Students hold cultural mapping exhibition to help residents learn more about town

The Star, Friday March 20, 2015  

by farah fazanna zulzaha

IN AN effort to instil awareness on heritage buildings in Kajang, New Era College and Kajang Community Hub joined forces to organise the Kajang Cultural Mapping Exhibition at Shen Sze She Yar Temple recently.

Interesting: Visitors reading about the town’s history at the Kajang Community Hub gallery.

The two-day event featured a photography exhibition on Kajang’s famous food stalls and traders, traditional games for children and adults as well as a heritage walk around town. 

Visitors also learnt about the town’s history at the Kajang Community Hub gallery located adjacent to the temple.

New Era College student Yeo Wan Ting, who organised the event, said the programme was the first of its kind to create awareness on the rich heritage of the satay town.

“Not many people are aware of Kajang’s cultural heritage. The town is rich in history and hopefully the visitors had learnt a lot during their visit,” she said.

Yeo added that 20 students from the Media Studies and Arts and Design faculties helped to make the event a success.

Step right in: ‘Cikgu Lee’ (in blue) showing visitors around the Shen Sze She Yar Temple.

“It is part of our syllabus but we hope to organise such an event again next year,” she said, adding that they targeted at least 500 visitors to attend the exhibition.

Visitors were able to learn more about the history of Kajang-grown businesses that have flourished even after a few generations, such as the bookstore and stationery shop Czip Lee.

One of the attractions was the photography exhibition put up by the students. It showcased photos of famous Kajang landmarks and portraits of Kajang folk.

The traditional games were popular among children as they battled each other in rounds of Coconut Shell Walk and spinning gasing (tops).

Visitors also enjoyed the heritage walk organised by the Kajang Community Hub, where they walked around town to visit the historical buildings in town.

For technician Lew Yuan Ki, the exhibition was interesting and educational.

“I did not realise that Kajang is full of history. It is good to have such events so that Kajang residents can appreciate what they have,” said Lew, who came with his family.

Heritage art: A visitor taking a photo of a mural in front of the Kajang Community Hub gallery.

Meanwhile, sound engineer Alif Amir said he enjoyed the history lesson at the Kajang Community Hub with his family.

“There are many things that I did not know about Kajang, despite having lived here for five years. My family and I truly enjoyed our visit,” he said.