On July 7, 2020, Chinese Consul General in Penang Mr. Lu Shiwei attended the opening ceremony of Meng Eng Soo Virtual Open Day 2020 and delivered a speech. Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, Yeap Beow Chong, Chairman of the Penang Chinese Clan Council, etc. attended the event.
In his speech, Consul General Mr. Lu Shiwei said that under the special situation of COVID-19 pandemic, the event organizer has overcome all kinds of difficulties and vividly reproduced the history of the Meng Eng Soo over hundreds of years with new technologies and new models such as “virtual tour” and “virtual explanation”. This will help the younger generation to better understand the migrant track of their ancestors towards south and better promote the ancestors' spirits of enduring hardships and forging ahead in unity. Facing the test of COVID-19 pandemic, China and Malaysia have perfectly interpreted the concept of a community with a shared future of mankind with practical actions of cooperating with each other in fighting against the pandemic. After the pandemic, our friendship will become stronger and cultural and people-to-people exchanges will become closer.
Chow Kon Yeow and Yeap Beow Chong expressed their hopes that this event will encourage more people in Penang to pay attention to and learn more about the culture of the Chinese forefathers, look back on history, and look towards the future.
The Meng Eng Soo was formerly known as Ghee Hin Kongsi, which was established in 1790. It was a society which Chinese of various clans organized to help each other and protect themselves against bullying during that period. Since 2008, on July 7 each year, which is also the George Town World Heritage City Day in Penang, the Meng Eng Soo has organized an open day for people to visit. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the “virtual open day” event was held for the first time this year.