[Travel] Penang, Walking the Heritage Core Zone at George Town

Here’s a a little information about George Town heritage site.

Previously, Penang was a fishing village, but it became one of the port in Straights Settlements under the British East India Company, aside from Malacca and Singapore from 1786. It becomes an international port for traders whom came from China, India, other South Asia countries etc. The various ethnicities and relation shaped the town into an unique blend of culture and street food that earn its UNESCO Wold Heritage Site badge in 2008 . The cultural heritage included Peranakan and eclectic colonial (British 18th century) architecture.

Now that we covered the outdoor art scene in George Town, we go on to explore the core zone heritage site from Armenian Street and Chew Jetty.

The building was repurpose to become Gundang Cafe.

We found the Love Me Like Your Fortune Cat by Artists for Stray Animals (ASA) from 101 Lost Kittens at 28, Gat Lebuh Armenian. Can check out the rest of the mural series here.

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Kedai Biskut & Kek Ming Xiang Tai, a traditional handmade pastries and biscuits, packaged and ready to go (for tourist). They also have traditional eggs cooked in Chinese herbs and herbal soup. Good for the body they said.

I Want Bao! by Mr WK Setor mural is also just next door.

We opt for walking but you can rent a bike to explore the heritage site leisurely. Since we just walk aimlessly, the photos will be out of order. Check out the list of murals around the core heritage site here.

Chew Jetty (姓周桥)

Chew Jetty in one of the clan who make home in the large waterfront settlement in George Town. The settlement comprise of what the people who migrated from China called clan jetties with different surnames including Chew Jetty or clan Chew. According to the information there, they came from Xinglinshe village, TongAn district, Quanzhou prefecture, Fujian Province, China, since mid 19th century.

Don’t forget to check on Ah Mah & Ah Soon by Simon Tan at Chew Jetty!

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Modernize entry way and window where we can see the worship altar for ancestor and their chosen deities.

Chinese signage. Unfortunately I don’t know what it is. Please let me know if someone can tell me what it is.

We didn’t explore much because it’s way too hot and the sun is right on top of our head.

We went to have lunch in China House (will be in separate post on food and drink), then continue walking around the core heritage site.

We stop by the cute little shop near the restaurant. They re-purpose the building without changing the architecture (or the paint job… much), but instead taking advantaged of the long shape and the remnants of the architecture as accents.

Typical Peranakan house here, they have an open ceiling to let the air and light in.

An entrance to houses inside. It reminds me of the Shikumen type townhouses like when I was in Shanghai.

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By afternoon, the weather cooler somewhat but still sweltering hot.

Mesjid Melayu Aceh (Malay Acheh mosque) at Lebuh Acheh, the Malay Kampung village.

Mesjid Melayu Aceh (Lebuh Acheh mosque) was built in 1818 by a wealthy Arab merchant, Syed Sheriff Tengku Syed Hussain Aidid from Acheh (or Aceh, Indonesia). As typically many of the mosque in SEA, they have the main minaret to broadcast a call for prayer, but this design followed up Egyptian-style minaret, while other mosque have a more Arab-style.

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Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple (福德正神庙)

We passed this beautiful temple, and although it’s holiday, the temple is open. Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple is a Taoism temple and built by Chinese immigrant around 1845. The roof has amazing deities figurines and ornaments made of colorful ceramics and stucco.

Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng or Kong Hock Keong) at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling.

The Taoist temple was build in 1728 and previously worship Mazu, a sea goddess, but later dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin (Kuan Yin, 观音) as a place of worship and to bridge Cantonese and Hokkien communities. This temple has amazing roof ornaments.

What I love about George Town is the many stripes the buildings bear their timeless shape and marks of time on their rust and strip paints. The many windows and doors shape, old, older, and renew… the rustic wall and flooring. It gives character and if I have time, I want to walk around some more.