By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Dec 21: Kuching’s Chinatown at Jalan Padungan has embraced a new mural honouring an 80-year-old charming grandmother named Goh Bing Choo, who was born and raised in the area and is renowned for her pastries, especially the traditional Ang Ku Kueh (Red Tortoise Cake).
Goh is a fourth-generation successor of pastry making at Syn Soon Huat Enterprise, which is located just opposite the Padungan Police Station. Her daughter is now in charge of the business.
The mural, specially painted by mural artist Leonard Siaw, can be found on the wall of a row of shops, which is also on the same row as Goh’s shop.
According to Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, Jalan Padungan will turn 100-years-old next year, and it is therefore appropriate for murals to be installed to commemorate the history of the past professions that the locals have practiced in the area.
“Most importantly, you can see the overall improvement in Padungan, so when you think about MBKS, Padungan is the heart of MBKS, which is why we have spent more time looking into how to bring life back into this old heritage area.
“And one thing we can be certain of is that the architecture of the buildings here will be preserved and properly cared for in the coming year.
“Those buildings were built in 1928, so I studied Padungan and looking at it, there isn’t much attraction for the tourism sector to come in, which is why we need to explore more, and one way is to install murals,” Wee told reporters today during a site visit to see the progress of the mural painting at Jalan Padungan here.
He went on to say that MBKS will work closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Sarawak on future projects to attract more visitors to Jalan Padungan as well as Kuching itself.
Wee also mentioned that there are six murals located around Jalan Padungan, with five more to come.
“We need to make sure that there are things to attract visitors to the area, because murals talk about history and are educational not only for tourists but also for the younger generations.
“The best part is that the businesses are still in operation. We also intend to repaint the old shophouses to turn them into tourist attractions, and we are putting together more programmes in this area,” the mayor remarked.
Also present at the event was MTCP Sarawak permanent secretary Datu Hii Chang Kee. — DayakDaily
