SITIAWAN: For many years, rubber trader Yek Dong Ping has been sending mandarin oranges to SK Tamil Ayer Tawar and SK Sungai Ramai to celebrate Chinese New Year with non-Chinese teachers and pupils.

This year, the 79-year-old trader bought 80 boxes of mandarin oranges for teachers and pupils of these two schools.

Yek enjoys sending mandarin oranges to the schools, as the Indian and Malay pupils would greet him Gong Xi Fa Cai.

“I m happy to be greeted,” said a smiling Yek, who insists one must be happy during Chinese New Year, and he loves to share the festive joy with others.

The Indians and Malays in Ayer Tawar estates were his customers, as he used to collect rubber from them before his retirement.

Hence, he decided to send mandarin oranges to the schools while he was in business.

“I receive kuihs and snacks from the Malays and Indians during Hari Raya and Deepavali, too.

“We exchange food and gifts during festive seasons to share the festive joy,” he added.

To Yek, Malaysia is a beautiful place where people of different ethnic groups live together in harmony and where there are many festive seasons people can celebrate together.

Yek also supported the Tamil primary school located on a piece of agricultural land he bought 30 years ago by not collecting rent from the school.

He later sold the land to the school at a reduced price of RM300,000, and had donated another RM100,000 to the school.