SITIAWAN, July 31 — A group of volunteers from the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan are documenting the Foochow community here for the Sitiawan Settlement Museum in Kampung Koh.

The museum, which is dedicated to residents who were originally from Fuzhou in China, will feature stories, videos and pictures that will be compiled by the students in a month-long project which ends on Aug 5.

Ching Yang Ming, 19, who is pursuing a degree in humanity and social science, said she was happy to be part the project as she could meet new people.

"The people here are friendly and are willing to share their life experience with us.

"It is an amazing feeling as we can learn about a different culture and preserve it,” she said.

Huang Yi-Zhu, 22, who is studying a foreign language, said she was delighted to help the museum get the information they needed from the locals.

"The people who are living here are part of the area’s history. Documenting them will be a good move as it would be a historical source in the years to come.

"We have made 10 short movies about the people here and we have also written articles about them. We are glad that our hard work will be kept in the museum for the generations to come,” she said. 

Lecturer Wong Lee Lam, 33, who is leading the undergraduates, said the project was meant to help the museum as it lacked written history.

"The Foochow community greatly influenced the people here. Some still have 80-year-old recipes. However, nothing has been documented.

"The culture and tradition would vanish if they are not documented,” she said.

Wong said 16 students from various courses had participated in the project. 

The building converted into the museum was built in 1935. It was the home of the pastor in the Pioneer Methodist Church before it was converted into a museum on Sept 7, 2003. The museum was fully funded and managed by the church.

Its secretary Ong Mee Ting, 66, said the museum can be traced back to the community’s history in China in 1903.

"We have more than 500 antique items which were used by the Foochow settlers then. Some of the items we received are more than 100 years old.

"A majority of the items were donated by the locals and we have some items that we received from our acquaintances in China,” she said. 

Ong said the museum management was now raising funds to construct a new museum.

"We want to build a new building for the museum as most of the items can’t be displayed due to the limited space in the old museum. 

"The construction of a new building for the museum will add an auditorium, a library, a history research centre and a consultation and service zone,” she said.

Perak State Health, Public Transport, Non-Muslim Affairs, National Integration and New Village Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the state government would contribute RM30,000 for the construction of the new museum.

"It is a good effort by the church management to conserve and preserve the history of this area.

"We live in a multi-cultural country. By preserving the history of the people around here, others will be able get to know about their culture as well,” he said.