Migrants And The Mobility Of Their Economic Culture
3 min read
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN culture and economics is a fascinating one. Staying alive is much easier to do as a group…
August 2026
The August Issue Is Out Now! This issue brings together stories of sporting passion, treasured collections, cultural preservation, and community initiatives, reflecting Penang’s vibrant spirit and evolving identity.
Eyeing Traditional Chinese Architecture And Heritage Building Conservation In George Town
5 min read
GEORGE TOWN IS a living testimony to multicultural heritage and influence. These are reflected in the unique architecture, culture and…
Future Proofing An Ancestral District Association
6 min read
FOR THE LONGEST time, I viewed Penang’s Chinese ancestral district associations, or huiguan, with a heavy dose of scepticism.…
Rethinking Industrial Heritage: Charcoal As Black Gold In Kuala Sepeteng
5 min read
BOATS NEGOTIATE MANGROVE-LINED waterways towards the Sepetang’s river-mouth, the smell of charcoal from domed kilns permeating the…
The Quiet Discipline Behind The Music: Meeting Pianist Vincent Ong
6 min read
“DEDICATION” IS OFTEN used generously, almost casually, in the world of classical music. For Vincent Ong, dedication seems self-evident…
Manifested Forms Of The Past And Future: A Review Of A Song Of Crossing To The Southern Seas
4 min read
WHAT I HAVE always found magical about Potehi, or glove puppetry, is the amount of life that a once-inanimate…
Traces Of The Pear Garden In Penang: The Forgotten Pat Woh Tong Common Grave
5 min read
SINCE THE 1990S, demand for Chinese street opera has declined sharply from its heyday as both popular entertainment and part…
Ta Kam Hong Much More Than Just A Guild For Goldsmiths
4 min read
ALL THAT GLITTERS is not gold, yet Penang has long drawn generations of goldsmiths, carpenters and craftsmen to its shores.…
Minute But Mighty: Getting To Know The Penang San Kiang Association
5 min read
THE RELATIVELY UNFAMILIAR Penang San Kiang Association deserves an introduction. San Kiang (三江, lit., “three rivers”) initially included communities with…
George Town’s Fate, Predicted In John Clang’s Dreaming Islands Project
6 min read
DID YOU KNOW that George Town became a city on 1 January 1957 at 8.30am? It made the front…
Dreaming In Broome: Of Pearls, Migration And Being "Malay"
6 min read
DURING MY VISIT to the Broome Historical Museum to learn about its pearling industry, my attention was drawn towards an…
Women Allowed: Yeoh Kongsi Takes A Leap
5 min read
MY AUNT’S URGENT tone broke the funeral gloom.
“Have you signed up to be a member of the Yeoh…
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