George Town World Heritage Site: The story of the Chinese in nineteenth-century Penang

By Mark Thompson and Karl Steinberg with photographs by Adrian Cheah

George Town World Heritage Site: The story of the Chinese in nineteenth-century Penang

Walk between two of George Town’s most famous landmarks with this illustrated guide. Discover the story of the Chinese in nineteenth-century Penang and explore some of the community’s fascinating characters, customs, architecture and events.

For as long as it has existed, George Town in Penang has attracted travellers and settlers from across the globe and is a true confluence of cultures. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site continues to enchant visitors with its traditional charm and its well-preserved historical townscape.

The following guide and optional walking tour will introduce you to the story of the Chinese in nineteenth-century Penang. There are many important histories in this world heritage site and those of the Malays, Indians, Acehs, Eurasians and British are every bit as interesting. However, since the architecture and traditions of the Chinese are so highly visible in George Town, understanding how they came to exist here, and how they impacted the history of the settlement so fundamentally, is a useful first step in appreciating Penang’s unique culture.

By journeying between two of George Town’s most iconic landmarks, the Kuan Yin Temple and the Blue Mansion, and exploring some of the buildings in the streets along the way, the narrative will trace the story of the Chinese on this small island, from the time of the first settlers until Penang’s heyday in the early twentieth century.

It is a story of collaboration and hard work, which quickly gave way to disappointment, jealousy and enmity, vice, crime, gang conflicts, irrevocable tension, riots and even outright war, before resolving in a golden age of prosperity. It tells of achievements and triumphs, the making of fortunes beyond imagination, incredible displays of wealth, and the flowering of a fascinating culture whose legacy lives on today. Above all, however, it is the story of a community that created history as rich and varied as the streets of George Town itself, transforming this island forever.

The book can be enjoyed from the comfort of your chair as a brief introduction to the Chinese in Penang, or as an active walking tour. Each chapter corresponds to a number on the map in the inside back cover, whose easy-to-follow route takes you through five connected streets, and every stop chronicles another stage of the story by relating it to what you can see around you. The grey boxouts between some chapters give you extra information about the main buildings along the way.

George Town World Heritage Site: The story of the Chinese in nineteenth-century Penang

The tour begins in the granite forecourt at the front of the Kuan Yin Temple, looking down China Street.

Contents

  1.  Kuan Yin Temple 
  2. Temple Stalls
  3. Early Penang Shophouses 
  4. Seven Terraces 
  5. Clan Houses 
  6. Upper Stewart Lane 
  7. Love Lane 
  8. Carpenters’ Guild 
  9. Muntri Street 
  10. Saint Xavier’s Institution 
  11. Early Straits Eclectic Terrace 
  12. Muntri Mews 
  13. Hainanese Temple 
  14. Leith Street 

Afterword 
Map of George Town

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George Town World Heritage Site: The story of the Chinese in nineteenth-century Penang
By Mark Thompson and Karl Steinberg with photographs by Adrian Cheah
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah
Published by Neo Sentuhan Sdn Bhd, 2015
ISBN 978-967-11100-4-1
Softcover, 17.2 cm x 17.2 cm, 162 pages 
Language: English

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Available at https://arecabooks.com/

Mark Thompson, Karl Steinberg, Adrian Cheah (Photo, R-L) Mark Thompson, Karl Steinberg, Adrian Cheah 

Mark Thompson worked as an artist manager for orchestral conductors including Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Andrew Davis. In 2008 he swapped the London music scene for a more peaceful existence in Galle, Sri Lanka. After co-authoring a book on the history of Galle Fort, he continued his inadvertent tour of UNESCO world heritage sites and moved to Penang in 2011, where he works as an English teacher, examiner and freelance writer.

Karl Steinberg is an award-winning film and television producer and director who moved to Sri Lanka in 2004 to conserve the Galle Fort Hotel with Christopher Ong. The project won the 2007 UNESCO Award of Distinction for Heritage Conservation Excellence. He and Ong have worked together on a number of heritage hotels in Penang – most recently the award-winning Seven Terraces Hotel and Muntri Grove.

Adrian Cheah loves to capture the timeless images of Penang with the trusted eye of his camera. Hundreds of his photographs have appeared in coffee table books, scientific journals, ad campaigns, book covers, websites, brochures, newspapers and magazines including Time Out Penang. He thrives on an uncanny knack for snapping the perfect moment and on his penchant for picturing the people of Penang, as they evolve, change and grow. Watch out for him as he crisscrosses the town on his motorcycle for his next great shot.