Sarawak Open - Bonsai & Suiseki Championship” organising chairman Hayes Teo and Sarawak Bonsai Association president Johnson Jong spoke at a media conference at La Promenade Mall recently.
The interview shed light on the remarkable scale of the event, with a staggering 185 confirmed trees entered, making it the largest ever Sarawak Open.
The organisers discussed the challenges of organising a monumental event, including logistics, space management, and the smooth execution of judging and showcasing bonsai specimens.
Here are the media highlights:
The Borneo Post, 15 July
The Sarawak Open — Bonsai & Suiseki Championship is a good opportunity for the public to learn the art of bonsai, said its organising chairman Hayes Teo.
The Borneo Post, 15 July
A total of 209 entries have been received for this year’s edition of Sarawak Open — Bonsai & Suiseki Championship taking place at La Promenade here from July 20 to 29.
Suara Sarawak, 14 July
Lima juri professional antarabangsa termasuk dua orang dari Taiwan bakal dijemput bagi mengemudikan Kejohanan Bonsai dan Suiseki Terbuka Sarawak yang akan berlangsung di La Promenade bermula 20 hingga 29 Julai ini.
New Sarawak Tribune, 15 July
To accommodate the large number of entries, the Sarawak Bonsai Association (SBA) have added four different categories.
DayakDaily, 14 July
Its president Johnson Jong said, for example, In Sarawak, it’s mostly the Chinese who are interested in Bonsai. But in Indonesia, it is a hobby that is starting to get picked up by anyone, regardless of race.
Utusan Borneo, 14 July
Oleh sebab itu katanya, sempena dengan kejohanan itu pada 20 hingga 29 Julai ini, pihaknya menjemput pelajar dari Sekolah Chung Hua di sini untuk menyertai bengkel bonsai pada 27 Julai jam 2 hingga 4 petang.
Sin Chew Daily, 12 July
杨永顺希望通过举办比赛，让更多友族同胞认识这项爱好，因该爱好仅在砂华人中盛行。他认为该爱好不仅环保，还可增加额外收入。
See Hua Daily, 12 July
他也借机呼吁政府关注运输出入境问题，尤其是砂拉越盆栽爱好者面临不少挑战，尤其是在前往西马或海外参与比赛之际，本地的作品几乎都无法被运出；至於西马及其他地方的盆栽，同样被禁止进入砂拉越。