Lim Wan Phing - Penang Monthly

Bringing Home Our Heritage Chris Ong’s Quest To Revive Penang’s Peranakan Chinese Material Culture

5 min read

Step inside hotelier Chris Ong’s world, where a lifelong passion for Peranakan antiques has become a mission to preserve Penang’s heritage. From rare collections in his hotels to documenting forgotten rituals, he is keeping both culture and memory alive for future generations.

by Lim Wan Phing

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…

by Lim Wan Phing

Phoenix Press Rising: Publishing as a Creative Industry

4 min read

From printing bus tickets in post-war Malaya to operating advanced presses today, The Phoenix Press embodies Penang’s culture of adaptation and endurance. Its story is one of quiet innovation, where tradition and technology continue to coexist across generations.

by Lim Wan Phing

Potehi Evolves in Southeast Asia: In Penang, it’s Fate is in Good Hands

5 min read

In Penang, Potehi thrived in the late 1940s and well into the 60s and 70s. Unfortunately, Potehi lost its popularity to television and film by the 80s. Today, there are only four troupes left, with a majority of the members aged 60 and above.

by Lim Wan Phing

Keeping the Art of Death Offerings Alive

5 min read

When people die, they take nothing with them to the afterlife. Or do they? In the Chinese Taoist and Buddhist beliefs, the deceased do.

by Lim Wan Phing

Lubna Jumabhoy: A Global Citizen of Penang

5 min read

Born in Bombay and growing up in Karachi before moving to Malaysia (then Malaya), Lubna Jumabhoy is a teacher of the Japanese floral art ikebana, and is France’s representative in Penang.

by Lim Wan Phing

Art As An Inclusive Force

5 min read

Penang artist Sumay Cheah blends aesthetics with community impact. With 24 installations since 2017, her immersive works have won awards like the Singapore Good Design and Taiwan’s Golden Pin Design Award.

by Lim Wan Phing

Stamp Collecting: The King of Hobbies

5 min read

THE SAYING GOES that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”—that’s how it began for Ng…

by Lim Wan Phing

Penang Institute Localises the George Town Literary Festival

7 min read

ALREADY FAMOUS FOR its street food and street art, Penang is determined to capture the word on the street too.…

by Lim Wan Phing

Khoo Kongsi: 118 Proud Years of History

5 min read

FROM SIN KANG VILLAGE in Fujian, China, men sailed south for greener pastures. Steer left, and you would arrive in…

by Lim Wan Phing

We Are What We Throw Away

5 min read

HOW MANY OF us like to look through rubbish? Ipoh born artist Chin Pik Wun is one who would raise…

by Lim Wan Phing

A Maestro Comes Home

4 min read

When Soprano Loh Siew Tuan first began singing in a Methodist church choir as a child, little did she imagine that it would someday lead her to perform at London’s Wigmore Hall.

by Lim Wan Phing