Kota Kinabalu: The transmission of Chinese culture cannot remain confined to textbooks, but requires experience, practice and exchange to help younger generations understand, appreciate and preserve it, said Kian Kok Middle School Board Chairman Datuk Clement Yeh.
He said hosting the 2026 Chinese Culture Grand Garden – Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia at Kian Kok Middle School created a strong Chinese cultural atmosphere on campus, while activities such as dance, lantern-making, calligraphy, painting and drumming allowed students to experience the richness of Chinese culture.
“The transmission of Chinese culture cannot remain confined to textbooks.
“It requires experience, practice and exchange so that the younger generation can truly understand and appreciate the culture, and willingly take on the responsibility of preserving and passing it on,” he said at the programme’s closing and graduation ceremony at the school, recently.
The programme, organised by Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College, hosted by the Sabah Malaysia-China Friendship Association and co-organised by Kian Kok Middle School, exposed students to a range of Chinese cultural activities, including Chinese culture, large drum performance, ethnic dance, martial arts, Baduanjin, vocal music, recitation, handpan drumming, lantern-making, paper-cutting, calligraphy and painting, and shadow puppetry.
It attracted nearly 400 primary and secondary school students from various parts of Sabah and different ethnic backgrounds.
Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College deputy dean and delegation head Kong Xuemei said many students were encountering traditional Chinese culture closely for the first time, but had embraced the programme through their enthusiasm and dedication.
She said the college had donated teaching materials used during the programme, including costumes and props, calligraphy and painting supplies, handicraft materials, handpans and shadow puppetry equipment, to Kian Kok Middle School for future Chinese cultural education activities.
“I hope these teaching resources will continue to accompany the students as they explore the beauty of Chinese culture,” she said, adding that she also hoped Kian Kok Middle School would continue to deepen its Chinese-language education efforts, enabling more Malaysian youths to discover a spiritual connection with Chinese culture.
Meanwhile, Kepayan Assemblyman Datuk Chin Teck Ming, who is also legal adviser to the Sabah Malaysia-China Friendship Association, said cultural exchange programmes could strengthen Sabah’s multicultural harmony by teaching young people to appreciate differences and respect other cultures.
He said the significance of the Chinese Culture Grand Garden went beyond introducing Chinese culture, as it provided a platform for young people from different ethnic and school backgrounds to meet, understand and learn from one another.
“Cultural exchange is not about making everyone the same, but about enabling us to appreciate one another amid differences and learn to respect one another despite our differences,” he said.
Chin said Sabah’s multiculturalism was its most precious asset, with Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Malay, Chinese and other communities living together despite differences in language, tradition, religion and culture.
He said nearly 400 students had gathered through the programme to learn, practise and create together while forming friendships with teachers from China and fellow participants.
Chin said this year’s 52nd anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations also highlighted the importance of people-to-people ties, noting that the Sabah Malaysia-China Friendship Association had spent 14 years promoting exchanges in culture, education, youth and sports and building platforms for communication and cooperation between Sabah and China.
He described the Chinese Culture Grand Garden as a strong example of such people-to-people friendship, saying relationships between the two countries should not exist only at government or diplomatic levels, but also through cultural exchanges, sporting activities, lessons and friendships.
Chin urged the students to bring what they had learned back to their schools and families and carry their understanding and respect for different cultures into their future lives.
“Graduation is not the end, but a new beginning,” he said, adding that he hoped the students would remain proud of their own cultures while respecting those of others.
The closing ceremony, attended by nearly 1,000 people, featured student performances and presentations showcasing what participants had learned during the programme.
