BEIJING: Being far away from home is no obstacle for a group of Malaysian students to express their patriotic spirit and promote the nation’s cultural heritage on the world stage.
Describing it as a responsibility of Generation Z, a troupe of university students who are pursuing their studies in engineering at Beijing Jiatong University, set up a martial arts group to showcase the uniqueness of the Malay martial arts to the people of China when they were invited to perform in various events here.
Mechanical engineering student Nik Mohammad Azri Nik Naharudin, 22, said he and his seven friends want to play the role as agents in promoting the uniqueness of Malaysia’s cultural diversity on the international stage.
“There are not many Malay students furthering their studies in Beijing and we are the first group (batch) sponsored by the Public Service Department here.
“Previously, there was a group of Malaysian Chinese students who often performed the lion dance, (now) we want to introduce the Malay heritage and the uniqueness of our country which has various cultures and races,” he told Bernama here.
In addition to Nik Mohammad Azri, his seven friends who share the same zeal are Mohd Nuruddin Syakirin Nordin, Johan Haiqal Hilman Roslan, Norizwan Aliff Mohd Nahar and Che Wan Syahiran Amrin Che Wan Saupi, all aged 22, as well as three others who are aged 24, Muhammad Aqil Nor Zamani, Muhammad Aliff Aqma Amran Zaidy and A. Thavirat Sukhphasin.
According to him, although not all have the foundation and background in martial arts, it was not an obstacle for them to fulfill the mission.
“(Actually) only Mohd Nuruddin Syakirin and Che Wan Syahiran Amrin have the foundation and background of silat, the rest of us learn a lot from them both,” said Nik Mohammad Azri, who took about a month in rehearsals before performing for the first time at the Aidilfitri banquet held at the Malaysian embassy last April.
The group, which also performed at the Rasa Malaysia Festival at a shopping mall here earlier this month, also intends to introduce various other Malay cultures such as zapin (dance), joget and traditional musical instruments in the near future.
Meanwhile, Mohd Nuruddin Syakirin, who is their ‘silat coach’, intends to add more steps in the next performance.
Mohd Nuruddin Syakirin, who started learning silat when he was eight years old, said they had the opportunity to demonstrate silat in public four times in Beijing since they started studying in the country last February.
Online platforms such as YouTube videos are among their references to reinforce their performance, he added.
The Pahang native also hopes to have the opportunity to perform at more events in China so that more people can get to know Malaysian culture, especially the Malay heritage. – BERNAMA
