Wednesday 13 July 2011

Malaysian culture influences


As the world stay connected nowadays, sharing thoughts and culture is common. Useful and meaningful culture are shared  among each other to refer and blend into our own to make life better and easy. The blended culture somehow form a new culture, not to mention famous heritage culture of Baba and Nyonya  in Malaysia, is a mixture of Chinese and Malay traditional culture formed a long time ago.
New culture formed and people accept it, simple because it creates belief and convenient to the applier . 


malaysia's stadium (theatre) (Greek
influence)
Photosource:http://j4z0el1.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/bukitjalil4.jpg

Examples like above, the structure of stadium Malaysia are using the design structure of Greek building Colosseum in Rome, because it was a great invention and apparently not just Malaysia but most of country are using it. Very logically the design of this structure can stand a huge pressure from outer force and its interior design can fit in large amount of audience not worry about blocking the view by the front audience because it design diagonally to allow every audience to see clearly for the happening scene. This is the sample for so called convenient culture influence to Malaysia. Not only the physical structure, the internal system such as differentiation of audience to VIP and normal audience indicate the social ranking of Rome. People with lesser wealth sits far from the happening scene , where else people with wealth and power sits near to the happening scene
                                                        afterlife offerings (Egyptian culture influence)
Photosource:http://www.hanter.pl/uploads/Image/2011/04/06/swietozmarlych-8613/main/swietozmarlych.jpg?1302079551

  Another culture influence like afterlife offerings from Egypt is more on belief, Chinese belief that death people their soul will travel to another  world more or less same as the current world with basic needs of human like food ,money,vehicle, and houses.The Chinese believe that by burning object paper formed properties such as vehicles, houses, clothes, money and other properties that can be found in daily life along with ritual could transfer the paper made objects into real item in the other world as the smoke rise to the sky and reach to their ancestor and their loved one. Almost same as Egypt culture ,they provide offering by putting gold and valuable stuff buried with the deceased. They believe in afterlife, Good soul will be blessed and the bad one will be punished.
                                                     

                                                         
                                   Gate of secondary school SMK Chung Hwa  (Greek architecture influence)
This picture was taken by me long time ago in my secondary school. Located at my hometown Miri, Sarawak. At the front gate of my school, stands a 4 high pillars supporting the name of the school. I believe that the pillars are under doric column.
Photo source: http://www.citizenarcane.com/files/2005/May/17/doric_ionic_corinthian.jpg
According to the picture above taken by the research of one of my member Kevin Chan Leong Kit. Doric column didn't have much pattern on the surface and carving but actual size are more larger than the Ionic and Corinthian. So i assume that the school pillar are referring to the design of doric pillar as it contain most of the similarity between.  I believe that the reason of placing the column at the gate of the school is to show the confident and success, the height of the pillar obviously shows the achievement level of the school. The fact is supported where the school is the best secondary of my state.

                                                       KL Railway Station (Greek influen)  
                                                   
photosource: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Kuala_Lumpur_railway_station_(Rawang-Seremban_%26_Sentul-Port_Klang_Line)_(frontal_facade),_Kuala_Lumpur.jpg\

This is another example of Greek culture. A huge credit for Kevin Chan for bringing up the picture and with his discussion. He mention that Malaysia has once colonized  by British and mixed up the style of architecture.  The combination of Islamic and Greek architecture. This style and architecture are commonly found in Malaysia. Typically kitsch such as housing of Malaysia as shown as the picture above. This is very identical to  the housing of Malaysia, people accepted the style and it became one of Malaysia widely used architecture as its own style.


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