November 2025

This November, Penang Monthly explores language, place and memory. As GTLF returns, we highlight Penang’s multilingual streets and the dialects that keep local history alive.

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A publication of Penang Institute, Penang Monthly is the voice of Penang - an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian, featuring stories about the people, ideas, and issues shaping the state's well-being. Sign up for a free account to enjoy unlimited access to all our articles.

An Ambitious Overview of Penang’s Art Scene

4 min read

THE ARTS SCENE in Penang is an ecosystem of many layers; it is a network of art makers, suppliers, platforms, non-profit and non-governmental art organisations...

by Rachel Yeoh

Imagining and Injecting Malaysiana Into Fantasy Fiction

5 min read

PART OF THE reason many of us desire to visit western countries is because they have been represented to us as magical, wonderful places in literature. The way...

by Anna Tan

Smells like Post-Pandemic Excitement

…

by Azmi Hussin

Events in November

3 min read

FESTIVALSSee teams from all over the world out in full force to be champions at the Penang International Dragon Boat Festival! From cultural performances to pow...

by Penang Monthly

Nature Offers Solutions to Man’s Excesses

4 min read

Nature-based solutions are defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, simultaneously providing human wellbeing and biodiversity benefits. In a nutshell, the power of nature itself is harnessed to protect nature.

by Dr. Chee Su Yin & Rhowan Ho

Animals as Symbols and Suppliers of Good Fortune

3 min read

CERTAIN TYPES of animals enhance one’s personal luck, says Penang-based feng shui Master Lee Cheng Hoe.[1] The turtle, for example, is very auspicious. “It is t...

by Enzo Sim

Biodiversity is All Around Us

2 min read

THANK YOU VERY much for publishing such a wonderful magazine about Penang for Penang. The recent massive flood in Malaysia raised further awareness that climate...

by Penang Monthly

Learning the Intricacies of Chinese Tea Ceremonies

3 min read

STRETCHING AS FAR back as the Tang dynasty in China, tea-drinking is both a pleasurable and communal custom. In Chinese weddings especially, tea-drinking assume...

by Sherra Yeong

A Crash Course in Hosting Your Own Podcast

6 min read

I’D LIKE TO begin this article by saying I’m no expert on podcasts. I trained as a journalist and decided over the last three years to venture into podcasting –...

by Yeoh Siew Hoon

Remembering Penang’s Municipal Band

6 min read

DID YOU KNOW that in the late 1800s, Penang had its very own municipal band? The exact year of its formation remains unclear; newspaper clippings from January 8...

by Kelvyn Yeang & Paul Augustin

Indian Music and Arts in Malaysia Have Many Roots

4 min read

Indian music in Malaya before the 20th century was mainly of the Indian Classical and Carnatic modes, and these were performed in temples for religious celebrations and festivities by classical musicians brought in from India.

by Duraagashini Kathigesu & Paul Augustin

Pottery in Penang Gains Popularity Again

4 min read

Potters know that to get a fire started, much depends on the size of the wood used. Small woods get a fire going easily, but it is the larger ones that sustain it for longer and that maintain the overall temperature of the kiln.

by Lim Sok Swan

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