GEORGE TOWN IS a living testimony to multicultural heritage and influence. These are reflected in the unique architecture, culture and townscape of its UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, one witnesses a wide range of building typologies for administration, commerce, religious or residential purposes. Early Chinese immigrants established clan houses, temples and associations to manage their communities, provide welfare and perform ancestral worship, built according to traditional architectural schools, primarily the Minnan (闽南) and Lingnan (岭南) styles.[1] Other buildings, however, integrated various influences and have come to be described as “Straits Eclectic”.
Gazetted heritage sites and buildings have to be conserved according to the Guidelines on Heritage Building Conservation and the Special Area Plan. The World Heritage Convention 1972 defines conservation as guardianship, providing for maintenance, preservation or protection from destruction or inappropriate change. Current Malaysian conservation guidelines are informed by the Venice Charter and Burra Charter, where safeguarding authenticity and cultural significance are key principles.
