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 Sepetang
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…
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…
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…
A Glimpse Into Penang's Hakka Community
5 min read
THE HAKKAS (客家), also known in Hok-kien as the Khek-lang, are one branch of the Han Chinese people.…
Dzulkifli Abdul Razak On Big Pharma, Compromised Politics And Failing Academia
9 min read
DZULKIFLI ABDUL RAZAK is the fifth recipient of the Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Society Award for Leadership in Public Health.…
George Town’s Award-winning Seawall: Engineering continuity on the North Seafront
5 min read
WHAT DOES AN award-winning heritage project look like in a city confronting climate change? In George Town, the answer…
Managing the Times: Businesses Evolved to Thrive
6 min read
Penang’s heritage businesses survive not by resisting change, but by evolving without losing their identity. Across generations, trust, craftsmanship and adaptability remain the foundations of their enduring relevance.
