China News Agency, Malacca, March 24th, title: Jonker Street, a world cultural heritage: Let the old street regain its "old taste"

　　Author Chen Yue Zhang Weiqi

　　Walking through the streets and alleys of Jonker Street, Yan Tianlu, Executive Vice Chairman of the Malacca Jonker Street Working Committee of Malacca, a world heritage site, stopped from time to time to examine the old houses, thinking about how to restore or restore the cut porcelain carvings on the eaves. The flexible dovetail ridge makes the traditional cultural elements of these old Chinese houses more vivid.

"As the first step to get out of the impact of the epidemic, we must restore the 'old taste' to the old house," said Yan Tianlu.

　　Malaysia is about to reopen its doors on April 1, and Jonker Street will welcome tourists from all over the world after a lapse of two years.

In Yan Tianlu's view, Jonker Street needs to use more distinctive cultural elements to enhance its own cultural connotation and cultural heritage, so as to get rid of the impact of the epidemic.

He said that Jonker Street can become a world cultural heritage because of its multi-cultural coexistence, and all ethnic cultures should be more "colorful" on Jonker Street.

"For the Chinese, Jonker Street is known as 'Little Quanzhou', and we hope to make the elements of southern Fujian culture more intense."

　　The two Nyonya lanterns that are about to be painted in the Works Committee Office and are over half a meter high are the important cultural elements that Yan Tianlu hopes to reproduce on Jonker Street.

Yan Tianlu told reporters that in the early days of Jonker Street, there were Nyonya lanterns hanging in front of many large houses.

Chen Zhenlu, who played a huge role in the founding of Malaysia, hangs Nyonya lanterns in his old house on Jonker Street during Chinese New Year and festivals.

　　But Yan Tianlu told reporters that nowadays there are fewer and fewer Nyonya lanterns in front of houses and businesses in Jonker Street, and there are almost no craftsmen who can make Nyonya lanterns. "We cannot let this tradition disappear in this generation." .

He decided to remake and hang Nyonya lanterns outside the Work Committee, hoping to bring this traditional Malaysian Chinese custom back to Jonker Street in an all-round way.

However, Yan Tianlu did not plan to continue to paint the traditional pattern of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea on the Nyonya lanterns, but painted the picture of Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean, which he collected from historical records.

He said that Jonker Street is the former site of Zheng He's official factory, and Zheng He is an important representative of Malaysia-China friendship. "Of course, the Nyonya lanterns of the Jonker Street Working Committee should be based on Zheng He."

　　Porcelain scissors carvings, which are common in ancient houses in southern Fujian, and decorate the eaves, have also been seen everywhere in old houses on Jonker Street, but some have been damaged and fallen off, and some have faded badly.

Yan Tianlu specially invited Chinese masters, hoping that through them, the porcelain-cutting carvings can be revived in Jonker Street, and also promote the inheritance of this traditional decorative culture in Jonker Street.

　　Previously, with the relaxation of the epidemic prevention policy in Malaysia, tourism in Jonker Street has gradually recovered.

Cai Yongquan, chairman of the Malacca Old Street Chamber of Commerce, told reporters that on the whole, the operating income and passenger flow of the merchants in Jonker Street have recovered to about 50% before the epidemic.

Before the epidemic, 30% to 40% of the passenger flow in Jonker Street came from international tourists. With the reopening of Malaysia, it is believed that Jonker Street tourism will usher in further recovery.

　　Yan Tianlu believes that in order to get out of the epidemic, Jonker Street needs "both internal and external repairs": the reopening of the country has created an external environment for Jonker Street to recover; regaining the "old flavor" makes Jonker Street more connotative.

Not only that, in Yan Tianlu's view, it is his bounden duty to retrieve the "old taste" and inherit the "old taste". "Our generation always has to leave something for the next generation."

(over)