In the southeast of Asia the territory of Malaysia extends both over the point of the Malyan Peninsula and the island oh Borneo It occupies a privileged position between the pacific and inidan oceans and enjoys over 4500 kilometers of coast line The country has a constantly warm and humid equatorial climate Malaysia is recognized as an area of biological mega diversity By reason of the richness of its flora and fauna only about 20 countries have this status Malaysia owes much of its biodiversity to its tropical forest which covers 70% of the country but which is undergoing intensive exploitation the country is trying to find a balance between the protection of the natural heritage and industrial activities. The country's population is also very varied. its mainly composed of Malays, the ethnic group which has given its name to the country But to that must be added a quarter of citizen of chinese origin and many of mixed ethnicity. A human patchwork enriched by a very many ethnic minorities everyone is attached to its language and ancestral traditions The malaysian population is young almost 2/3rd of the inhabitants are under fifteen they have a high quality of education system where dress codes are respected On their heads, the Malay boys wear the traditional songkok the creativity of malaysians can be seen in many fields The most varied influences both western and oriental are found specially in their cuisine where the sugar is used in great quantity Malaysia is an original constituinal monarchy The king is elected for a 5 year term The parliamentary system is directly inspired by the English model indeed the country was a british colony But the Dutch and before them the Portuguese also left their mark Malaysia has been independent since 1957 with its bold lines the architecture has accompanied the development of the country However, references to architectural models remain very evident the components of malaysian society blending with architectural heritage and the architects sometimes take the liberty of turning things upside down concrete buildings have replaced many traditional wooden structures colonial architecture finds it hard to resist the pressure of a population that has increased 5 folds in the 50 years Islam is the official religion imported by Arab and Indian traders. It developed from 15th century on Buddhism is also very long established in Malaysia But has been supplanted by Islam today Malaysian Buddhists are of Chinese origin Hinduism also talk to the trade roots to implant itself in the country even though it is still minority religion as for Christianity it came here with the European colonist consumption has become a religion in its own right in a country that is developing at a rapid rate with its advantages and its drawbacks the economy has long since progressed beyond the cottage industry stage its based on highly efficient industry and growing exports 15% of the population make a living from farming still using often rudimentary means Malaysia has become the 3rd richest country in the southeast Asia its dynamism is supported by its infrastructures which aim to guarantee efficiency and cultural sensitivities today the country falls into the category of medium income countries It has set its sights on achieving the developed country status in the medium term tourism is one of Malaysia's economic developmental axis this sector has helped to bring traditional architecture up to date tourism also promotes the immediate proximity of nature The omnipresent sea provides the visitors with limitless resources this is true also for tropical forest, the jewel of wild natureC Asians are the biggest tourist group but the borders are wide open having emerged from the jungle Kualalampur is today the capital of the country when you arrive there it is difficult to imagine that the town didn't exist in the middle of the 19th century thanks to its terrific growth the town has mushroomed and yet, despite the expansion, the town has preserved its human dimension and a remarkable architectural heritage Kualalampur was lucky to have been chosen as the capital by the English The British colonists endowed it with stunning buildings that blended Victorian with Moorish styles The English used to play cricket on a field that has become independent square Kualalampur is a very green town, and in some places is even rural. English influence is also very clear In the lake garden, her majesty's gardeners have exploited the vast plant resources of the tropics In general, English let nature express herself in their gardens here, they had to exert a little discipline creation builds over from the gardens as far as the national theatre designed by a Malaysian Architect the building blends into an environment entirely devoted to art between mineral and vegetable there is a fine line Nature and sculpture come together to their shapes and their materials the royal palace rises in perfect symmetry the building is the symbol of the stability of the monoarchy In fact, the king is always elected by and from among 9 sultans this system was designed to satisfy the 9 candidates for the throne at the time of independence Masjid Negara is another symbol, its the national mosque the building was designed by Le Carbusier the famous architect applied his principles in agreement with the nation's islam Daud Abdul Kadir: A practicing a moderate brand of islam for example there are some countries where they enforce strict segregation between the male and females whilst in our case in Malaysia we do not adopt that practice Male and female freely mix, there is no physical segregation the Buddhist temple of Thean hou is dedicated to the Goddess of paradise it was built in the 1980's The Chinese are often trying to discover their destiny this is filled with advice from the goddess So we will leave up all the fortune stick together and we will release it after our prayer to the God and when we release the ones that bounce up the highest will be the award from her okay I will release now so i have one that's the highest and the number is number 51 So I'll chose the number 51 and I'll take out the advice then I will read it again chance is always positive with the Chinese the Petronas towers were at one time the tallest in the world they are each made up of 5 sections which refer to the 5 pillars of Islam the building is the headquarter of the national petroleum company But it represents so much more Mohammed Sohel Mi is an architect it is a symbol that shows the capability of a nation and Malaysia actually have the technology to build the tallest building in the world so it is a icon to feel the country proud I think people are still proud of archeosity at the beginning the town was set up at the confluence of two rivers in the oldest quarter of Kualalampur they are trying to save the facades that are threatened by the climate and the developers but is it not too late? has modality not disfigured the town as it sacrificed its soul in a way, yes. But then I think you can't stop that from happening Because like any other cities, Kualalampur is changing and is going through the process of evolution built in the art deco styles the central market is the true vestige of the past it contains dozens of boutiques and workshops where many craftsmen work the central market opened a store in 1936 old cultures can be found there among the innumerable stores two materials in fellow breed attract attention silver often superbly rot and even more so pewter which has made the country's fortune Malaysia has produced upto 60% of the worlds pewter in the pudu quarter another market is devoted to electronic equipment all the product are imported directly from china malaysia is a great importer of electronic componenets these are used in the manufacture of good's destine for export most commercial activities in malaysia are controlled by the Chinese their skills in this field are long established the natural talents for trade were recognized by the Europeans as far back as the 16th century the Inidans who are much fewer in numbers, have nevertheless managed to have their own successes at the beginning the English called upon the Chinese and the Indians to work in the mines or on the plantations in fact the Malay Sultans granted lands to the English for farming but they refused to have their subjects employed by foreigners this explains the country's surprising ethnic diversity not all convictions are sacrificed on the order of commerce the precept of their religions are respected by Malaysian Muslims even though, it is a moderate form of Islam here women were the Hijab which leaves the face uncovered makeup is allowed as long as it isn't too showy Malaysians have a taste for beauty as their craft work shows Batik is a special techniques for painting on cloth and produces very sophisticated shades of color its refined and an ancient art tropical woods are ideal materials for artistic creations and there is no lack of sources for inspiriation inspired by the features of the face sculptors as Orala Bin Sirin has one speciality the nose or rather noses my nose generation is different from western nose, different from Caribbean nose, different from Roman nose and different from Arabic nose the nose which I did here is to tell that generation belongs to everybody in the world the nose. A universal subject Life never stops in a town where traditions are ever present to the south of Kualalampur, Putra Ya Ya has become the adminstrative capital of the country governmental services have moved to a new town almost entirely made up of office buildings Putra Ya Ya is a rational town run completely by computer the highest government authorities have taken up residence there, like the prime minister in a splendid palace with its pink granite cupula the Putra mosque can hold 15000 worshippers quite clearly town planners had grand idea when they designed the capital of the future not far from Kualalampur one is also struck by the excessive size of the Batu Cave site at the entrance stands an immense statue of the God Murgan the war God of the Tamil Hindus the monumental staircase rises up the rock face the local residents are monkeys which are sacred animals for the hindus in the limestone rock, a number of caves have been dug to serve as temples together they make up the largest Hindu sanctuary outside of India this is where the great popular gathering for the Thaipusam festival is held in the southwest of the Malayan Peninsula lies Malacca the town made a very early appearance in the history of the country it attracted a great deal of interest at a time when Kualalampur was still nothing more than a swamp classed as UNESCO world heritage site the town has taken on the colors of the different cultures that have marked it beginning with western culture the first Europeans arrived in Malacca in the beginning of the 16th century they were the portugese the town marks one of the farthest point on Portuguese expansion in the Inidan ocean the Portuguese stayed here for more than a century the Dutch then took over in the service of the powerful Dutch East India company at the beginning of the 19th century the Dutch handed Malcca over to the English in an exchange of Indonesian territories the English left an indelible mark on the town Bitter negotiation between the two maritime superpowers finally ended in agreement Nazari Omad is the town's director of culture they trade spices from this Archipelago from the many Archipelago they trade black pepper, chili and the paprika,nutmeg,cinnamon and they also counter trade with China into the silk, gunpowder, vaseline, chinaware so the chinese sell to melacca and stop here the western people came here and meet here in Melacca to do all the trading the town opened up to the outside world thought the Melacca straights generations of travelers have called in here in younger street, globetrotters used to meet up here during the hippie years. the street is right at the heart of the chinese quarters. but the inscriptions are universal many artists and craftsman have premises here the days of hippie flower power are long gone and yet an unchanged relaxed atmosphere still pervades in the area artefacts are still made according to traditional methods like the Parang, The Malaysian machete this Parang is for working in the fields some traditions originated in China this is bound feet shoes so women from 3 years old have to start binding their feet so they bind their feet, as smaller the feet they are more good looking because women when they bind their feet they can easily married to the rich men the fashion for bound feet lasted in China for over a thousand years these days its forbidden but only since the beginning of the 20th century in the evening the night market brings a fair grade atmosphere to younger street its Karaoke time Malaysia was formerly the world leader in the natural rubber production still today, the south east Asia is the world's main producer synthetic rubber has failed to dethrone heavier sap thanks to its remarkable properties,it is a vital component of tier manufacturing palm oils pay heads to the countries economy malaysia is currently the world's second largest producer of palm oil at the southern tip of the peninsula Johr Bahru, formerly Johr under British rule is Malaysia's second city the city's economic activity is strongly stimulated by its close proximity to Singapore on the opposite side of the state of Johr to bridges link the island state to the continent in the center of Johr Bahru British colonial influence is still quite playing to see even in the heart of the Chinese Quarter it is a cultural noting part juxtaposing Church towers with mosque Minarets Johr is also the name of a state under the jurisdiction of a Sultan malaysia is in fact a federation made up of of 13 such states the city benefits greatly from the prosperity if Singapore one of the world's richest countries doors open for Singaporeans and their significant purchasing power the multitude of duty free shopping center entices them across the border commerce has been second nature here for centuries across shop counters any differences in race, language, religion, and nationality disappear as if by magic and at night a mirror sims to appear by the river side having followed the Andaman sea along the west coast we now leave the south of the peninsula and make our way to the north along the east coast first dock, the port of Mersing fishing on the east coast is influenced by the winter monsoon heavy rains affect the salt levels in the sea and the numbers of fish in it the east coast is washed by the south china sea rawa island is made of coral effect confirmed by the colour of the sand its also privately owned by the sultan of Zohr a hotel complex has been built here which seems to be at one with the island which provided its building materials the virtually unspoiled tropical natural environment is one of the island's great assets but isolation also has its downside Aziz Othman is responsible for this Georgeship of the island we have at the beginning of the 1972, we started the resource has been developed but then it was only a coconut boundation So we have been working very hard to develop the island we have no water here which we have to buy from Mersing water has to come from the mainland and electricity is provided by generators nature is everywhere is Malaysia It is easily approached as long as it is treated with respect the tropical climate on the monsoon guarantee that Malaysia gets a regular supply of fresh water essential for growing crops grown farming relies on machine that oxygenate the sea water water is also crucial to the livestock which wanders unpredictably along the roads there is no shortage of fresh water in Malaysia nevertheless, it is still purified, recycled and used sparingly still on the east coast is the town of Kuantan in a region heavily influenced by Islamic values there are many mosques in this city of half a million people despite the heat, it would be unthinkable for these women to wear a bathing costume on beach here arms and legs must always be covered up here Islamic Law is enforced everywhere alcohol is nowhere to be found, including in the hotels all along the road are dozens of stores reliant on passing trade these are the best places to try local specialties you will not find anywhere else tropical fruits are laid out before the local housewives. Longans, Rambutans and mangoes On these stores and grills, they produces guaranteed to be fresh everything is prepared in front of the customer Keropok Lekor is a kind of sausage rolled up in a fish or shrimp dough for Lemang, bamboo stems are used to cook sticky rice mixed with coconut milk oil and gas have been among the country's resources since the 1970s the principal reserves are offshore notably here on the east coast at first site, fossil fuel production does not seem to have had a detrimental effect on the lives of the locals the people in Terengganu have benefited greatly from this manner from ground the sumptuous crystal mosque was build glad entirely in glass The building is the embodiment of the role played by religion here as the faithful belief that Islam is the light of the world the light reveals the glass work as craftmanship he plays with fire to capture the glass's movement and fridge it in time natural fibres are regularly used in local crafts some crafts are particularly complex Wan Mohu Hafiz, owns a Batik workshop they will work the wax until it will melt. and it will become a liquid. So there is pen, that are specifically used for chanting and got chanting, they will dig the pen in the wax and they will draw on the batik on a cloth batik motives are inspired by vegetation the colours are far more resilient than those on normal textiles In fact,the cloth is completely immersed in the die. tropical vegetation dominates the Malaysian landscape paddy fields abound, but the country does not produce enough rice to be self sufficient to reduce the need for importing rice the yield to be increase through mechanization but the problem is exacerbated by population growth in the far north east of the penninsula, Kota Bharu is close to the border with Thailand in this predominantly Muslim region, the roles of men and women are clearly identified in the town's main market the women have pride of place among the fruits and vegetables most of the stalls are run by women this is a very different setup to what one would finnd in Arab markets, exclusively run by men men are among the client tail notably seeking to buy turtle eggs malaysia shares a 500 k.m long border with Thailand a border obviously convenient for cultural exchange this Buddhist temple offers Thai language courses cultural diversity is a mainstay in Malaysian society this temple's architecture is Thai but the Buddha worshiped here belongs to everyone Buddha can adapt a variety of different postures he can be depicted standing or often sitting in the lotus position he might even be lying down dance is Thailand's ambassador in Malaysia surprisingly although the architecture of this temple is Chinese, the minaret indicates that this is in fact a mosque this is the Piking mosque enter inside, and enter into the Muslim world here is Malaysia, religious tolerance is not just hollow words these characters fashioned out of leather are marionettes from the famous shadow puppet theatre whose traditional origins are very ancient Wu Dai Mang: it developed the puppet by the combination of puppet from the Siamese shadow play or Thailand shadow play with puppet from Java, the combination of these two categories of puppet become our puppets. the country is divided into two, by a mountain range which must be crossed to get from the eastern to the western side of the Peninsula close to Thailand it is not unusual to run into an elephant or two This is the vast area of rainforest where you will find living fossils tree ferns Lake Temenggor is an artificial lake where tree tops still emerged from the surface of the water along the road a wedding celebration Young Muslim newly weds follow a specific set of rituals in the villages custom dictates that everyone be invited to the ceremony tea is served with the meal the newly weds wear traditional costumes such as the groom's headdress the Tanjak among the many wedding presents are eggs, symbolizing fertility in the middle of the Andaman sea, the Lankawi archipelago consists of over a hundred islands and has a unique geological heritage it is one of UNESCO's Geoparks the Kilim river with its impenetrable Mangrove swamp is part of a rich ecosystem dominated by dozens of sea eagles In fact, Langkawi means Red Brown eagle herom Musa: the species of eagle we can find in mangrove normally they are Brahminy Kite and white bellied sea eagle the Brahminy kite is the symbolic of the Langkawi Island of the Langkawi name about 16 to 20 different species of eagle the rivers next through lime stone rock formation at the edge of the mangrove forest the trees create a barrier that is impenetrable to all but crab eating Macaque searching for its favorite meal from out of nowhere suddenly appears a langur, a black monkey with white ringed eyes the folds in the rock tell the geological story of a site over 500 million years old the main challenge for a Geopark is to make nature accesible to the public while still protecting it from the high ground you can see into Thailand the natural make up of the rock explains the formations, the effects of erosion the concentration and distribution of the vegetation now we head south on the Andaman sea towards Penang the bridge 13 kilometers long links the island to the mainland the islands commercial tradition takes back to the 15th century when the chinese were already trading through the port Penang's growth has been strong a fact attested to by the city's profile the economy is driven by the electronic's industry and is associated by tea spin offs there is a huge discrepancy between the modern skylight and ancient house's built on stills it was 19th century Chinese migrants who built the Chew jetty wooden houses they worked at the port and needed to live close by and little by little their families join them hello the fort built by the British at the end of the 18th century was designed to protect the flourishing city and its trade in paper and spices The Chinese formed the majority in Penang which is also the country's most densely populated state Kek Lok Si is Malaysia's largest Buddhist's temple complex comprising several temples such as the snake temple shortly after it was built snakes made it their home instead of chasing them away, the monks fed them the reptiles seem harmless but you can't be too careful as the Wagler's rattlesnakes can inflict a very painful bite a primary vocation of the Han Siang temple is instructing the faithful in the principles of Buddhist's education George Town is the state capital The city was founded by the east India trading company the historic town center has been designated as UNESCO's world heritage site the Chinese community celebrates the nine emperor Gods the celebration lasts 9 days 40% of Malysian territory is on the peninsula the rest is on the great island of Borneo The Malay part of Borneo consists of Sarawak and Sabah state Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah 1600 kilimeters from the Kualalampur its rare to find relics of colony of Britain they were destroyed by allied bomberment during the second world war Malaysia was occupied by the Japanese since then the city is developed by spreading out the city mosque is situated on an artificial lake proximity to water is a characteristic of the traditional habitat steels allow air to circulate beneath the house and also limit the damage caused by flooding this is a perfect way to adapt to the climate ventilation is essential because of the extreme heat and humidity Sabah is known as the land beneath the wind because it is in the path of pacific ocean cyclones Tunku Abdul Rahman national park offers a wonderful opportunity to relax this marine park consists of 5 highly protected islands they were originally part of Borneo before the rising waters at the end of the ice age separated them from the main island further away from the coast the hills are more pronounced and vegetation flourishes there are more plant species here than in Europe and North America combined the region is dominated by Mount Kinabalu, the country's highest peek In Naablu's bustling market the tobacco merchant shares bays and customers with the dried fish salad small traders try to attract attention with free samples the high altitude has a considerable effect on the temperature in the hills of Sabah because of the terrains farmers have to contain themselves with small holdings the hillsides have to be deforested and then the bad breaking task of creating farm-able parcels of land can begin this conditions mean that the soil is mainly used to grow food crops like cabbage some crops need constant watering others can make do with rain from any passing clouds the equator bisects the island of Borneo not far from here the heat and humidity are favorable factors in Kinabalu park's natural fecundity the park has remarkable biodiversity one half of all flowering plant families grow here and the parks also has several hot water springs but Kinabalu is not a botanical garden virtually all the park is covered by wild flora and fauna among is most spectacular specimen is the world's biggest flower, the Rafflesia in the tropical forest most of the plants seek sunlight in the undergrowth are species different from those above that enjoy the sun a system of walkways enables visitors to explore the forest canopy several plant species are endemic here they grow in a part which spans 6 different plant zones along the Klia's river the forest is exceptionally rich along its banks you may spot the remarkable proboscis monkeys these big nosed moneys is only to be found on Borneo but the island has many species proboscis monkeys sometime we are lucky we can see the long tail macaque and sometime silver lip monkey we can see around here but usually the proboscis monkey we can see here Borneo has a remarkable biodiversity in the last 20 years 600 previously unknown species have been discovered here just a single tree can harbor a thousand varieties of insect the island is teeming with remarkable life forms in the cultural village of Mari Mari behind the giant bamboo we can meet the formally fearsome head hunters now quietly friendly to outsiders the Murut around 30 ethnic group live on Sabah the Murut are one of these and share their way of lives with visitors for example, demonstrating how to make rice wine using traditional methods they make Roti Jala a delicate coconut milk pancake the wood is rubbed vigorously until it catches fire this technique is a lot older than just striking a match The Murut live in harmony with their environment and make the best of all of its resources this is a demonstration of making the vest, a tree bark vest is made up of the timberland tree bark, right? how do they do this, fist of all just go to the jungle get thee tree and to get though, just peel off the tree bark and next after all sucking water for few days and next up they will take it out from the water and will start founding it This traditional house rests on sticks flexible yet strong bamboo is the main building material in a dwelling where everything has been thought of basically it has two bedrooms for the parents, and for the single girls this is the ladder for the single girls go up and the special thing about this one is when the single girls go to sleep the parents will take this away order and discipline go hand in hand with comfort the boys they will normally sleep here to protect the house this part of the house this house is very very clever they have air conditioning as well right? when they feel hot they will just sleep up the roof and get strong with the support in exercise and leisure are provided by a Lansara, a kind of trampoline which enables the players to jump to reach a target hung from the ceiling at the cross roads of ancient culture and maritime trading roots Malaysia is one of Asia's genuine reserves the cultural reserve and heritage reserve a reserve for nature
Between the Andaman sea and the Strait of Malacca, the Malaysian peninsula has seen spectacular growth in under a quarter of a century. Primary forests, mountains, idyllic islands, a fine sandy coastline and exceptional wildlife: Malaysia is one of the world’s richest regions in terms of biodiversity. But the population, too, is an equally colourful kaleidoscope. Malay, Chinese, Indian and Tamil populations, along with other ethnic minorities, line the amazing itinerary covered by Pierre Brouwers, from futuristic sky-scrapers to impenetrable jungle.