Filled with the rhythm of the electrifying 24 Festive Drums, the majestic hall Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik of UTAR Kampar Campus turned sprightly with performances by the participants of the 1st Malaysia Inter-Varsity Competition of 24 Festive Drums on 23 February 2019.
The 1st Malaysia Inter-Varsity Competition of 24 Festive Drums was jointly organised by the 24 Festive Drums Association of Malaysia, Ipoh Drum Academy, UTAR Wushu Club and Huazong 24 Festive Drums Development Department. It aimed to promote the exclusivity of the Chinese culture.
The guests (from left) Tun Ling, Tan, Prof Chuah, Datuk Lim, Datuk Mah, Hew and Chong
Invited to launch the competition was the Guest of Honour-cum-UTAR Chancellor Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, Co-Founder of 24 Festive Drums and Honorary Adviser of Malaysian 24 Festive Drums Association Tan Chai Puan and UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik. Also present to cherish the launch of the ceremony were UTAR Council Members Datuk Lim Si Cheng and Hew Fen Yee, Deputy President of MCA Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, Organising Chairperson Chong Zhen Hau, Head of Department of Students Affairs (DSA) of Kampar Campus Chiang Jeng Fong, DSA Senior Assistant Manager-cum-Officer-in-charge of Wushu Club Adrin Yeap Wai Kuan, sponsors, committee members, UTAR staff and students and the members of the public.
Elated by the great engagement and support of the young students and the local community, the Co-Founder of 24 Festive Drums Tan, explained, “The 1st Malaysia Inter-Varsity Competition of 24 Festive Drums is indeed an important milestone for 24 Festive Drums. As one of the co-founders and as part of 24 Festive Drums Association Malaysia I would like to thank the organising committee for making this competition a reality. In addition to that, we are glad that the first ever Inter-Varsity Competition in Malaysia was held in a very beautiful UTAR Kampar Campus in the presence of UTAR Chancellor Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, the great supporter of 24 Festive Drums. Thank you once again to UTAR for giving us the platform to organise such a meaningful competition today.” He added, “We hope the elements of 24 Festive Drums can be incorporated into the Malaysian education system. We also hope the 24 Festive Drums can be recognised as one of the extracurricular activities in school. The association also plans to publish the teaching and learning materials to develop a professional certification examination system for 24 Festive Drums.”
Prof Chuah emphasising on the importance of cultural intelligence
Echoing the sentiment of Tan, UTAR President on behalf of UTAR enthused, “On behalf of the University, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and honour to be invited to co-organise and also host this inaugural Inter-Varsity Competition of 24 Festive Drums. Hosting such culturally significant event at this iconic hall is like a match made in heaven. It is similar to matching one element to another complementary one. Despite being an institution of higher learning with great emphasis on teaching and R&D, I believe it is also incumbent upon the University to spearhead and support cultural-related initiatives. In this case, we are very delighted to be a part of this event because not only it is in line with UTAR’s Six Pillars of Education, but we are also helping to promote and preserve this locally-produced art as intangible cultural heritage.”
The competition saw a total of seven meaningful performances from seven participating universities. The seven inspiring performances, namely “Happy Spring Festival 2019 (Yi Hai Year) (乙亥丰年贺新春)” by Southern University College, “Hey, are you okay? (嘿，你还好吗？)” by Sunway University, “Prison of the Heart (心牢)” by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), “Life is like Lotus (人生如莲)” by Xiamen University Malaysia, “The Origination (源始)” by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), “Enjoying the Moment ("乐"在其中)” by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and last but not the least “Hunger Drum (饥鼓)” by UTAR, were all composed and choreographed by the respective university students. The performances were judged by a total of 16 experienced judges and the teams were judged based on the aspects of creativity, originality as well as the uniqueness of the plot.
The closing ceremony marked the end of the 1st Malaysia Inter-Varsity Competition of 24 Festive Drums. Also present at the closing ceremony were Co-Founder of 24 Festive Drums and Honorary Adviser of Malaysian 24 Festive Drums Association Tan, Organising Chairperson Chong, Head of DSA Chiang, DSA staff, sponsors, committee members, UTAR staff and students and the members of the public.
Chong thanking the working committee for the success of the competition
In his closing speech, the Organising Chairperson Chong said, “This is indeed a proud moment for all the working committees. We have been preparing for more than a year and we are glad to see the success of the competition today. My working committees have been a huge help to me in preparing for this competition. Therefore, I would like to thank all the committee members for your hard work and effort in making the competition a success. Adding to that, I also would like to thank the 24 Festive Drums Association Malaysia for giving us the great support and opportunities to organise the first ever Malaysia Inter-Varsity Competition of 24 Festive Drums. Despite all the difficulties and challenges, we managed to overcome them with the support, assistance and contribution from the members, sponsors and supporting units of the competition. This competition is certainly a great start for us and we would like to seek the audience to continue in giving their support for 24 Festive Drums.”
The competition came to an end when the judges shared the overall marks of the presentations. The top three winners walked away with RM3,000, RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively.
The list of winners is as follows:
Champion: Sunway University
1st Runner-up: UTAR
2nd Runner-up: UUM
The two winning teams from Sunway University and UTAR also won some additional awards that focused on the creativity and originality of their storylines.
Proud champion: Sunway University
1st Runner-up: UTAR
2nd Runner-up: UUM
Delighted with the win, UTAR’s 24 Festive Drums team leader Lim Keng Teck, explained, “I developed the theme on starvation after I participated in the 30-Hour Famine programme last year. I knew how the people in poor countries feel when they are in desperate need for food. The harsh environment in some parts of the world made me think how some people still could waste food. Therefore, I took the drum competition as one of the platforms to educate the people around me to stop wasting food.”
He added, “I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to all the teammates for their hard work and teamwork in performing a thrilling performance during the competition. It is certainly a proud moment for us and we are grateful that our continuous effort over the months has finally paid off. It took us seven months to get ready for the competition. Today’s win resulted from the team’s dedication, keenness and commitment towards the 24 Festive Drums performance. The competition also taught us to build a strong team spirit among the team members.” He also thanked their coach, also the Organising Chairperson Chong, for his advice and encouragement throughout the preparation.
Some exciting performances of 24 Festive Drums during the 1st Malaysia Inter-Varsity Competition of 24 Festive Drums
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