UTAR Department of Chinese Studies, which is parked under the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), celebrated its 20th Anniversary this year. The celebration was held in collaboration with he Alumni Association of the Department of Chinese Studies (AADCS) and I Culture Berhad. In conjunction with the 20th Anniversary celebration, the Chinese New Year (CNY) Celebration-cum-Fundraising for UTAR Hospital (庆祝拉曼大学中文系20周年纪念：新春挥毫暨拉曼大学医院募款义卖会) was also organised on 16 January 2022 at Tin Road Hakka Restaurant, Kampar.

Present at the ceremony were ICS Adjunct Prof Datuk Dr Lim Chooi Kwa, ICS Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes Deputy Dean Assoc Prof Dr Wong Wun Bin, ICS Student Development and Industrial Training Deputy Dean Dr Ling Liong Ngo, ICS Postgraduate Programmes Head Dr Wong Lih Lih, staff, alumni and students.

Dr Wong welcomed the alumni and gave a brief introduction on the establishment and development of the Department of Chinese Studies and ICS. He mentioned, “Chinese Studies is an important programme for Malaysia’s higher education because it connects the cultural, historical and ideological knowledge after the primary and secondary studies of Chinese education. It is also our cultural deposit and the potential strength of the nation. It is hoped that the Department of Chinese Studies will continue to strive for excellence in the future.”

“I am gratified by the good and harmonious relationship between teachers and students, as well as senior and junior from the Department of Chinese Studies. Our graduates have received good praises from the industry so far. Among the feedback we received include demonstrating strong adaptability at work, being very dedicated and sincere, and being able to adapt to social changes and challenges. I am also thankful to all the alumni who were willing to help their alma mater by keeping in touch with ICS and providing insightful advice on how to train Chinese Studies graduates,” he added.

AADCS Deputy President Tan Hui Sean thanked the participants for the support and said, “It is not easy to organise events during the pandemic and we can only hold activities on a small scale, but we will try our best to raise funds for UTAR Hospital. Let us come together to lend our hands for this beautiful effort.” She also briefly introduced the items which will be sold at the fundraising event and expressed her hope to receive more support from all walks of life.

The main highlight of the event was the demonstration of CNY couplets calligraphy writing by Datuk Lim. Eight sets of CNY couplets (ChunLian 春联) written by Datuk Lim were sold and it successfully raised RM3,800 for UTAR Hospital.

Datuk Lim congratulated UTAR and the Department of Chinese Studies for celebrating the 20th Anniversary and said, “I am happy to meet our staff, students and alumni on this jubilant occasion. It is an unshirkable duty for me to raise funds for UTAR Hospital, a far reaching initiative. It has been a long time since I last wrote a CNY couplet. When I was writing, I remembered my old days in the Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies. I was busy selling CNY couplets for education fundraising. CNY couplets are an important part of the inheritance of Chinese culture.” He also briefly introduced the different types of CNY couplets, their specification and their custom.

The celebration also included a sharing session by Chinese Studies alumni and students. All the alumni and students who were present were invited to share a few words. They expressed their gratitude to their teachers and shared their study memories at UTAR; tangible and intangible gains from those years and how the ‘nutrients’ from Chinese Studies nourished their career path.

The event ended with a souvenir presentation ceremony and luncheon.