MONTREAL, Canada, May 23 (Reuters) - George Russell snatched pole position from Formula One championship-leading Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli with a last-gasp lap at the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Symbol of culture: Lim showing her award featuring a Nyonya manik shoe during Penang Heritage Trust ’s Living Heritage Treasure Awards Ceremony at G Hotel Gurney, Penang.
— CHAN BOON KAI/The Star GEORGE TOWN: Thirty-two years ago, May Lim Seiw Seng traded school leadership for a higher calling – caring for her mother. Her decision to opt for early retirement back in 1994 had also allowed her the opportunity to preserve the delicate legacy of Peranakan beadwork. Following tradition, the 80-year-old Nyonya beadwork artisan began learning the craft at the age of six from her grandaunts, who made beaded slippers and embroidered sarongs.
“I have taught thousands of students since the 1980s. “My students come from all walks of life, including doctors, lawyers and psychiatrists, and they include both men and women,” said the former Convent Light Street headmistress. Lim was among eight cultural practitioners honoured with the Living Heritage Treasures of Penang award at the 40th anniversary luncheon of the Penang Heritage Trust. She now conducts weekday one-on-one classes for about 20 students at the Straits Chinese Association in Jalan Penang.
Describing beadwork as “painting with manik”, she said she rarely used patterns or tracings for her designs. In the past, Nyonya women were expected to sew elaborate beaded slippers to display in the bridal chamber as proof of their skill and patience, she said. The craft often took months to complete and required intense concentration, precision and creativity.
Beyond producing decorative pieces and beaded slippers, Lim has helped single mothers master beadwork to earn a living – an act of preservation that aligns with George Town’s Unesco World Heritage status. The site’s inscription recognises more than just historic buildings; it celebrates the “living heritage” of multicultural communities who, like Lim, continue to practise and pass down these traditional trades.
Other recipients were Ooi Sew Kim , Haja Mohideen , R. Anbananthan , Cecil Rajendra, Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Anwar Fazal, Toi Ai Wah and Kathleen Margrate Rodrigues . The awards were presented by Penang Island City Council mayor Datuk A. Rajendran, with each recipient receiving RM2,000.
PHT president Clement Liang said supporters donated more than 50 items for a silent auction held to raise funds for the trust’s programmes, including antiques, hotel stays and paintings of old Penang.
“For the past 40 years, we have been defending the state’s legacies, and it has been said that without our past, what hopes do we have for our future,” he said.
Nyonya Beadwork Penang Heritage Trust Living Heritage Treasures Peranakan Craft Manik Beadwork Cultural Practitioners Traditional Trades Unesco World Heritage Penang Island City Council
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