Geared up for CNY: Here’s a look at the festive decorations in some malls around Klang Valley

PETALING JAYA, Jan 16 — Chinese New Year is only a month after Christmas this year.

That’s great for us because of the holidays of course, but not so for the management teams of shopping centres around the country as they have to go all out to swiftly redecorate their malls.

And so the shopping malls were rapidly transformed into oriental wonderlands with sounds of the traditional pipa playing in the background.

Apart from the decorations and embellishments, there are also plenty of fun activities and contests for shoppers to take part in to try their luck in winning something during the season of prosperity.

To keep everyone up to date on what some shopping centres have done to glam up this Chinese New Year, Malay Mail’s photographers were hard at work to snap pictures of the stunning decorations.

Suria KLCC

A pagoda in a tower, who would’ve imagined. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

Famous for their extravagant decorations, Suria KLCC once again went big this festive season as they started Chinese New Year with a bang.

The mall kicked off their “gReAT Lunar New Year” with a big ceremony on January 3 and will have an array of activities like lion dance and drum performances up until February 2.

The management team transformed the Esplanade and Centre Court areas into Instagram-worthy scenes, featuring two giant pagodas and cute mini mice placed around the mall.

The Esplanade pagoda stands at an impressive 70-feet high. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KLCC’s Esplanade pagoda is also reported to be recognised as “Malaysia’s Tallest Pagoda Replica” in the Malaysia Book of Records, standing at 70-feet high.

You can also get your fortune told at one of their fortune-telling booths and even receive e-ang pow’s from selected stores to — that is if you’re feeling lucky during this prosperous time.

Pavilion KL

It’s a Disney CNY this year with Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Pavilion KL. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

Another mall in KL that has put in a lot of effort to pretty up its centre, Pavilion KL has gone with the theme “Disney’s Year of the Mouse” in conjunction with the Year of the Rat.

The moment you walk in, you get to see beautiful Chinese huts accompanied by stunning red trees, red lights shaped like the trademark Mickey Mouse logo and even giant statues of Mickey and Minnie.

With beautiful red trees and lights in the backdrop, you’d be silly not to take a few photos right? — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

If you’re a Disney fan or just want to bring the kids out to have some fun and take some pictures, this is the perfect place to go and spend your weekends.

Sunway Pyramid

Go back in time to an old Chinese village at Sunway Pyramid this year. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

A favourite for many in the Subang Jaya and Bandar Sunway areas, Sunway Pyramid has been decorated as the “Bank of Fortune” this year, sticking with a glittering gold theme to usher in prosperity.

With an old school sort of vibe, the LG2 Orange Concourse brings you back to olden times as you walk through an ancient square, with transitional hawker stalls.

They really got into the details as well as they included small hawker stalls in the town too. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

Everything here speaks heritage and tradition, as you can take some cool pictures in old banks, with fully dressed up fortune-tellers and even test your skills in calligraphy.

Mid Valley Megamall

It’s everyone’s favourite Lego, only upsized. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

If you’re looking for something more fun, and less traditional per se, why not celebrate this CNY in a giant Lego playset?

Giant Lego dragons? It’s not every day you’d get to see that. — Picture via Facebook/Mid Valley Megamall

The entire Centre Court area really makes you feel like a little Lego action figure as everything from the small huts to the dragons are all giant Lego pieces.

Along with tonnes of interactive games and activities to take part in, it really does take a new spin on the typical CNY decorations that we’re all too familiar with.

1 Utama

Filled with lush, gold trees to make wishes, the LG Oval area is sure to be a calm and peaceful place to relax. — Picture by Hari Anggara

Going green this year — or gold, technically — 1 Utama Shopping Centre has transformed their LG Oval centre court into a golden wishing tree garden, fit with ornamental red lanterns and kumquats to set the CNY mood.

If you’re tired of walking around shopping for your new CNY clothes, resting in this wishing garden is a nice place to chill, take a few photos and ‘wish’ that you could just go home already.

The suspension bridge in the Rainforest area was also decorated for CNY this year. — Picture via Facebook/1 Utama Shopping Centrea

The Rainforest area of the mall also has stunning views to take pictures from as red lanterns hang from the suspension bridge.

Sunway Velocity

Similar to Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Velocity Mall has stuck with the brands “Bank of Blessings” theme this year with its “Bank of Abundance” themed decor.

Paying homage to rice this CNY, Sunway Velocity’s mall decided to recreate an old paddy village this year. — Picture by Hari Anggara

Also traditionally designed, the mall has taken a slightly more rural spin on the olden town style of decoration, with rice as its main symbol of abundance.

Take a look inside what an old rice factory used to look like or simply enjoy the cool paddy fields around the compact town, as you travel back in time to relive what it was like in a paddy village.