The award ceremony for the Malaysian Folklore Illustrated Books Writing Contest, a Malaysia-Taiwan cultural collaboration jointly organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia and the Han Culture Centre Malaysia (HCCM), was held at the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Bureau on April 9.
ROC Representative to Malaysia Anne Hung (洪慧珠), along with scholars and representatives from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, National Department for Culture and Arts, Malaysian Institute of Language and Literature, Department of Orang Asli Development, and the HCCM, attended the ceremony.
Representative Hung expressed her gratitude to all Malaysian teachers, students, parents and public institutions for their keen involvement in the project, and she indicated that despite the pandemic, the organizers have received 238 thought-provoking submissions that highlight Malaysia's unique ethnic diversity.
Hung voiced her hope that the winners will feel proud of their role in the transmission of local culture.
HCCM President Dato' Goh Hin San (拿督吳恆燦) pointed out that this is the first writing contest organized by the HCCM and TECO in Malaysia, as well as the first illustrated books writing contest opened to Malaysian students under the age of 19 in recent years.
He added that the 238 submissions demonstrate that the project serves a meaningful role in cultivating creative and reading habits among students, in addition to providing domestic students with a reading and creative platform for understanding the ethnic cultures of their home country.
Renowned Malaysian illustrator Lim Lay Koon (林麗君), representating the writing contest's judging panel, pointed out that during the judging process, she discovered many wonderful and fascinating local cultural themes, which bear witness to the richness and vibrancy of Malaysian culture.
Lim thanked the organizers for providing this rare opportunity for Malaysian students to not only understand their surrounding cultures, but also to experience creative writing for illustrated books.