5-9-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia has announced a collaborative effort with Chinese history experts to collect and document historical records concerning the country’s history, with a particular focus on research related to the ancient Kedah civilization.
The Minister of National Unity, Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang, highlighted that the history of ancient Kedah had been extensively recorded by a significant Chinese historical figure, Bujannga Yi-Jing, who visited the Bujang Valley in the 7th century.
“Our objective is to trace these records, conduct thorough research, and reproduce relevant archival materials pertaining to Malaysia’s history, specifically from the perspective of Chinese scholarly sources,” stated Aaron during a meeting with historians at the China Culture Centre in Beijing yesterday.
He further emphasized the Ministry of National Unity’s commitment to supporting all initiatives related to tracking and researching archival materials concerning Malaysia’s history overseas, including in China.
The collaboration will also involve the Han Culture Centre Malaysia, the National Archives of Malaysia, and the National Museum of Malaysia (Muzium Negara).
Han Culture Centre Malaysia President, Datuk Goh Hin San, acknowledged the incomplete nature of available historical information and stressed the need for further research through collaborations and expert assistance.
“In our country’s middle school history textbook, there is a story about Yi-Jing’s visit to Kedah. However, due to a lack of resources, only a few sentences describe this visit,” Goh explained. “The historical materials documented during Yi-Jing’s second trip to Gujeda (ancient Kedah) have yet to be collected and excavated. This undertaking is substantial and necessitates the attention and promotion of the government.”
Goh also proposed hosting an exchange seminar involving relevant parties and translating the historical materials into Bahasa Malaysia and English to support the initiative.
