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Malay Mail
05-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Nam Hooi Wooi Koon: in George Town The world's oldest Nanhai association outside of China
GEORGE TOWN, July 6 – Standing on its own and stretching 60.96 metres (about 200 feet) from Chulia Street to Kampung Malabar, the Nam Hooi Wooi Koon is the oldest Nanhai association in the world outside of China. The association, formed by immigrants from Nanhai (Nam Hooi) district in Guangdong province in China, was established in 1828 but the building was only constructed in 1904. Among the notable figures from Nanhai are martial artist, physician and folk hero Wong Fei-Hung and martial artist Ip Man. Nam Hooi Wooi Koon was built in 1904 and stretches 200 feet from Chulia Street to Kampung Malabar. — Picture by Opalyn Mok There are over 400,000 people from Nanhai overseas with 60 overseas Nanhai associations worldwide. The Nanhai community in Penang worked in trade, finance and the food industry in the heritage area where the association building now stands. The association served as a hub to welcome new immigrants from Nanhai and helped them arrange lodging and employment. It was a community gathering space that arranged for traditional Chinese medicine doctors to provide medical assistance, provide help with funeral arrangements and care for senior citizens without family here. The altar for Tudi Gong, the Earth deity. — Picture by Opalyn Mok The Nanhai community members in Penang were also the founding leaders of the Kong Hock Keong Temple, founding members of Lam Wah Ee Hospital and managing directors of the Ng Fook Tong School. When it was initially established, the association had between 3,000 to 4,000 members but today, it is down to about 1,000 with only a few hundred active members. The building may look plain from afar but upon closer look, the roof features intricate carvings of flowers and scenes from folk tales while on the roof top, sculptures of a pair of fish dragons stand with a pearl in the centre. Listed as a Category 1 heritage building, the front entrance has the words Nam Hooi Wooi Koon written in Cantonese moulded onto concrete and covered in gold leaf. The long front hallway at Nam Hooi Wooi Koon with antique rosewood chairs and tea tables. — Picture by Opalyn Mok On either side of the entrance are seven-lettered couplets composed by Lingnan calligrapher, Lin Qihan, in 1904 that read: 南溟得志鹏程远海国同心燕会长 南溟得志鹏程远 海国同心燕会长 It loosely translates to 'With ambition in the southern seas, the roc soars far; unity across maritime lands with harmonious gatherings.' Inside, on the left wall, is an altar built into the wall for Tudi Gong (the Earth Deity) with colourful paintings surrounding the altar. Inside, the main hall stretches far into the back while there are stone tablets on the right with a list of names of founding members who donated to the association back in the 19th century. The inner hall where a high ancestral altar with intricate carvings is located. Hanging from the ceiling are five red plaques that were awarded to outstanding scholars in Nanhai in China who got into the honorary list of the Qinghai Imperial Examinations. — Picture by Opalyn Mok In the inner hall right after an airwell, stands a high altar with golden carvings of various scenes of folk tales and deities embellishing it. The wooden altar is more than two storeys high and is filled with ancestral tablets of deceased members. Hanging down from the ceiling at the inner hall are five red plaques that were awarded to outstanding scholars in Nanhai in China who got into the honorary list of the Qinghai Imperial Examinations. These scholars were believed to have held senior positions such as ministers in the Imperial Palace so these plaques were sent to the association as a showcase of the achievements of the Nanhai people. The wooden altar is more than two storeys high and is filled with ancestral tablets of deceased members. — Picture by Opalyn Mok At the rear of the building, outside its back door facing the Kampung Malabar road, is a stone altar for the Sheji Zhi Shen (the deity of earth and grain) and Bai Hu Ye (the white tiger deity). The Sheji Zhi Shen is believed to grant wishes for good weather and bountiful harvest while the Bai Hu Ye is believed to bring good luck. According to association secretary for Malay and English Affairs Loh Ji Yuan, the area is also where the traditional ritual of 'beating the petty person' (da siew yan) is performed during Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects Day). There are additional ancestral shrines for members to place ancestral tablets upstairs in the central and rear halls. The front hall has been converted into a karaoke room and meeting room. The stone altar for the Sheji Zhi Shen (the deity of earth and grain) and Bai Hu Ye (the white tiger deity). — Picture by Opalyn Mok. Loh said the association, like many other traditional clan associations, is facing the challenge of attracting young members. As the membership was patriarchally lineage-based, the association has revised this to include children of female members. Academic awards that were previously available to children only on the father's side are also now available to children of a Nam Hooi woman, he said. 'We are also organising various cultural activities to attract young members such as New Year gathering, Lantern Celebration, Spring and Autumn Ancestral Rites, Mid-Autumn Dinner, Dragon Boat Festival events, and our association anniversary,' he said. He said there is a singing club open to members of all ages. 'We have also introduced other modern activities such as pickle-ball sessions and partnered with local schools and other clans to help children learn about their roots,' he said. He said one of the upcoming events is a Cantonese opera dinner at Shang Wu School in October. 'Events like these celebrate our heritage, strengthen community bonds, and keep traditions such as Cantonese opera alive for the next generation,' he said. The Nam Hooi Wooi Koon is among eight heritage buildings that will open its doors to the public on July 7 under the Historic Building Open House programme in conjunction with Penang heritage celebrations.
India.com
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Ahead Of Karate Kid Legends Release, Here Are Some Of Martial Arts Movies To Watch
3 / 7 Ip Man is a 2008 Hong Kong martial arts film. During the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Dennis To returns as Grandmaster Wing Chun in 'IP Man: Kung Fu Legend'
The iconic martial arts franchise IP Man is set to have another instalment, ' Kung Fu Legend,' with Hong Kong martial artist and actor Dennis To reprising his role as the legendary grandmaster Wing Chun. The iconic martial arts franchise IP Man is set to have another instalment, ' IP Man: Kung Fu Legend ,' with Hong Kong martial artist and actor Dennis To reprising his role as the legendary grandmaster Wing Chun . As per Variety, the makers of IP Man revealed the next instalment at the Cannes Film Market. The film follows 2021's 'Ip Man: Kung Fu Master' starring To, which gained international recognition for its fresh perspective on the martial arts icon, reported Variety. As per the outlet, currently in production, 'IP Man: Kung Fu Legend' is expected to complete filming in the third quarter with Well Go handling North American distribution across multiple platforms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Incredible: The world's toughest smartwatch designed for the military Indestructible Smartwatch Undo All Rights Entertainment, which previously managed global distribution for "Ip Man: Kung Fu Master," will oversee international sales for the new instalment. The original 'Ip Man' franchise, fronted by Donnie Yen , is one of the most iconic martial arts film series. Launching in 2008 with Wilson Yip 's breakout hit 'Ip Man,' the saga blends stylised action with historical drama, tracing its hero's moral journey through Japanese occupation, Hong Kong's post-war years, and the shifting tides of Chinese identity. The franchise has four main instalments and multiple spin-offs, including 'Ip Man: The Final Fight' and 'Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy'. The actor Dennis To was first introduced in the franchise with the movie 'The Legend Is Born: Ip Man' (2010). He reprised his role in 'Ip Man: The Awakening' (2022) and 'Ip Man: Kung Fu Master' (2019).
South China Morning Post
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
From a RoboCop x Russ Meyer story to Shu Qi as sexy avenger, Hong Kong exploitation films
'Exploitation films', which rely on copious amounts of soft-core sex, gore and violence to attract an audience, began in the United States in the 1960s with films like Blood Feast. By the 1970s, hundreds were being made. Advertisement Hong Kong did not really explore the genre until the late 1980s – but once it started, it went for it, no holds barred. We recall three classics of the exploitation genre made in Hong Kong. 1. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991) Prison films were a big part of the exploitation genre, and the gross-out Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, often regarded as Hong Kong's most outrageous action movie, takes the idea to the max. There are sadistic wardens, brutal gang bosses, buckets of blood and gore, and plenty of hard-hitting futuristic kung fu courtesy of choreographer Philip Kwok Chun-fung, whose time in the Five Deadly Venoms perfectly prepared him for the theatrical action on show here. Fan Mei-sheng (left) and William Ho Ka-kui in a still from Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Photo: Fortune Star Media Set in the then-future of 2001, the story sees the lean and muscular Ricky (Louis Fan Siu-wong, who later played Jin in 2008's Ip Man ) incarcerated in a maximum-security prison for killing the gangsters who murdered his girlfriend.
South China Morning Post
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Early Donnie Yen movies before Ip Man revisited, from Drunken Tai Chi to Cheetah on Fire
Today, Donnie Yen Ji-dan is unquestionably one of the most famous Hong Kong film actors in the world. Advertisement Yen's superlative martial arts skills should have turned him into a star when he made his film debut in 1984, but it somehow took him almost 25 years to reap the acclaim he deserved, coming with the Ip Man films in the 2000s. 'In the 1990s, Yen seemed fated to play bad guys in big films and good guys in small films,' critic Grady Hendrix said in 2012. 'Producers just wouldn't take the risk on him as a leading man.' Just this week, we were greeted with news that he is set to direct and star in a stand-alone spin-off feature based on his character Caine from the Hollywood action franchise John Wick. Below we re-evaluate some of the films Yen made at the start of his career. 1. Drunken Tai Chi (1984)
