Wushu Club Exhibition 2017

 A celebratory moment for the organising committee after the exhibition

It was a united effort by the members of the Wushu Club to preserve the Chinese culture, through their “Wushu Club Exhibition 2017”, organised in conjunction with the club’s 10^th-year-anniversary celebration, held from 23 to 26 November 2017 at the Kampar Campus.

Themed ‘Yuan Xu’ meaning “continuing the bond/fate” (缘续), it told of the origin of the club that begun when fate brought the first two Presidents of the club together to establish the Wushu Club, despite them being from different backgrounds. They also believed that with fate, they were able to meet various important individuals that enabled the club to maintain its presence for ten years long.

“Through the display of items, such as the lion and dragon dance equipment, the drums of the 24 Festive Dance group, information on Tai Chi, Hong Quan (洪拳)— traditional Chinese martial arts, and Sanda (散打)— Chinese kickboxing, we want the visitors to approach closer to the Chinese culture and to build interests among the younger generation to learn more about Chinese culture,” said Organising Chairperson and Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biochemistry student Ngoo Jia Min.

He added, “Take example the lion dance, apart from the general purpose of the lion bringing fortune and prosperity, I believe not many know of the different Southern and Northern lions used in lion dances. For us, we use the Southern lion in our routines. Therefore, it is important that we become familiar with our cultures so it can be properly maintained, preserved and be passed down to many generations.”

In addition to the club’s effort to educate visitors about the Chinese culture, the exhibition also enabled the visitors to have a glimpse of the milestones achieved in these ten years and featured a unique-made tunnel that contained historical information; giving visitors a travel-back-in-time moment.

“I am glad that the exhibition was a success and it was nice seeing all the divisions coming together to organise this event. It has definitely made the bond between our members stronger and to be able to learn together from the challenges faced,” said Ngoo.

Side activities organised by the club also included a Wushu Talk by the Malaysia National Wushu Team coach Lim Yew Fai and a Tai Chi Workshop conducted by Tai Chi Grandmaster Leong Yee Chiu from Penang.

Milestones of Wushu Club:

UTAR Wushu Club was founded on 1 October 2007 by Eric Chew and Robin Ng, who were also the very first chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the club. Despite coming from an accounting background, their burning passion for the sport has led them to become the very first instructors in UTAR; sharing and bringing the knowledge and skills of Wushu to students. In 2008, Faculty of Science lecturer Dr Lee How Chinh took the position as the advisor of the club and taught students Sanda (散打) and Hong Quan (洪拳).

The initial number of members enrolled in the club was small, and lessons were conducted in Dr Lee’s house. However, the fortunate year of 2009 saw a gradual increase of students wanting to learn Wushu, and lessons were then conducted in the premises of the Kampar Campus.

In 2010, the club participated in its very first Sanda (散打) tournament and won 11 medals, consisting of five gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze medal. The same year saw Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology lecturer Lee Yu Jen, who is an avid Tai Chi practitioner, joining the club as the second advisor.

In 2011, the Wushu club won five gold medals in the Perak Wushu Championship and another 21 medals (seven gold, ten silver and four bronze medals) in 2012. 

The club’s breakthrough lion dance and drum performances came when the club was invited to perform at UTAR’s first alumni dinner. With the help of Pei Yuan High School students, the performance was successful and led to the club forming a lion dance and dance troupe. In 2013, the club had a total of five divisions, namely Wushu, Tai Chi, Sanda (散打), lion and dragon dance troupe, and the 24 Festive Drums troupe.

In 2016, realising that the Wushu division comprises of various martial arts, Dr Lee renamed the five divisions to Hong Quan (洪拳) division, Lion and Dragon Dance troupe, and the 24 Festive Drums troupe. 

 From left: Ngoo presenting mementos to Grandmaster Leong and Lim 

Some of the items displayed at the exhibition

Photos courtesy of Wushu Club.