ALOR STAR: A sprawling dragon statue made out of recycled materials greets visitors at the Cultural Heritage Village here.
Built by the San Sheng Welfare Organisation, the structure stand about 3.3m tall and is 30m in length.
San Sheng Welfare Organisation permanent adviser Pang Hu Kong said it took three months to build the structure by a team of dedicated volunteers.
"A significant portion of the time was dedicated to design, in addition to collecting recycled materials for use in this replica. Among the recycled materials used are billboards, bottle caps, and plastic baskets.
"The cost to build this replica was around RM5,000 only. This is because much of the physical work was carried out by volunteers from the organisation," he said when met.
The group's chairman, Ong Soon Boon said he anticipated more than 100,000 visitors to the cultural landmark.
"Every year, we welcome tens of thousands of visitors. This is among the key attractions in Alor Star from a tourism perspective.
"Besides this dragon replica, there are many other decorations that serve as permanent structures and can be used as memorable photography sets, including among newlyweds," he added.
The cultural heritage village will be open for the public for 15 days, from Feb 10 to 24.
The coming Chinese New Year will be the Year of the Dragon, which is one of 12 animals in the chinese zodiac.
The great serpent symbolises forthcoming prosperity, authority and insight.