Plan to build Hakka Museum

Plan to build Hakka Museum

THE Penang Khek Association will identify a suitable land in Balik Pulau to build a Hakka Heritage Museum.

Association president Datuk Dr Cheah See Kian said the association was looking for a piece of land measuring 1,858.06 sq m (20,000 sq ft) to build the museum.

Dr Cheah, who is also the Malaysian Federation of Hakka Associations’ deputy president, said the museum would be modelled after a traditional Hakka round house.

“We have submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and I will be following up with him to see if it is possible for the state to grant us a piece of land in Balik Pulau for the purpose.

“The museum will feature different kinds of historical Hakka cultural treasures and the unique living style of the Hakka people,” he said in an interview.

He said the round house would have an eatery, a souvenir shop and an audio visual room for children.

Dr Cheah said Penangites could boast of a new tourist attraction in Balik Pulau if the state approved the project.

On the type of structure chosen for the museum, Dr Cheah said the round house was more commonly known by the people compared to the phoenix house and flat house ping fang.

He said there was historical evidence to prove the existence of Hakka settlement in Balik Pulau about 200 years ago.

“Although the Hakka community is not the largest native dialect group in Penang, it was the pioneer group to open up Penang island, with other dialect groups successfully migrating to Malaysia from south China,” he said.

Dr Cheah said the project, once completed, would be a tribute to the Hakka ancestors and their great achievements.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow when contacted said the state would hold further discussions with the association on the proposed project.

“We will have to look at the feasibility of the plan first,” he said.

-News courtesy of The Star-