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By JEREMY TAN and CAVINA LIM
Photos by ASRI ABDUL GHANI, LIM BENG TATT and CHAN BOON KAI

Dragon fever: Hydro Hotel Penang staff members touching up their Chinese New Year decorations which feature a partition screen emblazoned with golden dragon.

AN ‘invasion’ that occurs once every 12 years is currently in full swing. As dragons rear their majestic aura at shopping malls and hotels in Penang, one knows that Chinese New Year is close at hand.

Gurney Plaza’s central atrium is a majestic scene with lights and lanterns descending from the ‘sky’, overlooking an elaborate red stage topped with a golden dragon emerging from a giant coin.

At their main entrance, a ‘water bubble’ filled with coins and auspicious trinkets is partnered by an auspicious serpentine, a homage to the coming lunar year, represented by the Water Dragon.

“The dragon is among the most auspicious signs in the Chinese Zodiac. We wanted to complement its power with decorations that exude richness and grandeur,” said the mall’s marketing communications (marcom) manager Peter Chan.

Over in Queensbay Mall, two pagoda structures with bonsai plants, topped off with hanging lanterns and two dragons swooping in from above, form the centrepiece at the main atrium.

Homemade: Hydro Hotel Penang artist Kelvin Ooi adjusting one of the dragons that sits above the hotel entrance.

Gold coins also line the north and south atrium, with marcom manager Christopher Koh saying that they adopted the theme ‘Peace and Prosperity’ this year.

Over at Gama Supermarket and Departmental Store, shoppers are greeted with a dragon sculpture — whose eye changes colour — atop a giant lantern at the main entrance. It’s a wonderful sight when lit up at night.

Advertising and promotions manager Wong Jong Wah said that the decorations were designed by their in-house team.

Sunshine Wholesale Mart Sdn Bhd advertising and design team leader Bryan Wong said that Sunshine Square was featuring oriental architecture for their CNY decorations, themed ‘Prosperous Lunar New Year’.

“It consists of yellow roofing and pillars of arch with images of dragons on them, together with giant cherry blossom trees and big lanterns,” Wong explained, adding that work started in October and was still ongoing.

Straits Quay’s theme is ‘Oriental Traditions’, with the retail marina complex decked out in a red and gold colour scheme that represented luck and prosperity.

Retail manager Sharley Ooi said the mix of traditional fabric and bamboo lanterns also symbolised love, hope and positive energy. The ‘dressing up’ took about a week to complete.

Sunway Carnival Mall, on the other hand, adopted a Chinese opera theme for its decorations at the main concourse, which comprise two giant opera heads, two-storey high bamboos and various other plants.

Its PR executive Khoo Yi Ping said: “Some of the decorative items were imported from China while the others were recycled.”

Those driving along Gurney Drive would also notice that G Hotel’s iconic ‘G’ logo is now a vibrant red, with a golden dragon motif within.

A giant ‘Prosperity Tree’, overflowing with lanterns, firecrackers and gold ingots, forms the lobby centrepiece.

“Our theme this year sees the dragon ushering in prosperity in shades of red and gold,” explained PR manager Christina Tan, adding that the tree was a real one from Cameron Highlands.

Up in Batu Ferringhi, Parkroyal Penang Resort’s dragon stands proudly, together with festive greetings, on a banner spanning the entrance.

The lobby is imbued with a touch of tradition, with a myriad of red lanterns and streamers spicing up the atmosphere.

Its marcom manager Saw Wei Wei said: “We wanted to give our guests a traditional Chinese New Year feeling and hope everyone will have a happy, prosperous and bountiful Lunar New Year.”

As for Hard Rock Hotel Penang, it has imprinted the dragon motif on its guitars, strung up at the main entrance against a backdrop of illuminated chandeliers.

“It’s a great representation of our identity and that of Chinese New Year’s. We’ve also incorporated the dragon theme in our other promotions to make things a little interesting,” said marcom manager Elisa Saw.

Over at Hydro Hotel Penang, a pair of colourful dragons greets guests. Inside, a backdrop resembling traditional Chinese partition screens emblazoned with roaring dragon images and juxtaposed against cherry blossoms, are great for picture taking.

It’s a similar scene at Hotel Royal Penang, whose gold logo is complemented by swathes of red. At the main entrance of sister property Penang Plaza, there’s an elaborate scene of a dragon coiling around a small pagoda, with large gold ingots for company.

“It brings a touch of ancient grandeur, at the same time ushering in luck and good fortune,” said the hotel’s marcom/sales assistant manager Mellissa King. [News Link]

Posted by admin on January 16, 2012 under Tourism News.