Festival of color, vibrancy and enticing cuisine celebrates a rich heritage, Yang Feiyue reports.

Malaysian performances, such as a lion dance, show the country's traditions and culture during the three-day event. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The capital city's Sanlitun area was recently swept up in a Malaysian craze, as mouthwatering food, art and impressive performances were on display during a cultural festival.

The three-day event in early September was to demonstrate the rich traditions and culture of Malaysia and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia next year.

Malaysia and China have always maintained cultural exchanges, and both sides have been actively innovating forms of exchange and creating platforms for exchanges.

Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts

Impressive performances such as the Twenty-Four Festive Drums, lion dance, and Malaysian martial art Silat were presented to show Malaysia's traditions and culture during the event, while distinctive gourmet food like durian, bak kut teh, nasi lemak and satay were available to bring tropical flavors to the palate.

The traditional Southeast Asian board game Congkak, and the Malaysian kite Wau enabled visitors to savor the country's cultural charm at close quarters.

"The friendship between Malaysia and China has a long history. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Malaysia and China," says Sarawak's Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

"Malaysia and China have always maintained cultural exchanges, and both sides have been actively innovating forms of exchange and creating platforms for exchanges, achieving significant results in various fields," Abdul Karim adds.

The event is aimed to deepen mutual understanding, promote cultural diversity, pluralism, and creativity, according to him.

"We welcome partnerships in promoting local cuisine, artistic collaborations, academic and media exchanges, and other aspects, all of which will greatly enhance the ties between our two countries," Abdul Karim says, adding that cultural exchanges not only enrich lives but also build bridges for future cooperation, further strengthening the profound friendship between China and Malaysia.

Malaysian food proves to be a popular treat at a cultural festival in Beijing earlier this month celebrating the country's traditions. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Dai Xulong, president of Council for International Economics and Technology Administration, Beijing, considers Malaysia a country where diverse cultures coexist harmoniously, and various cultural traditions and customs are respected and protected.

"I believe that this is also thanks to the tireless efforts and selfless dedication of Chinese pioneers in upholding Chinese culture," Dai says.

"In recent years, Malaysia has been working hard to facilitate more Chinese tourists to visit the country. I believe that the hosting of the Beijing Malaysia Festival will further bridge the gap between the people of the two countries and promote mutual understanding between them," he adds.

Tengku Eliza Ibrahim, lead project coordinator for Perwakilan Beijing, a Malaysian charity organization, rolled out various cuisines for the visitors at the event.

"The food that we prepared is basically all the Malaysian favorites, all homemade by the ladies from the (Malaysian) embassy," Ibrahim says.

During the festival, Ibrahim and her team prepared seven different menus to be sold, consisting of about 400 items.

"Different days, different menu. We had dishes that we eat every day. All the members here were on duty to help sell the food, to raise money for our charity," she says.

Snacks are prepared at the event. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

It was the biggest public event by the charity organization in China over the past three years, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The festival brought many fellow Malaysians together, united through our appetite for good food and rich culture. Beijing residents also had the chance to experience the Malaysian spirit firsthand, without having to travel miles," Ibrahim says.

"I believe Malaysian food is appealing to the Chinese community as well because we also have a lot of Chinese in Malaysia, so the taste is similar," she says.

Lu Benbing, a salesperson from a Malaysian durian import and export trading company, brought various products, like durian cake, to the festival.

"In the past few years, our company's durian sales in China have increased, especially this year," Lu says.

"Chinese consumers recognize and are familiar with Southeast Asian food, thanks to the cooperation among ASEAN countries. Our company has signed a lot of orders in recent years," he says.

In recent years, China and Malaysia have steadily advanced their cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, continuously unleashing the dividends of development, says Su Hong, deputy director of Beijing Investment Promotion Service Center.

In 2022, bilateral trade between China and Malaysia reached $203.6 billion, with China remaining Malaysia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, according to Su.

"Economic and trade cooperation between Beijing and Malaysia has also yielded fruitful results. Malaysia's investments in Beijing span various sectors, including leasing and business services, scientific research, and technical services, making a positive contribution to the economic and social development of Beijing," Su says.

Visitors check out specialties at the festival. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

In the future, Beijing will actively align itself with international high-standard economic and trade rules, continue to advance high-level opening-up to the outside world, and vigorously promote high-quality development, Su adds.

"This will provide vast investment and development opportunities for a wide range of enterprises, including Malaysian businesses," Su says.

The festival also provided a platform for international talent in Beijing to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures, foster open-mindedness, and broaden their perspectives, according to Yuan Qianming, an official from the Beijing-based Talent Beyond Borders, which played a role in putting together the event.

"Many of our members showed great interest in getting involved when they heard about the festival," Yuan says.

Those members mainly work in Fortune 500 companies in Beijing, and some of them also work in Chinese science and technology companies.

"They are not only capable of cross-cultural communications and collaboration, but also have a deep understanding of domestic and foreign cultures," Yuan says.

"In fact, we received more than 100 applications, and finally chose about 40 people who can speak Malay and are familiar with Malaysian and Southeast Asian culture to participate in the organization and coordination of the event," he adds.

Those global volunteers were mainly responsible for the communications and coordination with the Malaysian side.

"First, the important role they play is as translators, and they are also responsible for the cross-cultural coordination," Yuan says.

Yuan has observed that the festival enabled international talent to enhance their cross-cultural communication and collaboration skills and gave them a chance to expand their social networks and find more opportunities for cooperation in Beijing.

"They have had a deeper understanding of Beijing and China in this process, because they have seen how we seek cooperation with an open attitude during the event preparation, so that they will trust and recognize us from the bottom of their heart," Yuan says.

Yan Bingjie contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn