Pride and joy: The horse replica is a centre of attention at Sunway Big Box Retail Park Malaysia in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
ISKANDAR PUTERI: A mall here is ushering in Chinese New Year with the installation of a record-breaking horse replica crafted entirely from ang pow origami.
The giant replica has earned Sunway Big Box Retail Park Malaysia here a place in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for the largest horse replica made of ang pow origami.
Sunway Malls Southern Region senior general manager Dr Wong Kong San said the centrepiece was made up of some 6,000 pieces of origami.
“Chinese New Year is a time of renewal, hope and togetherness. This year, we wanted to create something purposeful and not just visually impactful, but meaningful in how it was brought to life.
“This led us to the scale of what we see here today.
“Standing at approximately 4.5m tall, this installation has been recognised by the MBOR as the largest horse replica made of ang pow origami.
“But beyond its size, what makes this horse special is how it was created,” he said.
He said this in his speech at the mall before officiating the presentation of the certificate by MBOR officers Siti Nurhanim Mohd Noh and V. Menaga recently.
Wong added that the replica, which took 500 hours to complete, involved the efforts of some 1,000 people, including university and school students from the community.
“Among the many ways to present this structure, we intentionally chose origami as the medium because it transforms a simple material into many individual efforts.
“This reflects patience, creativity and collective participation.
“Every fold represents a contribution, and together these individual efforts form something extraordinary,” he said.
He added that ang pow was chosen as the structure’s material to spread environmental awareness.
“We chose ang pow not only because it symbolises blessings, prosperity and good fortune during Chinese New Year, but also as a way to send a message of sustainability and conscious celebration through repurposing.
“Most importantly, the replica was created not just by us, but as a result of true collaboration with the community,” he said.
He said those involved in the completion of the structure include Raffles University, SJKC Cheah Fah, SJKC Foon Yew 1, SK Pengkalan Rinting, Starnamics Learning Centre and JCI Junior Chamber International South Key.
