President Hu JIng Tao Visit to Penang 2002

President Hu JingTao of China visit Penang in year 2002. During that time, I was the Administration Special Assistant to Penang State Executive Councilor of Toursim, Cultural, The Arts and Women's Development. I was also long time member of Penang Heritage Trust and former council member, an NGO that deals with awareness of heritage and history conservation.

Thus, I was appointed by Penang State Government with the approval of Malaysia Federation Government and China Government as the official heritage guide for 120 Armenian Street, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Penang Base Museum and Khoo Kongsi, the heritage clan house. The 1 and a half hour briefting tour that I presented to President Hu JingTao is very unique experiences for me. In fact, President Hu is the most knowledgeable international leaders that I ever met. He saw the details and asked wise questions where people normally ignored.

It was a extreme important task that I had to preform. Guiding a world leader is task closely related to bilaterial relation of both countries, I had to bear full responsible to every sentences that I spoke. One not only has to be knowledgeable in heritage tours but also the international diplomatic skill of communication.

120 Armenian Street was the 1910 Penang Conference Meeting Venue, which Dr. Sun Yat Sen raised over 8 thousands dollars for the Revolutionary Upraising movement in China. It eventually led to the 1911 April Canton Uprising (today known as Guangzhou Uprising) and the 1911 October China Revolution. This revolution movement also led to the democratic movement in Asia and the raising of nationalism and over thrown the colonization of Asia region. Thus, Penang is known as the base of Asia democratic.

President Hu JingTao visited 120 Armenian Street and thanked the house owner Madam Khoo Salma for "Preserving the important history of Dr. Sun Yat Sen in this region".

Although, the visit was official planned for 15 minutes, however, Presdient Hu and his wife and the over hundred delegates took 30 minutes to tour this historical site. It was the first official tour President Hu has visited a Dr. Sun Yat Se museum in any parts of the world and China. His wife later visited the Singapore Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial in later year, and in 2004 President Hu JingTao visited the Zhong Shan city Sun Yat Sen Resident Memorial in Guangzhou.

The visit of President Hu JingTao also led to the initiation of planning of filming of ROAD TO DAWN movie by China Pearl River Production House, the movie was completed in 2007 for screening.

After that President Hu JingTao and his wife visited the biggest Chinese clan house in South East Asia, the Khoo Kongsi. President Hu JingTao praised this 100 years clan house architectual as "Collective wisdom of Chinese craftmen". The initiated planned tour was half an hour, President Hu JingTao took over a hour to have details admiration of the overseas China craftmenships and cultures.