The Malay version of Chinese New Year song Dong Dong Qiang to usher in the Year of the Tiger has received thumbs-up from the public as it reflects the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia.

Viewership of the music video uploaded on YouTube since January 7 continues to rise.

Netizens have posted positive comments about the music video which highlights the cultural diversity of Malaysia.

Produced by Rusa Studio, the lyrics of Dong Dong Qiang was written by the MV director cum composer Wang Xi Min’s Malay colleague.

The six Malay singers – Ayie Floor, Harry Khalifah, Sarah Suhairi, Liza Aziz, Beby Acha and Aidilia Hilda spent time practicing the pronunciation of Chinese words such as Gong Xi.

“It’s a Malay song with Chinese elements – Dong Dong Qiang and Gong Xi Gong Xi, a combination of Chinese and Malay styles,” said Wang.

“There are Chinese New Year songs with Malay lyrics but we do not want to convert the original Chinese New Year song with Malay lyrics,” he said.

Wang said his boss wanted a unique Malay version of Chinese New Year song, and that was how Dong Dong Qiang came about.

The latest TikTok hand signals have also been incorported into the video, making the song’s presentation full of fun and trendy.

“We hired a professional for hand signals often used in TikTok to go with the presentation,” he explained.

One of the singers, Beby Acha, said she had fun participating in the music video’s production the and she finally got to wear the traditional Chinese costume cheongsam.

“I was thrilled that I had the opportunity to wear a cheongsam. I have always wanted to wear one but did not know where I could go wearing it,” she said.

Beby, who is Chinese illiterate, said she had problem pronouncing “Gong Xi Gong Xi” and finally managed to do so after some practice.

Pan Jun Xiang, the producer of Dong Dong Qiang, said this is the first time having Malays to sing a Chinese New Year song.

“We show the audience that Malays are more than happy to integrate with the Chinese culture and there is no racial discrimination here,” he said.

The music presentation also included footages of delivering mandarin oranges, writing Chinese couplets and lion dance performance.