On July 7, 2021, Chinese Consul General in Penang Mr. Lu Shiwei attended the opening ceremony of 2021 Meng Eng Soo Virtual Open Day and delivered a speech. Mr. Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, Mr. Ang Cho Teing, Chairman of the Penang Chinese Clan Council, etc. attended the event. More than 10,000 people watched the ceremony online.
Consul General Mr. Lu Shiwei said that there are more than 170 ancestral halls in Penang. In a century of vicissitudes, these ancestral halls are not only the ancestral halls of some certain clans for later generations to worship, but also the buildings that carry the family virtues of Chinese ancestors to advocate the principles relating to rites and etiquette, and to be able to find one’s origin and ancestral root. Furthermore, these ancestral halls also keep the records of the history of the pioneering ancestors’ struggle, their spirit of bearing hardships and their efforts to promote friendly relations among different clans. Even the aesthetic wisdom can be found in the architecture and traditional weaving in these ancestral halls. It is hoped that everyone can appreciate the profound significance of the Meng Eng Soo from the perspectives of history, culture, society, etc., and in accordance with the new requirements in the new era., promote the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese culture, and strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Malaysia
Consul General Mr. Lu Shiwei also stated that 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). China has built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and is embarking on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. The international community is generally optimistic about the prospects of China’s development. China is the world’s largest developing country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, and has a domestic market of huge scale and potential. China is unswervingly advancing opening-up at a higher level, promoting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, bringing more opportunities to countries in the world including Malaysia.