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| Sunway Pyramid, Bandar Sunway Chinese New Year Festive Season |
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| Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple Jenjarom, Selangor |
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| 2023 Year of the Rabbit Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple Jenjarom, Selangor |
I had a quiet Chinese New Year (CNY) in my home place, Subang Jaya, Selangor this year. Prior to the CNY, I made a downtown visit to Kuala Lumpur city centre & visited Bukit Bintang, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Suria KLCC & Petronas Twin Towers, Petaling Street, Kwai Chai Hong & Central Market / Kasturi Walk. These touristy places have of late attracted more visitors & foreign tourists compared to the more severe Covid-19 pandemic years of 2020 & 2021!
Though 2023 is a Year of Rabbit, I am not in a hurry to "hop" from city to city (inter-state) during the CNY festive season as many of the urbanites & Malaysians of all races took the opportunity (due to a long holiday weekend) to "balik kampung" ie returning to their hometowns to celebrate the CNY thus big cities like Penang, Ipoh & Melaka will be jam-packed with holiday makers & the North-South highway can become very congested & in city centres, finding a car parking space can become a major problem!
But a strong CNY festive mood had driven me to pay a visit to a nearby Sunway Pyramid Mall in Bandar Sunway to catch a glimpse of the CNY festivities & decor on Day 3 of the Chinese New Year. On Day 6 of the CNY, together with my wife & 3 sisters, our group made a visit to view the CNY Lanterns & Floral Festival in Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple, Jenjarom, Selangor located approx 40km from Kuala Lumpur.
Today ie Saturday Jan 28 2023 is the 7th Day of the Chinese New Year also known as "Renri" simply means Human Day (the day human beings were created) & is considered to be the birthday of ordinary or common people like you & me! Happy birthday to all my readers !
In two days time (Monday Jan 30 2023) ie the 9th Day of the Chinese New Year (Tian Gong Dan or Phai Thien Kong) is regarded as the day of salvation by the Chinese Hokkien community! Phai Thien Kong literally means "praying the Heaven God" - an important day to Hokkien people because they believe it is the birthday of the Jade Emperor (Thien Kong) who protected the ancestors of Hokkien people from ruthless army in ancient China.
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| Sugar Canes, CNY Goodies for Phai Thien Kong on the 9th Day of CNY |
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| Bright Gold & Red Miniature Pagoda for praying to Heaven God |
The 15th day (Sunday Feb 5 2023, the last day of the lunar Chinese New Year & the arrival of a full moon (this is also the day I will be flying off from Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi, Vietnam together with my wife & 3 travel buddies for a 20 days free & easy visit to Hanoi, Sapa, Lao Cai, Haiphong, Ninh Binh, Hue, Danang & Hoi An). For the Hokkien community, it is called the "Chap Goh Mei" & celebrated by family members with thanksgiving & offerings. In China, the 15th Day is known as the Lantern Festival.
Chinese New Year Day 11 (Wednesday Feb 1 2023) - hosted a CNY lunch for my niece & her family members (now residing in Perth, Australia) together with my brother-in-law, William Boey & wife (a table of 9 adults + 3 children) in F4 Fish Head Restaurant, Jalan Subang 4, Industrial Park, Subang Jaya, Selangor, ordered 8 Chinese "tai chow" dishes + rice + 1 pot of Chinese tea totalled Rm309 (US$71, a treat from my wife).
Chinese New Year Day 6 (Friday Jan 27 2023)
Travel itinerary: Subang Jaya > Taman Equine > Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple, Jenjarom > Klang > Taman Equine > Subang Jaya (total mileage approx 140km)
Petrol Rm20 + Toll fees Rm13 = Rm33 (US$7.70)
1) Ban Siew Keng Temple, Taman Yayasan, Jenjarom, Selangor
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| My Surname - Cheng |
3) Art Gallery with artefacts exhibition, Calligraphy Hall & Relics Shrine - Fo Guang Shan Dong Zhen Temple, Jenjarom
4) Humanistic Buddhism Research Office, Fo Guang Shan Dong Zhen Temple, Jenjarom
9) Lumbini Garden, Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple, Jenjarom - orchid displays, fish ponds & models of famous Buddhist sacred places in India.
13) After the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple visit, our group had a lunch in Restoran Soon Tong, Taman Selatan, Klang, ordered 5 'tai chow" dishes + I pot Chinese tea (own packet of tea leaves) + Rice = Rm142 (US$33, a treat from my sisters Inn & Mei)
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| Steamed Ginger Sauce Fish Rm57 (US$13.25) |
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| Hokkien Mi Rm14 (US$3.25) |
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| Kong Nam Mee Rm17 (US$3.95) |
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| Stir Fried Sweet Potato Leaves Rm 15 (US$3.50) |
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| Chinese Tea (BYO) Rm4 (US$0.93) |
Chinese New Year Day 3 (Tuesday Jan 24 2023)
1) Sunway Pyramid, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor - a premier shopping mall in Klang Valley, located approx 4km from my home place!
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