Hari Raya
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Island Fever
By Cecily Huang Located in the northwest part of Malaysia, Penang, a harmonious fusion of the East and West, mo-dernity and tradition, is arguably one of the most fascinating islands in Asia. It offers visitors a combination of delicious food, multiple art and culture scenes, adventures in jungles and hills, and pleasurable experiences on soft, sandy beaches. Penang was established as the first British Straits Settlement because it was the prime stop on the watery road between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Moreover, Penang was a vital base for Sun Yat-sen, the first president of the Republic of China (1912 – 1949), before he overthrew the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). Sun's old house is preserved as a museum in Georgetown, capital of the island, for its visitors to explore his influ-ence and contribution to Malaysia. Penang, which means "the Pearl of the Orient" in Malaysian, has held numerous names throughout its history. The geographical term "Penang Island" first appeared on the navigation map made by Chinese envoy Zheng He in the 15th century, when it was part of the ancient Buddhist-Hindu Kingdom of Kedah. Penang has traded with China ever since, and Chinese business still dominates the local economy. Also in the 15th century, Portuguese sailors stopped over during their trips to the Spice Islands. As a result of this, Penang was also known in the West as Pulo Pinaom. However, Malaysian people believe Penang Island was born when British captain Francis Light established the island as a British trading post in 1786. Although the name "Prince of Wales Is-land" for Penang has never really caught on, the occasion marked the beginning of Penang in modern history, as well as the beginning of more than a century of British involvement in Malaysia. Georgetown was established in the same year, and that name has stuck. Lively scenes The Straits' distinctive architec-ture and the exceptional charms of its colonial past have earned Georgetown UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Penang has one of the largest collec-tions of pre-World War II buildings in Southeast Asia. The architecture reflects 171 years of British domination of the island, merging local, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and other elements. Indeed, walking around Georgetown is quite the enchanting experience. Taking a local trishaw or renting a bike is also an environmentally-friendly way to learn about Penang's different religious and cultural legacies. You could start a specialized heritage tour in Penang Museum and observe colonial buildings such as Fort Cornwallis, built by Francis Light, the "Anglo-Indian garden house" features of Suffolk House, and the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Clock tower. While Indian Muslims made their mark at the Kapitan Keling Mosque, Chinese immigrants demonstrated their talent with outstanding architecture such as that of Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, built by a hugely successful Chinese trader and community leader during the Qing Dynasty. Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia, is another good representative of Chinese architecture in Penang. When looking for accommodation, try to stay in a guesthouse or hotel located in an older building. Two examples are Hutton Lodge, owned by an Indian Muslim family in the 1920s, and Old Penang Guest House, a pre-war building that combines its heritage with a comfortable stay and good service. In addition, the art scene is very much alive, and Penang is full of impressive handicrafts. The Yahong Art Gallery displays a huge variety of artwork and a wide selection of fine Chinese jewelry made from ivory, jade, lapis lazuli and other stones. Some of Penang's best batik, a traditional Malaysian textile, is sold at Yahong. Along Armenian Street, you'll find the Islamic Museum, showcasing the history of Islamic art in Malaysia. If you are lucky enough to encounter Koay Soo Kau, the owner of Galeri Seni Mutiara, he'll show you his collection of artworks, created by the first generation of Malay artists, on the second floor. If you don't see Penang photographer and owner of the eponymous Studio Howard, try to seek out his good friend, an English painter named Paul. Paul helps manage the studio and current exhibitions whenever he's in Penang. Ask Paul how many times he has returned to Penang for the island's attractive lifestyle. More importantly, he'll give you good recommendations of what to look out for on the indie art scene. The War Museum brings visitors back to the time of World War II in Penang. Designed by British engineers and built by South Africans, Indians, Nepalese and locals, the Penang War Museum was once a British military defense fort. When the Japanese invaded in 1941, it became a war prison. The numerous tunnels are fun to explore and demonstrate how soldiers used to hide. Penang has a long list of exciting events and festivals throughout the whole year. Indeed, it seems to celebrate all major religious festivals. On February 7, Hindus march with pots of milk to celebrate memorize the birthday of a Hindu hero, Lord Murugan. This Hindu festival comes alive in Penang as a carnival with chanting and music. Penang's Chinese population celebrates 15 days of Chinese New Year starting on January 23. In addition to traditional lion dances and fireworks, the Penang Chinese New Year celebration boasts two main events with special local features - Th'nee Kong She (Jade Emperor's Birthday, January 31) and Chap Goh Meh (local Chinese Valentine's Day, February 6). Hari Raya Aidifitri, the Muslim festival, marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and will be celebrated from August 17 to 20. What's more, Penang is now rapidly gaining recognition for its annual jazz festival. Held on the first weekend of December, the Penang Island Jazz Festival has attracted both local and foreign musicians to play on its beachy stages. In addition to musical performances galore, activities include jazz forums, mini-jazz poster exhibitions, charity dinners, poetry sessions and workshops. Last year, the eighth annual festival featured such bands as Fred Cheah & the Jazzhats, Espen Eriksen Trio and Nina Van Hor. 0
Market
SHANGHAI Shares close high China's shares closed at a 17-month closing high amid sharp gains in blue-chip companies like Sinopec, after the country's top securities regulator reiterated the government's resolve to overhaul capital markets. The benchmark Shanghai composite index, grouping hard currency B-shares and yuan-denominated A-shares, reversed early losses to end up 1.56 per cent at 1,649.282 points - the highest close since September 2002. Shenzhen's sub-index increased by 0.41 per cent to finish at 3,797.99 points. Shanghai's B share index rose by 0.41 per cent to 116.576 while Shenzhen's climbed by 0.27 per cent to 294.52. Index heavyweight Sinopec Corp, Asia's top oil refiner, was one of the day's most active counters. Its A shares, open to a small circle of foreign investors, jumped 3.9 per cent to 5.31 yuan (US$0.64). HONG KONG Hang Seng Index up 90.03 points Prices on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange closed higher yesterday, snapping a four-session losing streak. The main Hang Seng Index rose 90.03 points, or 0.69 per cent, to 13,090.01. On Monday, the index had slumped 289.39 points, or 2.17 per cent. Bargain-hunters stepped into the market following recent losses, which were triggered largely by concerns about the spread of bird flu that has killed 12 people in the region. The disease also has killed millions of chickens in 10 Asian countries and jumped to humans in Thailand and Viet Nam. Turnover rose to HK$19.40 billion (US$2.48 billion), up from Monday's HK$17.93 billion (US$2.29 billion). TOKYO Investors sell electronics issues Tokyo stocks fell yesterday as investors sold electronics issues, concerned by lacklustre earnings reports and the yen's ongoing strength against the US dollar. The greenback hit a more than three-year low in intraday trading in Tokyo. The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 issues closed down 134.81 points, or 1.25 per cent, at 10,641.92 points. On Monday, the index fell 6.88 points, or 0.06 per cent. Weaker-than-expected earning results from the October to December period did nothing to help as investors sold major electronics issues. Olympus, Pentax and Sharp all ended sharply lower yesterday. "All the good news, rising capital investment and shrinking bad loans at banks,have already been factored into the market," said Hideo Ueki, chief investment officer at UBS Global Asset Management in Tokyo. "It looks like the Nikkei will stay in correction mode throughout February." SINGAPORE Bird flu concerns impact on trade Singapore shares ended lower yesterday in cautious trade weighed down by mounting concerns over the spread of bird flu, traders said. The benchmark Straits Times Index closed down 3.23 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 1,845.13, up from an intraday low of 1,817.46. On the broader market, decliners outnumbered advancers 272 to 82 while 203 stocks remained unchanged or untraded. Volume slipped to 934.4 million shares, from 1.16 billion shares traded Friday. The Singapore market was closed on Monday for the Hari Raya Haji holiday. The February MSCI Singapore futures contract ended at 224.8 points, down 1.9 points, on 3,231 contracts traded. NEW YORK Stocks edge up on good news Investors uncertain about the direction of the economy sent stocks fluctuating throughout an erratic session on Monday, with prices ending mixed. Blue chip stocks finished higher while tech stocks extended their slide. The market struggled to interpret the latest reading on manufacturing from the Institute of Supply Management. Although the group's index of business activity reached a healthy 63.6 in January, up from 63.4 in December, the figure was slightly off analysts' expectation of 64, and many investors were disappointed. Stocks did manage a rally during the afternoon, but for the most part, only the big-name stocks held their gains. Such ambivalence was perhaps to be expected in a market that has seen two weeks of declines after having reached its highest levels since 2001. "Stocks rose between mid-November and mid-January at an annualized rate of almost 80 per cent per annum," said Rod Smyth, chief investment strategist for Wachovia Securities. "This market clearly cannot sustain this kind of growth, no matter how good earnings may be. You're going to see a lot of churning like this over the next couple of months." The Dow Jones industrial average finished up 11.11, or 0.1 per cent, at 10,499.18, after losing more than 50 points in the morning. Broader stock indicators were mixed. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 4.13, or 0.4 per cent, at 1,135.26, and the NASDAQ composite index finished down 3.00, or 0.2 per cent, at 2,063.15. Analysts said some of afternoon buying was due to investors who realized that earnings reports released over the past two weeks were probably better than they initially thought.
Malaysian food companies make more mooncake varieties
Malaysian mooncake manufacturers have introduced a wide range of mooncakes to maintain their competitiveness amidst the global economic crisis. Mid-autumn Festival, or simply the Mooncake Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar while it falls on Oct. 3 this year. Apparently, Malaysian manufacturers have put in much effort in mooncake packaging designs. Innovative recipes are reflected in the wide varieties of mooncakes, including those combining the Eastern and Western flavors. Tai Thong, one of Malaysia's leading companies in the food and beverage (F&B) sector, has included fruits and green tea in its mooncakes ingredients instead of sticking to the use of lotus paste and red bean. Low sugar mooncakes are also introduced by the company to meet the demand of those who consume less sugar. The low sugar series do not taste worse as Tai Thong has added lemon and mint to give consumers another kind of experience. Six Happiness, another well-known Malaysian F&B company, has come up with mooncakes with Chinese herbs, namely the "Chrysanthemum Lotus with Chinese Wolfberry Mooncake". The company also markets a special packaging that features a Chinese chessboard. The limited edition packaging is believed to be able to attract mooncakes and chess enthusiasts. While consumers tend to pay more attention to health nowadays, The Baker's Cottage, a Malaysian Western cake house, has introduced nutritious mooncakes using special ingredients. Dried longan and wolfberry are used in its precious black mooncake. The two ingredients are believed to have positive impact on human bodies such as maintaining tranquillity and improving vision. Other specialties included the blueberry blackcurrant cheese mooncake, mocha almond fudge mooncake and rich chocolate peanut praline mooncake. In fact, the Malaysian mooncake market has captured the United States ice-cream company, Haagen Dazs. Although it specializes in ice-cream business, the company has launched its chocolate and vanilla mooncakes. The appearance of different mooncakes are appealing too. Kids who love cartoons will be definitely attracted by the mooncakes featuring famous cartoon characters. President of the Malaysia Selangor and Federal Territory Ku Su Shin Choong Hung Restaurant Association Lum Tuck Loy told Xinhua that the competition in the mooncake market had intensified. In recent years, local manufacturers have been making inroads into overseas markets, especially Hong Kong. He said that Malaysian mooncakes offered more choices to consumers while the prices were relatively low, giving the Malaysian products strength to compete with foreign makers. When asked about this year's market condition, Lum said sale volume would start picking up in a few more days, adding that the sluggish demand in the past one week or two was due to Hari Raya celebration, an important festival of Muslims. Global economic slowdown had resulted in prudent spending while the A/H1N1 flu pandemic had deterred consumers from going shopping, added Lum. However, he was confident that the situation would improve in the coming week, adding that mooncake consumers were in fact increasing. The challenges the manufacturers faced were the rising of costs and increasing number of manufacturers in the market, said Lum, adding that sugar shortage in Malaysia was one of the issues.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 I felt sad because people who came to my Hari Raya open house were still talking about the matter. I felt disappointed and sad.
2 I know most of you have already known about how the Malay celebrating Hari Raya, but let usmake a review and introduce our culture to our friend from HK.
3 Geylang Serai is where the crowd goes for Hari Raya Puasa.