(Kuala Lumpur, 13th Jan) Social worker Datuk Jiang Xuexia, in response to the “Knowledge Sharing • Transmitting Artistic Hearts” initiative by MUKA Space, has called upon the public to donate sets of three books authored by Dr. Deric Gan, the Artistic Director of MUKA Space, to 62 independent Chinese schools and 81 national-type Chinese primary schools across the nation.
Dr. Deric Gan, a doctoral advisor at New Era University College, is a renowned theatre director. Publishing three volumes of drama books within a year is quite unusual in the country, yet he persists in leaving written records for Chinese theatre each year to compensate for the lack of drama monographs. These new books encompass various artistic disciplines including performing arts, tourism, painting, music, and photography, creating three “firsts”: the first Chinese performance training book, the first theatre-oriented travel book, and the first original music book combining drama, music, literature, painting, and photography. Notable figures like Datuk Seri Chow Sing Choong, Dr. Jessica Chung, renowned singer Zhou Bo Hua, and Yudi Yap have provided endorsements for the new book.
The 200,000-word “Stop Acting, Live A Life!” records the author’s 15 years of teaching performance both domestically and internationally. It blends Russian and American performance systems into easy-to-understand text, making it the first popular Chinese work on performance. “Theatre Hunter: Where Is The Next?” chronicles the author’s decade-long global travels, presenting over 400 exquisite photos to introduce important theatre festivals, theaters, productions, and theatrically significant places in more than 10 countries and nearly 20 cities. It stands as the first theatre-focused travelogue in the country. “No Music No Life” documents the author’s 26-year musical journey. The author’s original music is still sung at the Buddhist Society, Chinese Language Society, and Lantern Festival of the University of Malaya. Beyond 116 original songs, this book integrates painting and photography, recounting a young person’s journey toward their dreams. It is the first dream-healing book in the country combining drama, music, literature, painting, and photography.
Datuk Jiang Xuexia recognized the lack of theatre-related professional books locally. Touched by Dr. Deric Gan’s efforts to write books that allow Malaysians to see the diverse theatre world, she called on the public to donate the books to secondary school libraries nationwide. This move aims to encourage more talented students to bravely pursue theatre arts, nurturing outstanding theatre artists and showcasing Malaysia’s cultural arts to the world.
Apart from Datuk Jiang Xuexia, individuals and companies participating in the donation include Dr. Jessica Chung, Datuk Seri Chow Sing Choong, Sin Hup Material Sdn Bhd, Zheng Haiyan, Ita Tham, and Feng Kakka.
After the Chinese New Year, students and teachers from the 62 independent Chinese schools and 81 national-type Chinese primary schools can borrow the books from their school libraries.
Report from China Press
13th January 2023
China Press Online Report: https://bit.ly/3AzbhiE
