Village in Malaysia that puts happiness first

 

Upon entering, visitors will be greeted by a vibrant and beautiful arch, welcoming them to the new village which is also known as Kampung Bahagia or Happy Village.

 

According to Kampung Baru Sungai Jarom village head Seh Chun Huat, the Happy Village concept was implemented in 2015 during Chinese New Year celebrations.

 

“The Happy Village concept was initiated to promote a harmonious village by instilling family values among the locals.

 

“It was launched simultaneously with the festive season as it was the best time to share joy, and also to let visitors know about this concept,” he said.

 

Seh explained that the new village was set up and fenced up to separate villagers from the communist insurgents during British rule in the 1950s.

 

“Villagers lived by the curfew and before they were let out to work in rubber plantations and tin mines in the morning, they would be searched for food, weapons or messages for the communists,” he said.

 

Seh, now 63 years old, was brought to the new village by his mother along with his siblings from Tanjung Karang, when he was just seven years old.

 

Today, the village has a population of 30,000 with 90 per cent from the Hokkien community.

 

There is a mix of traditional and modern structures within the village. While some upgraded their homes to brick houses to enjoy modern comforts, there are still well maintained wooden ones dotting the landscape.

 

With agriculture as the main industry, Seh said that home-roasted coffee was once very popular.

 

“There is only one household left producing coffee. Other local produce include palm oil and young ginger,” he said, adding that his ginger harvest was sent to Ipoh daily.

 

About 60 per cent of the villagers are still in the agriculture industry, and the remaining run businesses such as small eateries or enterprises.

 

Ling Sing Seng, 44, moved to the new village from Setiawan, Perak, in 1997 with his wife Ong Yuet Choo, 43, and started their own dim sum restaurant called Jenjarom Tea House.

 

“The people here are very warm and treat everyone nicely even though you are not a local,” said the father of three.

 

“We serve homemade dim sum catering to the locals mostly on weekdays and tourists during the weekends,” he said, adding that cyclists from Shah Alam usually gathered at his restaurant after the long ride.

 

Seh pointed out that there were more than 40 temples, big and small, within the village.

 

“Forty years ago, there used to be only one temple where everyone gathered but after about 20 years, devotees started to set up their own temples,” Seh said, adding that there was an average of two to three temples on each street.

 

The most iconic temple is the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple, which is also a famous tourist attraction.

 

Seh explained that the inception of the Buddhist temple in 1994 had helped boost the new village’s economy as the tourism industry started to flourish.

 

“The land is approximately 11.331ha to 12.140ha, and it is always well-decorated with lanterns and lights during Chinese New Year,” he added.

 

The temple is beautifully landscaped, along with other components including the main shrine hall, tea house, cultivation centre and art gallery which houses the exhibition hall, a sutra calligraphy hall and also a relics shrine.

 

A visit during Chinese New Year has become a tradition for some of the locals as well as visitors.

 

A 15-day Chinese New Year celebration will be held at the temple with different themes each year.

 

“It is very crowded during the festive period as everyone is back and visitors come to visit the temple.

 

“The traffic congestion can stretch up to 5km, involving 4,000 to 5,000 cars towards the temple while tourists in the area can total up to 50,000 visitors, including tour buses,” Seh said.

 

In conjunction with the annual Chinese New Year Festival of Light and Peace, the temple organised an art contest themed Jenjarom Happy Village – Village Sentiments this year.

 

Participants were required to submit their artwork based on their interpretation of Jenjarom Happy Village.

 

“Apart from just organising a contest, this initiative was also carried out to instil the values of togetherness and harmony among villagers.

 

“And to discover the hidden talents of Jenjarom,” said art gallery executive director and curator Venerable You Hang, adding that one of the winning pieces was created by a woman who traded at the market.

 

In addition to the art contest, a photography contest was also held for both locals and visitors to share their pictures that capture heart-warming moments at the temple during the festive period, which garnered 200 submissions.

 

Winning artworks for both contests are being exhibited at the temple’s Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery until March 27, before the next exhibition is rolled out.