Firm shows tech can help boost culture
Famed company from China presents classic novel in 3D animation
PETALING JAYA: A short 3D animation of Dream Of The Red Chamber was presented to Star Media Group Bhd personnel by a delegation from Crystal Digital Technology Co Ltd when they paid a courtesy visit to Menara Star.
Also called Story of the Stone and composed by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty, the masterpiece is considered one of four great classical novels of Chinese literature.
“We are happy to witness the production of a classic Chinese fiction in a 3D animation format,” said Star Media Group chairman Datuk Fu Ah Kiow.
“It is a demonstration of how new technology and traditional art can be combined together to give audiences a different presentation format.
“This is another form of cultural exchange, which we welcome.”
Fu hosted the delegation as well as guests from Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar), including its president Datuk Dr Chuah Hean Teik
Crystal Digital also donated the 3D animation to both the universi- ties poses. for academic and research pur
Crystal Digital group deputy president and general manager of Shanghai Ding Ying said that she hoped the cultural exchange would be the start of more future cooperation.
The company is a leading digital and visual creative corporation in China and has extensive experience in world-class visual technology exhibitions.
It provided digital animation for the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing 2008 Olympic, the
London 2012 Olympic and the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The group’s famous 3D mural of Along The River During The Qingming Festival is on display at Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Creative Media and Technology Hub (CMTHub) Visual Arts and Cultural 3D Animation Exhibition in Shah Alam. It ends today. UiTM’s CMT Hub director Professor Dr Mustaffa Halabi Azahari said this was the first time the university was collaborating with a leading visual digital imaging organisation from China. “Moving forward, there will be more collaborations on other pro- jects. For instance, we will be working on Admiral Zheng He’s story next,” he said. UiTM’s CMTHub and Crystal Digital Technology inked a letter of intent on their collaboration in a ceremony yesterday. Besides bringing Chinese cultural exhibition to Malaysia, Ding said they hoped to work with UiTM and create more exhibitions based on Malaysia’s arts and culture, which can be brought to China. “We hope to bring people closer through arts and culture. “With the help of technology, artwork can be presented in a more interesting way and this can attract youngsters too,” she said after the ceremony.
Fu, who was at the signing ceremony, congratulated UiTM and Crystal Digital Technology for successfully organising the cultural exchange exhibition.
“We can see how new technology is used to animate the old, historical masterpiece.”