2013 Chinese New Year Decoration in Pavilion KL

By ST.Fan -
Our memory is still fresh with the photo session of Majestic Dragon of the Pavilion Mall.  But time flies and that a year has past.  Soon we will be in the Lunar Year of the Snake and bid farewell to the Dragon Year.

2013 Snake Year decoration at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Shopping Mall
The 2013 snake year celebration at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur has this cartoon-like Snake leading the 12 Chinese Zodiac Circle of Reunion at the Mall's Bukit Bintang entrance. -- Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Pancake lens, setting lens at f/5.6 1/200s and ISO 200.

We were on our way to the Pavilion Mall and expecting to see a big anaconda just like the Majestic Dragon at the Mall for the Year of the Snake.  When we arrived we were disappointed because the Pavilion Mall had a miserable green earthworm disguised as a snake at the entrance. Luckily the Green earth worm looked cute and funny and if not for its forked tongue it definitely is merely a big fat earthworm.

The 2013 Chinese New Year theme for Pavilion Kuala Lumpur is the Circles of Prosperous. The main decoration for the theme is the 2,000 red-and-gold Chinese lanterns hanging at the Bukit  Bintang entrance and at the Pavilion  Mall's center court. Visitors will not fail to miss The Bridge of Prosperity and the Longevity Kois at the center court area circling a huge golden Chinese coin.

2013 Chinese New Year Lantern Decoration at Pavilion Mall KL.
These are part of the 2000 red lanterns for the 2013 Chinese New Year decoration at the Bukit Bintang entrance of Pavilion Mall KL. — Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Pancake lens, setting lens at f/4.0 1/320s and ISO 200.

The theme circles around wealth,  prosperity and Longevity but seems shy at mentioning the Year of the Snake. Last year Pavilion was so proud and so excited with the year of the dragon but this year we simply don't feel the same atmosphere. The type of lanterns and the way the lanterns are decorated at the center court area somehow remind me more of the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival than a Chinese New Year celebration.

Modern culture seems to paint a bad image of snake.  However ancient Chinese culture believes snake is the ancestor of the dragon! Snakes are sometimes called xiao-long or little dragon by the Chinese because they are smaller in size in comparison to the dragon. Ancient Chinese mythology believes the goddess Nvwa the creator of mankind had a torso of a human and an abdomen of a snake.

The Bridge of Prosperity at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur 2013 Chinese New Year Decoration.
The Bridge of Prosperity flanked by Longevity Kois, Circle of Lantern Arches and giant Chinese coin at the center court at the Pavilion KL — Camera: Olympus Pen E-PL2, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm f/3.5-5.6 II standard zoom lens, setting lens at 14mm f/4.5 1/100s and ISO 1000.

If snake is bad in ancient Chinese culture it would never have made it to the Chinese Zodiac. According to Chinese belief there is no good or bad year based on the animals in the Zodiac but there are compatibility issues of Zodiac sign. Looking back, the 2012 dragon year didn't look too kind to us with international conflict, financial crisis and natural disasters all over the world just like any other year before it.

Overall the 2013 Chinese New Year decorations at Pavilion Mall are not too bad but it has no comparison with their 2012 Dragon Year set up. Something is lacking there; you just don't feel excited with what they have there after having seen some of their past Years decorations.

Pavilion Mall KL 2013 Chinese New Year decoration center court area.
A full view of the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur 2013 Chinese new Year decoration from the Jalan Chulan entrance — Camera: Olympus Pen E-PL2, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm f/3.5-5.6 II standard zoom lens, setting lens at 14mm f/5.6 1/125s and ISO 1000.

Anyway looking forward to the Chinese New Year of the snake we wish everyone
"Gong Xi Fa Cai and Happy New Year".


Comments

Mark Fisher said…
Thanks for a great blog.
I've had my EPL 1 for a year and it's good to be able to look at images with the kit lens and the 40 - 150mm zoom, which I am buying in the next couple of weeks.
The detail in which you discuss your pictures is a great help for others trying to take the same.
I couldn't find anything on your site about landscapes though.
Once again, great work. Keep it up'
1 April 2013 at 21:37
ST Fan said…
Hi Mark
Thanks for the comment
The E-PL1 is a cool camera, the first Pen camera that has no AA-filter on its image sensor. I am sure you will be happy with your new M.Zuiko 40-150mm zoom. Phyiscally the 40-150 zoom is not built like some of the more expensive M.Zuiko lenses but it delivers very good result optically.
You are right - we don't have much landscape on our blog. We will look into that. Thanks for pointing it out.
2 April 2013 at 15:45
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