Changkat Keruing
Transcript of Changkat Keruing
UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT
REPORT
NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:
CHANGKAT KERUING 莫珍歪
PERAK
Project carried out by:
Student Name
ID Number
Course
Year/Trimester
1. Tan Ken Long 1005901 Bachelor of Finance
(Hons) Y2/T2
2. Beh Pith Chuan 1005997 Bachelor of Finance
(Hons) Y2/T2
3. Kuah Ing Xui 1004464
Bachelor of
Economics (Hons)
Financial
Economics
Y3/T2
DATE OF COMPLETION
OCTOBER 2012
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ABSTRACT
Changkat Keruing is a small town with a very small population
in Manjung district, Perak, Malaysia. The majority residents in this village are
Chinese from the FuZhou dialect group. In the early days, most residents in this
village were rubber tappers, but nowadays many rubber estates and smallholdings
have been replanted with oil palms. Other economic activities in this village
include fish and prawn farming as well as Bird's Nest farming.
The only school in this village is a Chinese primary school, SJK
KhuenHean. When the village children complete their primary school education,
they are sent either to Ayer Tawar or Pantai Remis to proceed with their
secondary school.
This is a scenic village, especially where the Dinding River passes through.
Its scenic beauty is even mentioned in some websites. Mangrove swamps are
found on both sides of the Dinding River and this is home to many species of
wildlife. Another attraction to the village is its food. Changkat Keruing’s chinese
(FuZhou0 residents are known for cooking their FuZhou specialities such as Dan
Yan (蛋燕 ), Go Ru, Fuzhou meatballs (福州肉丸 ), and Red wine chicken
vermicelli (红酒鸡面线).
Every year around April or March, the Fuk Sheng Temple will celebrate
the birthday of the temple deity, Dua Pek Kong (大伯公福德正神千秋寶誕).
The village’s slow pace of life in a scenic environment sounds ideal but it
nevertheless faces a few problems: sound pollution caused by the swiflet/birds’
nest farms and road safety issues.
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INTRODUCTION
Signage of Changkat Keruing
Changkat Keruing is a small town in Manjung district, Perak, Malaysia. It
is a small village with a very small population. It is 111 miles (178km) North
West of Kuala Lumpur and 305 miles (492km) North West of Singapore.This
small village is located between Ayer Tawar (20 km away) and Pantai Remis (14
km away). It is also close to Pulau Pangkor which is an island off the coast
of Perak. The small towns and villages near Kampong Changkat Keruing
include Kampong Beting Luas, Kampong Bagan Serai and Serai. The closest
major towns and cities include Ipoh, Taiping, Bukit Mertajam and Sungai Petani.
Although Kampung Changkat Keruing is a small town, there are airpots located
not far from the village, e.g. Sitiawan Airport and Pangkor Airport.
The scenic beauty of this village is recognized by the fact that it was
awarded “The Most Beautiful Village” in a nationwide contest in the 1990’s. The
Dinding Rriver which passes through this village contributes to its scenic beauty..
The majority of villagers are Chinese from the FuZhou dialect group.
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ECONOMY
The main sources of income for Changkat Keruing villagers are as follows:
a. Rubber
Most of the residents were rubber tappers before the 1990s. However,
many rubber estates and smallholdings have been replanted with oil palms to cash
in on its better income yield. Therefore, many villagers now work in oil palm
estates and smallholdings.
A rubber tree is tapped for its latex
b. Oil palm
In recent years, oil plantations are more prevalent. The locals hire foreign
workers to harvest the crops instead of doing it themselves as they used to decades
ago. Many locals accumulated great wealth from harvesting and selling palm oil.
The price of land around Changkat Keruing has increased more than ten-fold since
2000.
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Sime Darby plantations in Changkat Keruing
c. Fish and prawn farming
Dinding River is an ideal location for villagers to build fish and prawn
farms. Villagers have cashed in on this and one can see many fish and prawn
farms along the river.
Prawn farms in the village
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d. Bird's Nest
Besides, the residents also invest in the Bird's Nest market. They do it by
constructing three storey high buildings or building structures which resemble the
birds’ natural nesting caves on top of existing buildings. Swiftlets are attracted to
these buildings through piped in sounds of other birds in these buildings. The
owners then collect the half digested food/mucus which the birds throw up as this
is considered a delicacy with health benefits.
Bird’s nest building
Besides the main sources of income, villagers are also employed in the
local bank (Agro Bank), petrol station, a few sundry shops and restaurants. Some
villagers grow mangoes, papayas and coconuts to supplement their income. There
is a traditional morning market which sells daily necessities.
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RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
Every year around April or March, the Fuk Sheng Temple will celebrate
the birthday of its deity, Dua Pek Kong (大伯公福德正神千秋寶誕). During the
celebration, shamans from different temples will pierce their faces with iron
skewers as they join a procession through the streets. According to the Chairman
of the temple committee, this event was started many years ago. Although it was
not organized for several years, this festival was started again 4 years ago.
This event is to pray for the safety of the villagers, good weather and a
successful career for residents. At the same time, villagers and visitors are
reminded of its cultural heritage.
Shamans pierce their faces with iron skewers
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EDUCATION
There is a Chinese primary school in the village, SJK Khuen Hean. When
this school was established in 1932, it had only 17 students. The mission of SJK
Khuen Hean is “Developing individual potential through high quality education”.
As Changkat Keruing does not have a secondary school, village children have to
travel to Ayer Tawar or Pantai Remis for their secondary school education.
The primary school in the village
A Methodist kindergarten in the village
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TOURISM VALUE
Changkat Keruing has many selling points as a tourist destination. First, its
beautiful scenery is well recognized. Besides contributing to the village’s serene
beauty, Dinding River provides many ideal spots for fishing enthusiasts who can
bring along their fishing tackle for a day of relaxation and fishing. Furthermore,
Changkat Keruing provides a natural backdrop which avid photographers would
appreciate.
A mermaid statue at the village river
Dinding River is the major river in Majung district in Perak. There are
mangrove swamps on both sides of the river. If you were lucky enough, you can
spot some wild animals among the mangrove trees. There is a variety of birds,
snakes, crabs, etc. in this area.
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River flowing through the village
.
A small hut “醉梦亭”at the river
Changkat Keruing is certainly a place for stressed city folks to unwind and
relax.
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River in Changkat keruing
Bench along the riverbank
A temple (福聖宮) in the village
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LOCAL CUISINE
Villagers of Changkat Keruing normally eat noodle dishes for their
breakfast. For example, noodles in braised soup (卤面) ,squid noodles (鱿鱼面),
Curry noodles and shrimp noodles.
Squid noodles (鱿鱼面)
Noodles in braised soup (卤面)
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Curry noodles
Shrimp Noodles
There a few unique dishers served here. This includes the “danyan” (蛋燕),
“Go Ru”, and Fuzhou meatballs. As the majority of the population is from the
Fuzhou dialect group (福州 ), the delicacies found in this town are heavily
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influenced by Fuzhou culture. For example, red wine chicken vermicelli (红酒鸡
面线), a dish unique to Fuzhou, is often prepared by the locals, especially during
special occasions like birthdays.
A type of noodle “Dan Yan” (蛋燕)
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Red wine chicken vermicelli (红酒鸡面线)
Villagers also prepare other popular Malaysian dishes such as
Assam Laksa,and Nasi Lemak. The spicy local dishes are often complemented
with cold desserts such as Ais Kacang, sweetened ice balls and fruit juices.
Asam laksa dish
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ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES
There are many opportunities for investment in prawn and fish farming
along Dinding River.
Dinding River
The flocks of swiflets in this area, makes further investments in birds’ nest
farming a profitable venture. .
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PROBLEMS
The main problems faced by villagers are listed below
1. Road Safety
Motorcyclists often do not wear helmets
It is common to see motorcyclists who do not wear helmets. This is a
danger to them and yet there is no effort to enforce traffic regulations.
2. Sound pollution
The swiftlet/birds’ nest farms need to be regulated. Currently, they attract
swiftlets into the buildings by playing recordings of other birds in the building.
Unfortunately, these bird calls are broadcast at high volume and this causes noise
pollution in an otherwise peaceful village.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that campaigns are held by the authorities to educate
motorcyclists on the importance of wearing helmets. There is also a need for the
authorities to regulate the volume at which birds’ nest farms can broadcast bird
calls.
Changkat Keruing’s natural beauty, local cuisine, religious festivals and
other attractions should be publicized to attract tourists and visitors. Perhaps there
is opportunity to develop home stay programs if the village’s tourism value is
recognized.
DISCLAIMER:
Information contained in this report was compiled by the University’s students on voluntary basis.
Although every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the report, the University accepts no
responsibility whatsoever for any errors or omissions, if any, the University reserves the right to
make changes on the information at any time without prior notice.
Should there be any queries regarding contents of the report, please contact:
Department of Soft Skills Competency
Tel: 03-79582628 ext 8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus)
05- 4688888 ext 2295/2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus)