KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — A father and son duo teamed up to create an app that delves into the history of that popular Lunar New Year dish: Yee sang.
If you didn’t know (I didn’t) yee sang is also known as yusheng in some parts and it is fittingly the name of the app.
Singaporean student, researcher and developer Koh Jing Yu got the idea for the app when he realised while tossing yee sang that he didn’t really know the dish’s history or particular significance. Thus the idea for the Yusheng app was born.
He decided to ask his father, Koh Hock Kiat, to participate in his little venture.
Previously a professor and founding director of Nanyang Technological University’s Confucius Institute, the senior Koh is currently the CEO of Heluo Institute and has a strong background in both Chinese philosophy and Business Chinese.
Jing Yu on precisely when he got the idea: “My relatives and I were tossing yee sang, and I realised that many of us (especially the younger generation) did not know much about why the ingredients were chosen, and what phrases to shout.”
Of course it made sense for there to be an app for that.
“I think that it’s important for people to understand the traditions surrounding Chinese New Year,” said Jing Yu.
“Many CNY traditions are very rich in symbolism and culture, and represent interesting beliefs that our ancestors had. I feel that we can learn a lot through understanding the stories and lessons behind these traditions.”
Jing Yu worked with Swift to create the app, which he says he enjoyed. He started out by sitting down with his father, who came up with many of the phrases and symbolisms behind the ingredients.
He had help from a friend to come up with the app’s interface and design and then coded it with Xcode by himself.
An added benefit to the project was being able to work closely with his father, and in the process learning about the meaning behind Chinese New Year traditions.
“I’m glad that we got the chance to combine our skills to build something meaningful,” Jing Yu said.
Besides yee sang history, the app also includes useful Chinese New Year greetings, suggestions on just what to shout when tossing the yee sang and digital greeting cards to share with family and friends.
You can download (link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yusheng/id1160817549?mt=8) the app for free on the App Store.
