Find out more about the lives of early Chinese migrants in Terengganu at the Nostalgia Of Kampung China exhibition, writes Teresa Yong-Leong

Liew says the students worked hard to document and photograph the heritage of Kampung China in Kuala Terengganu

TRAVEL agencies and tour guides are a very happy lot these days as they can now tell stories of how the first Chinese immigrants landed on the Terengganu coast some 200 years ago.

“They were weary of leading tours to the Land Of Turtles with few interesting stories to share with tourists,” says Dr Veronica Ng Foong Peng, senior lecturer at Taylor’s University School of Architecture, Building And Design.

She had gleaned this information from participants of The Nostalgia Of Kampung China seminar recently, held in conjunction with the current exhibition of the same name in Terengganu State Museum, Kuala Terengganu. It ends on March 18.

The exhibition showcases paintings and sketches of traditional buildings and other historical documents in the village. It is organised by Taylor’s University School Of Architecture, Building And Design (SABD) and also Centre for Modern Architecture in Southeast Asia (Massa).

The two-week exhibition is the result of research and fieldwork on Kampung China by students and academicians of SABD in December 2009.

According to Kuala Terengganu state assemblyman Datuk Toh Chin Yaw, the exhibition reveals the nostalgia of the quaint, vibrant village.

“It brings to light the memories and the attachment of the community to the place as well as showcases its rich and diverse architectural make-up amid contemporary urban developments.

“This collective effort by the community, lecturers and students acts as a platform for learning and dissemination of knowledge to the public, researchers and policy makers.”

SABD dean Tony Liew says the 200-year-old settlement with more than 200 families, predates the founding of the Terengganu sultanate.

He says there are six design styles in the village: Early shophouses, traditional, eclectic, modern, contemporary and the Ho Ann Kiong Temple.

“What they have done at Kampung China eventually turned out to be a vital source of information in helping to rebuild the temple which was burnt down two years ago.”

The community is adamant about preserving its cultural heritage despite the commercialisation of the settlement under the guise of revitalising the village with the construction of Pulau Wawasan on reclaimed land in the name of promoting tourism in the state. Pulau Wawasan is the site for the annual Terengganu Monsoon Cup.

In conjunction with the exhibition, a coffee table book of the same title, Nostalgia Of Kampung China, will be launched soon.

The Merced County Board of Supervisors may soon get more aggressive in its marketing of Castle Commerce Center — expending taxpayer dollars to fund some of the effort.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the board unanimously approved an item that authorizes up to $3,000 to be used for Mark Hendrickson, director of commerce, aviation and economic development, to travel to China and meet with government and business officials.

If the trip takes place, the money would come from District 3′s special district funds.

Every year, supervisors get a $40,000 allotment of taxpayer money to spend on projects for their districts, as long as the majority of the board approves the expenditure.

Tuesday’s allotment didn’t pass without some discussion among the supervisors.

District 4 Supervisor Deidre Kelsey wanted more information about the trip before voting on it, but later voted in favor of the item with the understanding that staff will provide the board with more details at a later date.

Similar to Kelsey, other supervisors didn’t have a problem with the cost, but wanted to know more about the trip and its potential benefits to the county.

The move sets aside $3,000 for Hendrickson to travel to the Chinese cities of Anyang and Beijing to attend meetings “related to the marketing/promotion of air cargo and the potential EB5 program,” according to county documents.

EB5 is a program that encourages foreign investors to devote money to a commercial enterprise in the U.S. in exchange for the chance of getting a green card.

Despite several Castle projects that have flopped before, Supervisor Linn Davis, whose District 3 covers Castle, thinks the cost of the trip is justified if it has the potential to help rejuvenate the area and bring in business.

Though the trip was suggested by a company that’s in the midst of trying to start a business at Castle through the EB5 program, the purpose of the journey is to interact with other parties that might also be interested in Castle, he said.

When Davis was asked by the Sun-Star if he thought the trip would be an appropriate use of taxpayer money considering past failures at Castle, he responded, “You answer that.”

Davis went on to say that he feels confident about the trip and thinks the allotment of money toward it is a responsible decision — one that he even considered funding personally.

“Is everything 100 percent? No,” he added. “Nothing’s been 100 percent for the last 15 years since the base closed.”

Hendrickson said the trip could present an opportunity to develop a working relationship with investors abroad. Though he hasn’t been informed on details about the possible trip, it would probably take a week or less.

There aren’t any set dates for when the trip to China might happen, but until it does, the $3,000 will be reserved to cover the expenses.

Reporter Mike North can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or mnorth@mercedsunstar.com.

PARIS (Reuters) – Louvre Hotels, owned by U.S. investment group Starwood Capital, is banking on Chinese partner JinJiang Inn to speed up its expansion in fast-growing China and catch up with larger international rivals such as France’s Accor.

Louvre Hotels, the world’s eighth-largest hotelier, which so far has three hotels in China, plans to open 25 midscale or luxury hotels in the Shanghai region within five years.

Teaming up with Chinese tourism giant JinJiang would sharply accelerate the pace of expansion, however, Chairman Pierre-Frederic Roulot told Reuters on Tuesday.

“We have been lagging in China where we have not reached critical size on our own but we can do it with a partner, which is also the number one Chinese tour operator,” he said. “JinJiang and its 800 hotels in China, we could benefit from that. This could be our expansion shortcut.”

Roulot was speaking on the sidelines of a news conference in Paris, where Louvre Hotels and JinJiang unveiled new co-branded budget hotel “Campanile JinJiang”, the result of a branding partnership sealed in November to lure clients both in France and China.

The move follows initiatives from international hoteliers such as InterContinental (IHG.L) and Accor (ACCP.PA) to tap into the booming Chinese travel market by catering to Chinese consumers’ specific tastes.

Some 57.4 million Chinese tourists travelled overseas in 2010, a 20.4 percent rise from 2009, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

France is the top destination for Chinese tourists visiting the European Union, ahead of Italy and Germany, currently hosting 500,000-550,000 Chinese tourists a year.

The brand partnership with JinJiang covers 15 Campanile hotels in the five French cities most frequently visited by Chinese tourists – Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Nice – and 15 JinJiang Inn hotels in the three Chinese cities most popular with French tourists – Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing.

CHINESE FOOD, FRENCH CROISSANTS

The French hotels will have Chinese brochures, signs, telephone assistance, buffet food and TV channels.

The JinJiang Inn hotels will have similar services targeted at European customers, including French coffee, croissants and “hopefully French sports newspaper L’Equipe”, Roulot said.

“Within four to six months we will decide if we extend the partnership to a larger number of hotels,” he said. “Our Chinese friends may want to extend it to other European countries or to other brands such as our Golden Tulip luxury brand.”

Louvre Hotels bought Dutch hotel operator Golden Tulip in 2009 and is No. 2 for budget hotels in Europe after France’s Accor, with 2011 turnover of 1.6 billion euros and 19,000 staff.

It operates more than 1,000 hotels, ranging from one to five stars in 42 countries. Brands also include Kyriad Prestige, Tulip Inn and Royal Tulip luxury hotels.

Louvre Hotels, which wants to be among the top five global hoteliers mid-term, plans to open 76 new hotels this year, including 51 abroad. It opened 63 in 2011.

Roulot, whose wife is Chinese and who has travelled extensively in China, said it was too early to say how the partnership with JinJiang (600754.SS) might evolve.

“There are several possible scenarios. We can continue to develop on our own or benefit from JinJiang. If you could put the two groups together, you would have a player as large as Accor,” he said.

“Chinese companies are increasingly interested in finding partners but there are steps to respect. I have a long-term vision of our partnership. I want it to grow progressively,”

According to Intercontinental Hotel Group, which has made expansion in China a top priority, China is expected to overtake the United States as the largest hotel market by 2025, with more than six million available rooms.

Last month, Accor launched a customised Mercure brand for the Chinese market in Shanghai, while InterContinental Hotels plans to launch a new brand developed for the Chinese market.

(Editing by James Regan)

China is still Australia’s fastest growing and most valuable international tourism market, according to new consumer research.

The study commissioned by Tourism Australia further solidified the Group’s decade-long commitment and campaign to attract China’s middle and upper classes to Australian shores.

13 of China’s largest and fastest growing cities were sampled and 558,600 Chinese visited Australia during the twelve months ending January 2012, up 17.1 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The research identified key Chinese markets, consumer information and purchasing intentions for travel customers.

Key elements extracted from the research found Australia to be a ‘must visit’ destination, meeting the majority of long-haul Chinese traveller’s expectations.

There does not appear to be any obvious barriers preventing or distracting Chinese visitors to Australia.

Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy was determined to build upon the results of the extensive research and re-commit to the ten year plan targeting the growing Chinese tourism market.

“We plan to use these findings to help prioritise our marketing activities in China and best educate the Australian tourism industry to capitalise on the anticipated strong growth in the middle and upper classes that can afford and want to travel long-haul outside of China,” he said.

Further research may be conducted to shine light upon other Chinese region’s travel intentions.

“To achieve long-term success in a now highly competitive China market we must seek greater understanding of the many millions of customers who live outside of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and what drives their travel decisions in the immediate future,” Mr McEvoy added.