Malacca interlude

More than 1,000 participants and spectators join the parade.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

It is not difficult to imagine Maugham wandering along the narrow alleys through the colonial buildings, savoring a glass of home-brewed liquor and relaxing under an Indian gooseberry tree.

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Now Malacca is experiencing a rebirth. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage City in 2008 and has been attracting an increasing number of tourists from around the world. The local government seems to have made painstaking efforts to return the city to its past glory. In 2001, the government embarked on the Melaka River beautification project, costing some $65 million, and the improved management of the waterways over the past decade led to Malacca's resurgence, according to the chief minister.

Haron says the government has turned the once-dirty, eyesore river into a development opportunity. "Malacca is a resource-less state. All we have is the river and the ingenuity of the people," he says. "We dredged the river course, cleaned the sewage and opened a cruise service. Now the 4.9-kilometer-long river is a tourism icon of Malacca."

It takes 45 minutes to cruise the river. One can get a fantastic overview of the city's texture and history. The colorful murals and graffiti on the riverbanks, of poetic couplets in Chinese calligraphy or the image of a Malay girl in hijab, give a new perspective on the city.

The day we arrived in Malacca was a very special one for the city. The local Chinese temple, Lian Puan Kiong, was hosting a parade that is held once very 10 years to celebrate the divine tour of the deity and the anniversary of the temple, which is 80 years old.

More than 1,000 participants and spectators took to the narrow streets. The disciples carried the sedan chair with the statue of the god inside, beat drums and performed a dragon dance. Every time it passed a temple, the parade stopped and everyone prayed for a good harvest, peace and prosperity.

Ong Tee Ching, a 50-year-old owner of a local appliance store, was walking in the parade with his two sons. He says that in Malacca, such an event was held quite often but the religious element had been replaced by a pursuit of cultural identity and integration.

"More and more Malays and Indians, as well as foreign visitors, join in our procession," he says. "Everyone deserves to enjoy this cultural carnival."