"Assembling the World's Largest Rice Dumpling - A Guinness World Record Attempt."

It was certainly no mean feat - getting so many people together for a Guinness World Record attempt to form the world's largest display of rice dumplings. Our aim was to try to break the existing record held by a Hong kong-based company for 10,102 rice dumplings.

We found willing partners in Jurong Junior College (JJC) students, whom together with their Physics Head, Mr Yong Kek Shoong, decided to help us in devising a plan to build the world's largest rice dumplings display. The Mili brand, which recently won Singapore's Promising Brand Award for Goh Joo Hin Pte Ltd, a leading food and beverage, healthcare products and IT and audio products company, sponsored a ready supply of canned mushrooms which went into goodie bags given out to the public when they purchased a $5 coupon to adopt a rice dumpling.

The Racial and Religious Unity Steering Commitee in Central Singapore District (TRUST Central) provided funding for the record attempt which we used to buy tens of thousands of 'khee' rice dumplings and to produce marketing collaterals. We even managed to get professional audit services sponsored by Smalley & Co, whose auditors kindly audited the number of rice dumplings.

JJC students with some Metta staff flooded the streets of Orchard during the weekend of 12-14 July to sell coupons. We also set up stall at the Central CDC's racial harmony event, 'Celebrating the Singapore Rojak' held at Orchard Park. The student volunteers did a roaring business selling adoption tickets and giving away goodie bags. The other students formed a core team and smaller sub-teams to sort the thousands of dumplings. Thanks to Orchard Parade Hotel, the students were given free accomodation and were able to embark on their Guinness World attempt in the early hours of Sunday morning. The auditors followed their whole-day efforts closing, and studiously counted each dumpling that was to form part of the structure.

"It was a most fulfilling and enriching time for my student and I as we discussed how to think of the best way to form the structure, and making sure it is secure and stable. We really enjoyed ourselves and felt happy that we could help to raise funds for Metta in this most meaningful way as well as help break a Guinness World Record," said Mr Yong of JJC.

"To us, this project has an added significance as the dumplings were wrapped with four different colours to represent the differrent races of Singapore," explained Mr Yong.

By 5 pm, a total of 13,192 rice dumplings were used to form the one-metre tall structure with sides 3.88m by 3.69m by 3.62m. The crowds broke into louds cheers as the Mayor of Central Signapore CDC, Heng Chee How, gamely placed the final four rice dumplings onto the structure.

The dumplings were later distributed to charity homes in the Central Singapore District and given out to Central CDC residents. The event was very well received by the public and local media - it was reported in many newspapers and television news.

- Adapted from Metta News, September 2003 No.19, MITA(P) No. 126/07/2003

View Report from Guinness World Records' Website