in training to improve their skills, even some of the troupes have received outstanding results in the national and international competitions,” she said.
Susan, who is also United Sabah Sze Yip Association (USSYA) President, said this in her speech at the opening ceremony of the Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival in conjunction with Chinese New Year 2024, organised by the USCCAKK at the Sabah International Convention Center (SICC) here on Saturday.
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It was officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor represented by the Deputy Chief Minister II cum Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam here.
Also present were Federal Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities Datuk Chan Foong Hin, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew, Minister of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Mohamad Hamsain Awang Supain, Mayor Datuk Seri Dr Sabin Samitah, Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu Dr Huang ShiFang,
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USCCAKK Deputy President cum organising chairman Datuk Chua Soon Ping, Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) President Tan Sri TC Goh, Sabah Hokkien Association Chairman Datuk Clement Yeh and other senior officials.
More than 5,000 people including participants attended the one-day event at SICC.
The Chinese community would be celebrating the Chinese New Year from Jan 27 till Feb 10.
“This year 2024 is a Dragon year. Dragon symbolises good luck, good wealth, peace and prosperity. The dragon is believed to bring peace and prosperity, and at the same time, ward off evil spirits just like unicorn and the lion.
“The Dragon, Unicorn and Lion dances also bring joy and happiness to the atmosphere and this is the reason the dances are commonly seen in business launching, wedding and cultural events,” she said.
There are also a series of cultural activities being held such as:
1) Cultural Village Exhibition which by 15 Chinese Communities Associations displaying their traditions of food and tea for the public.
2) Children Colouring Contest which attracted over 300 participants.
3) Dancing Competition for the first time involving over 300 participants on the same day at SICC.
Admission is free.
She said organising the CNY Dragons, Unicorns and Lions Dance Festival not only needs large amount of manpower but also big sum in expenses.
“But we are determined to organise this cultural event annually.
For this, we have to thank for the financial support from our caring State Government, Ministers and the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu.
“We also appreciate the sponsorship from our Chinese community leaders, and kind hearted individuals,” she said.
Meanwhile, Liew commended Susan for taking the initiative to include the dancing competition as an added activity of the festival.
“I am pleased to note that the festival has attracted tourists from Beijing, China, the Middle East and Europe, apart from domestic tourists,” she said.
BeFox Crew, with their dance theme “Gravity”, beat 19 other participating teams to bag the first prize of RM3,000 in the dancing competition.
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