Sungai Ruan is a village located in the Raub District in the

Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...

state of

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is about 58.1 mi (or 93.5 km) north of Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital, or about 12.7 km from the Raub town. Covering a total area of 9.7 square km at an average elevation of 227 meters above sea level, the village is surrounded by hills, forest and plantations with a population of about 6,000 people. Sungai Ruan is a predominantly Chinese new village and has been home to mostly

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

-speaking residents since its existence under the British rule. Most residents are

rubber tapper Rubber tapping is the process by which latex is collected from a rubber tree. The latex is harvested by slicing a groove into the bark of the tree at a depth of with a hooked knife and peeling back the bark. Trees must be approximately six years ...

s and farmers owning

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

, fruit and

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

plantations. During peak seasons, residents are occupied in harvesting

Durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...

s, especially the cultivar Musang King being the most popular variety of the fruit, attracting tourists and bringing economic development to the village.

History

1940 – 1979

In the early 1950s, it was a series of Chinese settlements set up by the British colonial government of Malaya in a 12-year state of emergency. In order to prevent the Chinese in the suburbs from coming into contact with and threatening the Malayan Communist guerrillas in the forest, the British colonial government actively launched the national immigration policy, and then concentrated the Chinese scattered in the suburbs and set up a Chinese new village. During the martial law period, the Sungai Ruan Village at that time was the "''Black Zone of the Communist Party''". From 1940 to 1987, the Raub bastion inclusive of Sungai Ruan near Felda Lembah Klau was heavily infiltrated by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). Communist threats in 1940s in Raub resulted in erections of new settlements. * (1948) Cheroh * (1948) Sang Lee * (1948) Sungai Ruan * (1948) Sungai Chetang * (1949) Bukit Koman * (1950) Sempalit * (1950) Sungai Lui * (1950) Tras * (1960) Sungai Klau After the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, most villagers started planting rubber trees, followed by

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

and durians. From 1946 to 1947, there were approximately 10 wooden houses and a few of people in the village. In 1951, many residents from other villages moved in to work on plantations due to the rich soil. Up until now there are more than thousand of families staying in Sungai Ruan. Most of villager start to focus on education for their children. During 1960–70, Sungai Ruan harvested most fruits in

and became a well-known fruit village, producing

s and other best selling fruits such as Bananas,

Guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...

s and

Cocoa bean The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances ...

s in

. The population in the village grew more than 3–5% with residents coming in from other villages to participate in fruit plantations.

1980 – 1999

The population used to be between 6,000 and 7,000 in the 1980s before youths started moving out to cities for studies and jobs. In 1982, four communist guerrillas were killed by security forces in Sungai Ruan. It was liberated from insurgents after the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) agreed to a peace talk in

Haadyai Hat Yai ( th, หาดใหญ่, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. It is south of Bangkok, and has a population of 156,802 (2019) in the city itself and an urban population of about 400,00 ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

on 2 December 1989, as a result of negotiations between the

Malaysian Government The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia ( ms, Kerajaan Persekutuan Malaysia), is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Malay ...

and the MCP, with the Thai Government as a mediator. After the launch of the campaign to beautify residential areas of villages in

in 1990, Sungai Ruan residents won the campaign as the 2nd Runner-up in

1993 and the 1st Runner-up in 1994 with their diligence, sacrifice and teamwork. From 1996 to 1998, the villagers had grand celebration ceremonies and fireworks together with

Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah ( Jawi: ; 24 October 1930 – 22 May 2019) was the fifth modern Sultan of Pahang, and also served as the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong ...

during ' Gongxi Raya', a creolised term originating from Malaysia and accepted in Singapore to commemorate the two festivals, Hari Raya Puasa and

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

, which fell on the same week and became a double celebration within Chinese and Muslim communities.

2000 – 2009

In 2000s, Sungai Ruan produced Peanuts, dragon fruits and

Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

s, with peanuts being the best selling during the

when villagers returning home and buying them as a festival gift to friends and relatives. In 2009, it also benefited from Malaysian government's plan to export frozen durians to China with estimated export between 350 to 500 tonnes a year, while fresh durians export to Singapore was estimated at RM15.4 million in 2010.

2010 – present

In 2017, Sungai Ruan was synonymous with the Musang King durian in the district. The village was promoted as Malaysia's eco-tourism destination in conjunction with the Visit

Year 2017, with Shi Ziming, China's economic and commerce attache in

, being present to launch the double events during a dinner gathering of about 2,000 guests, visitors and villagers on 12 August 2017. Shi considered China and

as sharing close bilateral ties and their socio-economic cooperation could be strengthened further with the Belt and Road initiative. "This species of

durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...

definitely has the potential to go big and create a niche market in China. It helps to raise the income of farmers and boost economic growth for the people of Raub." The Musang King durian will now be an icon for Sungai Ruan to attract more visitors," she said. Event organiser

Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Tan Sri Lam Kam Sang planned to lead a delegation to Shanghai in November 2018 to take part in a food and beverage exposition, which will be supported by the state government as revealed by

executive councillor Datuk Seri Shahiruddin Ab Moin, who has claimed Raub's Musang King durian being the best in the world. On 3 November 2017, State Co-operatives, Entrepreneurship and Consumer Affairs Exco, Datuk Seri Shahiruddin Ab Moin said the tagline was introduced to boost the revenue of

entrepreneurs in the district. According to him, the move was also to uplift the agricultural sector in line with the country's development as well as boosting agro-tourism activities by setting up a local fruit garden for domestic and foreign tourists. "With more than 5,500 hectares of land in Raub, 75 percent of them are planted with these types of durians from D24, D916, D919 and various high quality of durian varieties in Sungai Ruan. About 2,000 to 4,000 hectares of land in Raub, especially in Sungai Ruan, are identified to be planted with durians in the following year," he said. On 2 May 2018, villagers turned up in droves to welcome Malaysian

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

star Datuk Lee Chong Wei and

AirAsia Capital A Berhad, () operating as AirAsia (stylized as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the largest airline in Malaysia by fleet size and destinations. AirAsia operate ...

Group CEO Tan Sri Dr.Tony Fernandes, who visited Sungai Ruan, Raub district to show support to then MCA president

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai Tan Sri Dato' Sri Liow Tiong Lai (; born 13 October 1961) is a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime ...

during the 14th General Election campaign. In 2019, Songkran celebrations are held in Sungai Ruan for 4th times. SMK Sungai Ruan Twenty-four festival drums had a wonderful performance on the day and also attracted many foreign tourists.

Demographics

Religion

Most Raubian worshipers are Guanyin

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

s and almost each of the villages in the Raub district has a

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

temple with its own characteristics. Some of the old temples have been rebuilt or renovated, attracting tourists coming to visit and worship.

Education

* 2

Preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

s * 1 Primary School (known as ) * 1 Secondary School (known as ) 1948
In 1948, villagers are focused on education for their children and built a Primary School
(Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Sungai Ruan; known as ).
After the completion of Primary School, it started with only 58 students. Sungai Ruan15

1965 – 1969
Secondary School was originally the original site of Primary School (known as ). Secondary School was opened in 1965, three years later, the Ministry of Education sent a letter to the Primary School (known as ) requesting land borrowing. The board of directors also agreed. They further set up a Secondary School known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Ruan with Mr Leong Weng Kee as the first headmaster. Among six villages (''Kampung Sungai Klau, Kampung Baru Sungai Chalit, Kampung Baru Hulu Gali, Kampung Tok Macang ,Kampung Sempalit Tok Lubuk and Lembah Klau'') in Raub, Sungai Ruan is the only one village that has a Secondary School (known as ). In early 1969, a new building for Secondary School (known as ) was completed and used for six classes with a principal office, a teacher's room, a science laboratory, two household science rooms and a canteen. 1970s
In early 1970s, the number of students increased to 255 in eight classes, with a common field for both Primary School (known as ) and Secondary School (known as ). In 1974, the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) was established and headed by Mr Low Hoy. 1997
In 1997, Secondary School (known as ) Form 4 and Form 5 were created. Increasing the number of students allows this school to be upgraded from Grade B School to Grade A School. 2000 - present
In 2009, Secondary School (known as ) had 366 of male students and 343 of female students, bringing the total number of students to 709. And it had a total of 54 teachers.

Sport

Popular sports in Sungai Ruan include association badminton and basketball.
Basketball is the most popular sport in Primary School (known as ) even in Secondary School (known as ).

Honours
Raub District
Primary School - S.J.K (C) Sungai Ruan
* Basketball (Male) ** Winner: 2016, 2019 ** Runner-up: 2018 * Basketball (Female) ** Winner: 2016, 2019 ** Runner-up: 2018
Raub District
Secondary School - SMK Sungai Ruan * Basketball (Male) ** Winner: 2017 ** Runner-up: 2016 * Basketball (Female) ** Runner-up: 2016 * Volleyball (Male) ** Winner: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 * Volleyball (Female) ** Winner: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 *School Beautification Projects ** Winner: 2013 ** 2nd runner-up (third place): 2012

Culture

Festivals

During the

in Sungai Ruan, lion dance troupes from Chinese martial art schools, guilds and associations visit the houses and shops of the Chinese community to perform traditional custom of "cai ching" (採青).
Literally means "plucking the greens", a quest by the 'lion' to pluck auspicious lettuce tied to a " red envelope" containing money, either hung highly or placed on a table in front of the premises.
Like a curious cat, the "lion" dances, approaches and eats the "greens", peels oranges and arranges them into an auspicious character while keeping the "red envelope". The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the troupe is rewarded with the "red envelope". Fireworks are a classic element of Chinese New Year celebrations and celebrate in Sungai Ruan every year.

Cuisine

Bbq Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

Chicken Wing – Among the local dishes is Sungai Ruan Chicken Wing (Chinese: 雙溪蘭燒雞翼) that is well known throughout the Raub town. *

Nasi Lemak ''Nasi lemak'' is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. It is also the native dish in neighbouri ...

– local cuisine and sell at Sg. Ruan Economy noodle shop (Sg. Ruan 酿料经济粉). *

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

– ABC is an abbreviation for Air Batu Campur, or known as Ice Kacang Sungai Ruan, a dessert created from shaved ice added with corn, jelly, redbeans, groundnut, syrup, pasteurised milk, and liquid chocolate. * Satay – a popular food in Malaysia and made from marinated meat or chicken and burnt on a charcoal grill. Grilled satay is dipped in special peanut sauce. *

Char kway teow ''Char kway teow'' () is a stir-fried rice noodle dish from Maritime Southeast Asia and is of southern Chinese origin. In Hokkien and Teochew, ''char'' means 'stir-fried' and ''kway teow'' refers to flat rice noodles. It is made from flat r ...

(Chinese: 炒粿條，炒河粉) – stir fried

rice noodles Rice noodles, or simply rice noodle, are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and che ...

with prawns, pork or chicken, eggs, chives and beansprouts, usually optional cockles. * Wantan Noodle (Chinese: 雲吞麵) – Chinese noodles with Chinese dumplings (Chinese : 雲吞), chooi sam and BBQ pork. Dumplings are usually made of Pork and/or prawns. The noodles may be served either in a bowl of soup with dumplings or on a plate with some dark soya sauce flavoured with oil and slices of roast pork and vegetables. For the latter, the dumplings will be served in a separate bowl with soup. *

Hokkien Mee Hokkien mee, literally "Fujian noodles", is a series of related Southeast Asian dishes that have their origins in the cuisine of China's Fujian (Hokkien) province. Types ''Hokkien mee'' can refer to four distinct dishes, with each being ubi ...

(Chinese: 福建麵) – a dish of thick yellow noodles fried in thick black soy sauce and pork lard which has been fried until crispy. This dish is served mostly in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, Seremban, Klang,

Kuantan Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Penin ...

and

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

. * Chicken Rice (Chinese : 雞飯) – steamed chicken served with rice cooked in margarine,

chicken fat Chicken fat is fat obtained (usually as a by-product) from chicken rendering and processing. Of the many animal-sourced substances, chicken fat is noted for being high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid. Linoleic acid levels are between ...

, chicken stock or chicken soup. *

Banmian Banmian () or pan mee ( nan, pán-mī) is a popular Chinese noodle dish, consisting of handmade noodles served in soup. Other types of handmade noodles include youmian (similar dough texture and taste, but thinner round noodles), or mee hoon ...

(Chinese: 板面) – made using a hand-operated machine in a stall which forms noodles from the dough. The dish is served in soup, usually with pieces of minced chicken or minced pork, ikan bilis (anchovies), vegetables, eggs, sliced mushrooms and fish balls. * Doufuhua (Chinese: 豆腐花) – a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

dessert made with very soft tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding and soybean pudding. *Red Beans and Wheat Porridge (Chinese: 红豆加麦粥) – new flavours, mixing the red beans soup and wheat porridge. Interestingly, the tastes of both will not cancel out tastes of each another.

Tourism

Notable sites in the area include: *Resort Rock Mountain *Resort Lembah Temir *Musang King Durian Leisure Farm (廷叔猫山王休闲果园) *Guanyin Buddhist Temple Sungai Ruan *Night Market, known as "Pasar Malam". opening 5 pm to 9 pm (Saturday) *Morning Market, known as "Pasar Pagi". opening 6 am to 11 am (Tuesday) *Gua Kechil, near Jalan Pindu Padang (Ulu Gali) *Forest Jarum (Lata Jarum Ulu Dong) *Lata Berembun Waterfall (Sungai Klau)
File:Sungai Ruan06.jpg, The rock at the entrance of the cave that resembled a lion, hence the name Gua Kechil nearby Sungai Ruan. File:Sungai Ruan01.jpg, Street art in Sungai Ruan. File:Sungai Ruan05.jpg, A historical police car in Sungai Ruan. File:Sungai Ruan03.jpg,

statue in Sungai Ruan Guanyin temple. File:Sungai Ruan25.jpg, Night Market in Sungai Ruan. - opening 5 pm to 9 pm (Saturday).

Climate

The temperature of Sungai Ruan seldom rises over 37 °C (98.6 °F) in the daytime, and it can drop to as low as 17 °C (62.6 °F) at nighttime during a year.

Honours of village

Raub District
* Raub Volleyball Championship U18 (Female) ** 1st runner-up (second place): 2015 * Raub Volleyball Championship U18 (Male) ** Winner: 2015
Malaysia Country *District Happiness ranking in Malaysia 2013 (幸福指数) ** 2nd runner-up (third place): 2013 *Village Beautification Projects ** 1st runner-up (second place): 1994 ** 2nd runner-up (third place): 1993

Gallery

File:Sungai Ruan.jpg, Sungai Ruan main street. File:Sungai Ruan11.jpg, Sungai Ruan main street. File:Dewan SJKC Sungai Ruan.jpg, Primary school Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Sungai Ruan Assembly Hall. File:Sungai Ruan07.jpg, Secondary school SMK Sungai Ruan. File:Sungai Ruan16.jpg, Lin Siong Bus (Raub - Sungai Ruan) end service in 2020. File:Sungai Ruan21.jpg, Bank Pertanian Malaysia Berhad (Agrobank) - Sungai Ruan.

References

External links

Official website of the Pahang State Government

Official website of the Pahang Tourism
{{Geographic Location , Centre = Sungai Ruan, Raub, Pahang , North = Gua Musang, Kelantan , Northeast = Hulu Terengganu / Dungun, Terengganu , East =

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

, Southeast =

, South = Mersing / Segamat, Johor

Jempol The Jempol District is the largest district in the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The district borders Jelebu District to the northwest, Kuala Pilah District to the west, Tampin District to the south, Bera District, Pahang to the northeas ...

Jelebu The Jelebu District (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Jolobu'') is the second largest district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia after Jempol, with a population over 40,000. Jelebu borders on the Seremban District to its west and Kuala Pilah District to i ...

, Negeri Sembilan , Southwest = Hulu Langat /

Gombak The Gombak District is an administrative district located in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory. Until 1997, Rawang was the district capi ...

, Selangor , West =

Hulu Selangor Hulu Selangor is a district in Selangor, Malaysia. It contains the towns of Serendah, Batang Kali and Kuala Kubu Bharu. Its principal town is Kuala Kubu Bharu. The district is located in the northeastern part of Selangor and borders the state ...

, Selangor

Batang Padang The Batang Padang District ( ms, Daerah Batang Padang) is a district in Perak, Malaysia. This district is administered by a local council, namely, the Tapah District Council, based in Tapah. The major towns of Batang Padang are Bidor, Tapah and S ...

, Perak , Northwest = Kinta, Perak Raub District Towns in Pahang