UCA gets pat on the back for attempt to break national, world records
SIBU: The attempt to enter the Malaysia Book of Records and Guinness World Record in the Chinese Calligraphy Category by United Chinese Associations (UCA) Sibu Division yesterday will not only put Sibu on the map at the national level but also globally.
In pointing this out, Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said the event would be the pride of the people of Sibu of all races.
“I am sure Sibu will become better known through this activity. The UCA Sibu Division under the capable leadership of Kong Hian Khim and also his hard working committee has made this event possible and successful,” he said when addressing at the event held in UniCity (Jalan Wawasan) here on Sunday.
The event was an attempt to create a new record in the Malaysia Book of Records in the Largest Chinese Calligraphy Event category and the Guinness World Record in the Largest Calligraphy Lesson category.
Malaysia Book Of Records office manager Lee Pooi Leng, National Chinese Schools United Committee (Dong Zong) chairman Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau, Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee, Sibu Municipal Council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King who is also Dudong assemblyman and UCA Sibu Division president Kong Hian Khim were among those present.
Wong, who is also Bawang Assan assemblyman, extended his gratitude to all those who participated in the event.
“The event gathers lots of people irrespective of creed and religious background. Such support and spirit has brought success and made Sibu proud in conjunction with the Sibu Visit Year 2017,” he said.
He said the event which also attracted participation from primary and secondary school students has become the best platform to instil interest in the art of calligraphy.
“The Chinese community has the tradition of writing and depending on calligraphy during Chinese New Year to seek blessings. As such, I hope the art of calligraphy will continue to be passed from generation to generation,” he said.
On behalf of Sibu people, he thanked UCA Sibu and other associations for successfully organising the event.
Lau, who also spoke, praised UCA Sibu for holding the event in conjunction with its 40th anniversary and Visit Sibu Year 2017 which has received great response from Sibu people.
When approached by reporters, Kong extended his profound gratitude to the support and cooperation of the people for ensuring the success of the event which created a new record in the Malaysia Book of Records for the most number of participants in a Chinese calligraphy writing event.
“We have successfully broken the record by two times the number of participants in the event. On behalf of the organising committee, I thank Sibu residents for their support,” he said.
Kong also said they would send documentations to London for evaluation to enter the Guinness World Records under the Largest Calligraphy Lesson category.
“For the Guinness World Records, we need to provide documents like pictures and video. We carried out introductory class on the art and technique of Chinese calligraphy writing,” he said.
Asked when they expect to receive the result of the evaluation, Kong said he was unsure of the actual date but it would be known after submitting the documents to London.
“We hope to get the result in a week after sending the documentation,” he said, adding that they looked forward to receiving a positive result which would make their dream finally come true.
“We have also planned various activities throughout this year to celebrate our association’s 40th anniversary,” Kong added.