From Penang in Nanyang (Southeast Asia) to the Qijiang River in Zhongshan in China—how many ancestral bloodlines and hometown accents have crossed the seas between these two places?
On Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, a single dialect phrase can awaken a century of memories.
On Armenian Street in Penang, the very building where Dr. Sun Yat-sen founded Kwong Wah Yit Poh still stands today.
For many Malaysian Chinese, "Zhongshan" is not just a dot on the map. It is an ancestral home in the family genealogy, a taste on the tongue, and those cross-ocean letters that grandparents tucked at the bottom of their trunks when they ventured south to Nanyang.
From April 25 to 26, the China (Zhongshan)–Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) Investment Promotion & Exchange Conference, along with the "Guangdong Goods Go Global · Zhongshan Products in Malaysia" event, will be held at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
This marks the first time the "Guangdong Goods Go Global" initiative has gone abroad for an on-site physical exhibition and sales since its launch.
Looking back, "Zhongshan Products in N Cities" has traveled to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Macao, Beijing, and Shandong Province.
"Zhongshan Products in N Cities" in Beijing
Counting the footprints: the Shanghai stop was the first time "Guangdong Goods Go Global" ventured out of Guangdong Province; Macao marked the first time it went out of the Chinese mainland; and Malaysia is the first time it has truly gone abroad—three "firsts" that once again demonstrate Zhongshan's pioneering spirit of "daring to be first under heaven."
Carrying out the initiative in Kuala Lumpur not only looks back at the century old commercial legacy of Xiangshan people (old name for Zhongshan) venturing to Nanyang, but also takes overseas Chinese as a bridge and goods as a medium to open a new chapter in the global expansion of "Guangdong Goods Go Global."
A century old commercial legacy: rekindled in Nanyang
The deep bond between Zhongshan and Malaysia is rooted in history.
A hundred years ago, many people from Xiangshan left their hometowns and traveled along the Maritime Silk Road to the Malay Peninsula. They helped open ports, rooted themselves in commerce, and planted the pragmatism and resilience of Lingnan in the streets of Kuala Lumpur—making the name "Zhongshan" an indelible mark in the memory of Nanyang Chinese.
Zhongshan and Malaysia
Over 200 years ago, Zhongshan people established their first overseas association in Penang—the Penang Zhongshan Association. In 1910, Dr. Sun Yat-sen personally founded Kwong Wah Yit Poh in Penang, using the pen as a banner to awaken the Chinese at home and abroad. This Chinese language newspaper, which has weathered more than a century of storms, remains an influential Chinese media outlet in Malaysia today, maintaining a heartfelt cross century dialogue with Zhongshan. In 1996, the first Worldwide Zhongshan Association Convention was held in Kuala Lumpur, marking the first large scale gathering of Zhongshan descendants from around the world.
Now, as Zhongshan Products cross the ocean for the first time to land in Kuala Lumpur, it is a reunion across a hundred years—an upgrade from "Zhongshan goods" sold overseas to "Zhongshan brands" taking root in ASEAN markets.
From Dr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary footsteps to the industrial patriotism of overseas Chinese tycoons, the two places have long transcended geographical distance, forming a community of shared blood and destiny.
In the field of commerce, Xiangshan merchants have also been highly active.
Ma Yingbiao, a pioneer of China's modern department store industry, started his business career in Malaysia. After accumulating capital, he returned to Hong Kong (China) and Shanghai to found Sincere Department Store, pioneering China's modern department store sector. After the reform and opening up, Koo Yuen Kim, a third generation Malaysian Chinese, carried his father's instruction—"you must return to our ancestral homeland to develop"—and came back to Zhongshan in 1994 to found Perfect (China) Co., Ltd., a landmark case of overseas Chinese investing in their hometown.
Today, Perfect has grown into a benchmark of the global wellness industry deeply rooted in Zhongshan. Koo Yuen Kim himself serves as the president of the Federation of Kwang Tung Associations Malaysia and the president of the Malaysia Belt and Road Committee, acting as a key bridge for Sino–Malaysian economic, trade, and cultural exchanges.
Trade and cooperation: a new chapter
From individual efforts to collective synergy, economic and trade exchanges between Zhongshan and Malaysia have grown from a trickle into a mighty river.
Since 2023, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Zhongshan Municipal Committee and the Zhongshan Municipal Bureau of Commerce have jointly planned and established the "Overseas Chinese + Trade" Cooperation Alliance, which now has 24 overseas business associations as members. Zhongshan's premium products have successfully entered markets in Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and other countries and regions.
Cases of Malaysian merchants investing in Zhongshan are emerging one after another, and Zhongshan enterprises are equally resolute in going global to Malaysia:
Zhongshan Deyouxin Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd.'s self-developed four-way shuttle intelligent automated warehouse system is already operating steadily in Malaysia, and the company has signed a new strategic cooperation agreement with a well-known local e-commerce enterprise. "Smart manufacturing from China" is profoundly reshaping the logistics landscape of Southeast Asia.
In the field of cultural tourism and cuisine, dialogue between the two places is growing increasingly vibrant. In September 2024, within the Congshanfang Historical and Cultural Block in Shiqi, Zhongshan, the first Malaysian Nyonya-themed cultural restaurant "Nam Seng Ltd." officially opened. Her Excellency Suraya Pauzi, Consul General of Malaysia in Guangzhou, made a special trip to attend the celebration.
"Zhongshan Products in N Cities" in Macao
Zhao Chongbin (Adrian Teow), the restaurant's founder, is a Malaysian Chinese of Fujian ancestry. His family founded Nam Seng Coffee Shop in Penang in 1950. Now he has brought authentic Nyonya cuisine back to the hometown of overseas Chinese in Zhongshan, using taste as a bond to continue the story of Sino–Malaysian cultural fusion.
In 2025, Nam Seng Ltd. opened a branch on the century old Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street, elevating this cultural culinary dialogue from a heritage building to the core stage of the city's cultural tourism.
Zhongshan products in Malaysia—coming right up!
This "Guangdong Goods Go Global · Zhongshan Products in Malaysia" event marks another concentrated showcase of Zhongshan premium products following Shanghai, Shenzhen, Macao, Beijing, and Shandong—and more importantly, a milestone as the "Guangdong Goods Go Global" brand goes abroad for the very first time.
From April 25 to 26, Pavilion Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur will transform into a "Mini Zhongshan." From smart home appliances to lighting, from healthy food to intangible cultural heritage treasures, Zhongshan has assembled the city's smart manufacturing strength and overseas Chinese charm to present the people of Malaysia with a quality feast that they can explore, taste, and purchase.
Pavilion Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur
A ceremony will be held on site to award appointment letters to Zhongshan Investment Promotion Advisors, and the inauguration of the Zhongshan Premium Products Overseas Exhibition & Trade Center will take place in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. A number of Sino–Malaysian economic and trade cooperation, industrial investment, and cultural tourism exchange projects will also be signed.
The event has carefully planned multiple exhibition zones at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, decoding Zhongshan's urban charm and industrial strength from all angles.
In addition, online and offline livestreaming sales will be conducted simultaneously, with local Malaysian influencers collaborating with Zhongshan enterprises, allowing "Zhongshan Premium Products" to radiate from Kuala Lumpur across Southeast Asia. Food stalls blending Chinese–Malaysian flavors will also be on-site, offering authentic Malaysian snacks as well as classic Cantonese dim sum.
From the Qijiang River to the Straits of Malacca—a hundred years ago, people migrated; a hundred years later, goods set sail.
April 25–26, Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur—Zhongshan Products Wait for You in Malaysia!
Charming Zhongshan, cultural tourism of Zhongshan
Through images, texts, and videos, we capture Zhongshan's urban development trajectory, showcasing the Greater Bay Area hub advantages brought by the opening of the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link, the achievements in optimizing the business environment, the results of the "industrial space reform" campaign, and the century-old exchanges between Zhongshan and Malaysia in economy, trade, culture, and overseas Chinese affairs.
This allows Malaysians and overseas Chinese to grasp at a glance the vitality and opportunities of today's Zhongshan. Also on display are Zhongshan's locational advantages, industrial foundation, and key cultural tourism assets such as Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street, the Hometown of Dr. Sun Yat-sen Tourist Zone, the "High-Quality Development Project for Counties, Towns, and Villages" demonstration belt around Wugui Mountain, and Zhongshan Hot Spring Resort—presenting Zhongshan as an excellent place to live, work, and visit.
Smart manufacturing in Zhongshan
Zhongshan is home to three 100-billion-yuan industrial clusters and eight 10-billion-yuan industrial clusters. Lighting products account for over 70% of China's market share, while hardware products and home appliance manufacturing are renowned worldwide. It is one of the cities in the Greater Bay Area with the most complete industrial supply chains.
This event gathers the elite of Zhongshan's smart manufacturing, fully showcasing the development level and intelligent manufacturing strength of Zhongshan's industrial enterprises. Prominent companies from advanced manufacturing sectors (drones, physiotherapy equipment, green building materials) and traditional advantageous industries (smart home appliances, lighting, consumer electronics) will carry out on-site promotions and interactive experiences, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the product appeal of Zhongshan Products.
Reporter: Guo Zedong
Photo: Nanfang Daily
