From the desk of Chong Ket Pen - The Lunar/Chinese New Year is the biggest festival for Chinese all over the world. Here's how the Hopo do it differently.

I grew up in a sleepy town on the border of Negri Sembilan and Malacca. While I live in Kuala Lumpur now, I still return on frequent visits to my hometown, which is filled with memories of my childhood. Many of these memories are of food and family traditions and the traditions of the Hopo Hakka in my town. I have shared many of these with my own family, and we continue to observe and keep these traditions. When I joined the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Hopo Association about 15 years ago, I realised that I wanted to contribute to keeping our Hopo culture and traditions alive, and pass them on to future generations. The Hopo Cultural Museum’s mural of how many early Hopo Hakkas made their living once they arrived in the Malay Peninsula. Clockwise from top right: rubber tapping, carpentry, tin panning and tin mining. In June this year, the first step of that dream became [...]

I thank you for taking the time to read my humble thoughts. This website is where I pen some of my musings and share my passions, in particular around the KL-Selangor Hopo Association. Being rather busy, I won't be writing every day like most of the energetic young bloggers we see today, however I hope what I write will be of value to you, be in in educational value or as entertainment. If you would like to get in touch, please use the contact page and a member of my team will make arrangements accordingly. I am, after all, rather unfamiliar with the inner workings of the internet and am content to allow my colleagues to lend me a helping hand here. Till then, I wish you well and may we meet one day. Chong Ket Pen Connect with Dato' Sri Chong Ket Pen on social media Facebook | Facebook Page | Google+ | Twitter | LinkedIn