Sungai Ruan


Sungai Ruan is a village located in the Raub District in the Pahang state of Malaysia. It is about 58.1 mi 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-speaking residents since its existence under the British rule. Most residents are rubber tappers and farmers owning oil palm, fruit and orchard plantations.
During peak seasons, residents are occupied in harvesting Durians, 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. Communist threats in 1940s in Raub resulted in erections of new settlements.
After the World War II, most villagers started planting rubber trees, followed by cocoa 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 Pahang and became a well-known fruit village, producing most famous Durians and other best selling fruits such as Bananas, Guavas and Cocoa beans in Malaysia. 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 agreed to a peace talk in Haadyai, Thailand on 2 December 1989, as a result of negotiations between the Malaysian Government and the MCP, with the Thai Government as a mediator.
After the launch of the campaign to beautify residential areas of villages in Malaysia in 1990, Sungai Ruan residents won the campaign as the 2nd Runner-up in Malaysia 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 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, 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 Coconuts, with peanuts being the best selling during the Chinese New Year 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 Pahang Year 2017, with Shi Ziming, China's economic and commerce attache in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia as sharing close bilateral ties and their socio-economic cooperation could be strengthened further with the Belt and Road initiative.
"This species of durian 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 Pahang 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 Pahang 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 durian 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 star Datuk Lee Chong Wei and AirAsia 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 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 Bodhisattvas and almost each of the villages in the Raub district has a Guanyin temple with its own characteristics.
Some of the old temples have been rebuilt with beautiful designs and surroundings, attracting tourists coming to visit and worship.

Education

1948
In 1948, villagers are focused on education for their children and built a Primary School
.
After the completion of Primary School, it started with only 58 students.
1965 – 1969
Secondary School was originally the original site of Primary School. Secondary School was opened in 1965, three years later, the Ministry of Education sent a letter to the Primary School 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 in Raub, Sungai Ruan is the only one village that has a Secondary School.
In early 1969, a new building for Secondary School 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 and Secondary School.
In 1974, the Parents and Teachers Association was established and headed by Mr Low Hoy.
1997
In 1997, Secondary School 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 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.
History of Principals of SMK Sungai Ruan
#Name of PrincipalYearTime in office
Post-nominal
1Mr.Leong Weng Kee1965–19661 year–
2Mr.Chang Kong Ming1966–19671 year–
3Mr.Prasad1977–19770 year–
4Mr.Teo Chiang Choo1978–19824 years–
5Mr.Chen Thong1982–199210 years–
6Mr.Fan Nong Shin1993–19941 year–
7Mr.Liew Kim Choon1995–19983 years–
8Mr.Ng Mong Lim1998–19991 year–
9Mr.Yeong Pak Foo2000–20011 year–
Mr.Chong Khoon Khen2001–20021 year–
10Mr.Liew Kim Choon2003–20074 years–
11Mr.Woon Man Seong2007–20114 yearsAMP, PJK
12Mr.Lee Ah Wong2011–20143 yearsPKC
12Mr.Chang Kok Shun2014 – presentOn going–

Sport

Popular sports in Sungai Ruan include association badminton and basketball.
Basketball is the most popular sport in Primary School even in Secondary School.
Honours
Raub District
Primary School - S.J.K Sungai Ruan
Raub District
Secondary School - SMK Sungai Ruan

Festivals

During the Chinese New Year 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".
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

Interesting sites

Housing estates

Mini Market
Restaurant / Coffee Shop'''
The temperature of Sungai Ruan seldom rises over 37 °C in the daytime, and it can drop to as low as 17 °C at nighttime during a year.

Honours of Village

Raub District
Malaysia Country