The black-and-white photos at Malaysia-China Ties: A Journey Through Time bring nostalgic memories for visitor Tan. — Photos: AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
Photo exhibition at KL mall features significant moments in Malaysia-China bilateral relations
BLACK -and-white photos of key moments commemorating the long history between Malaysia and China brought back nostalgic memories for septuagenarian Tan Wah Tong.
The 70-year-old spent almost an hour perusing the many photos and reprints of old newspaper articles displayed at “Malaysia-China Ties: A Journey Through Time” exhibition in Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur.
“I was an avid newspaper reader, so I can remember some of the moments referenced by the photos and articles.
“It does bring back good memories of that time when the two countries were just starting to work together,” he said.
Tan also took the opportunity to narrate stories from that time to his daughter Rainbow, 42.
Rainbow said she passed by the exhibition several days ago and knew her father would be very interested to visit.
Reprints of old newspaper articles and moments in the half-century of Malaysia-China relations (below)are captured in some 400 photos.
“So we decided to make a trip to Mid Valley today to see the exhibition before it ends,” she told StarMetro.
Tomorrow is the last day to catch the exhibition that features significant moments in Malaysia and China’s 50 years of bilateral ties in some 400 photographs.
Yuna Tan, 26, said it was interesting to see the old photos, most of which were of events that happened before she was born.
“I’ve heard or read about some of these historical moments but have never seen photos.
“It is quite unique,” she said when met at the exhibition.
M. Kohilan, 36, was particularly interested in a photo of ace shuttlers China’s Lin Dan and Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei as they were inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Badminton World Federation in 2023.
“I’ve been following both their careers for a long time.
“There was always a friendly rivalry whenever they played against each other, but they also had great sportsmanship.
“It’s nice that there is a photo of them to commemorate this moment,” he said.
Atieka (right) and Hafni Afrina taking a wefie with photos of giant pandas.
Friends Atieka Roslan, 27, and Hafni Afrina Hazahan, 22, from Kuantan, Pahang, were taken by photos of giant pandas.
They captured Fu Wa and Feng Yi (later renamed Xing Xing and Liang Liang) who were loaned to Malaysia in 2014 for 10 years to mark the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
“I visited Zoo Negara in 2016 and managed to catch the pandas with their cub Nuan Nuan.
“They were so cute and I’m glad we stumbled upon the exhibition,” said Hafni Afrina.
The photos for the exhibition were curated and exhibited based on themes including the pre-establishment era, cultural exchanges, collaborations and humanitarian efforts.
The exhibition, which includes the golden years of sports rivalry and friendship between Malaysia and China (below), is being held until Sunday.
Visitors can witness captured moments such as the historic meeting between the then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Chairman Mao Zedong in 1974.
One notable exhibit is a 5.5m-long group photo of nearly 2,000 delegates and Chinese government leaders, including Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping, at the 1973 Asian-African-Latin American Table Tennis Invitational Tournament in Beijing.
The photo, courtesy of Datuk KK Low and his wife Datin Cheng Seow Ying, a member of the Malaysian team, was made available to The Star for the exhibition.
As part of the exhibition, a coffee-table book Blossoming and Fruiting: 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Malaysia and China was also launched.
The book features some 200 photographs across 270 pages highlighting the enduring friendship and growing synergy between Malaysia and China.
The event is jointly organised by Star Media Group and Sin Chew Daily, supported by Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman as education partner, AirAsia as official partner and Mid Valley Megamall as venue partner.
IJM Corporation Bhd, Midea Scott & English Electronics Sdn Bhd, QL Resources Bhd and Tan Hong Aik are the coffee-table book sponsors.
The Blossoming and Fruiting Coffee Table Book and Malaysia-China 50th Anniversary Photo Exhibition are jointly organised by Star Media Group and Sin Chew Daily, supported by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, with UTAR as the education partner, AirAsia as the official partner, Mid Valley Megamall as the venue partner. IJM Corporation Bhd, Midea Scott & English Electronics Sdn Bhd, QL Resources Bhd and Tan Hong Aik as Coffee Table Book sponsors.
