Bringing Books to the Public
8 min read
It was 1806 and C. Smith Esquire had a problem in Penang. Someone had borrowed the second part of the second volume of his Encyclopædia Britannica’s...
A Water Supply System to Boast About
6 min read
When we talk about heritage in Penang, we tend to focus on George Town’s historic monuments. As it happens, the city’s heritage is in its plumbing t...
A History of an Icon
6 min read
It stands at the end of Jalan Pangkor. The impressive and imposing building crafted in Victorian fashion has been the site for gatherings and activities organis...
Penang: The Rebel State (Part One)
8 min read
The formation of the Penang Secession Committee in December 1948 is seldom mentioned in history books. Nonetheless, it was this committee that fielded the prima...
The Tongkang – Symbol of the Entrepot Age
7 min read
It was the 1920s. Penang Harbour, stretching from Swettenham Pier to Pengkalan Weld, bustled endlessly. Bullock carts and handcarts transported goods of all kin...
Penang: The Rebel State (Part Two)
5 min read
The initial impetus for secession was provided by the Penang Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of D.A. Mackay. In November 1948 the Penang Chinese Chambe...
A Short History of Penang’s Malay Publishing Industry
9 min read
In a dusty shop on the second floor of Chowrasta Market, yellowing cardboard-bound books lie tied up with cord. Many of these are printed in Tamil and Jawi, and...
Chung Ling: Tolling to Inspire the Young
9 min read
Chung Ling logo.When on the topic of secondary level education in Penang, one school’s name crops up without fail: Chung Ling High School. Hailed as...
Account of an Early Transit in Penang
10 min read
The following text is from a report written and submitted in 1796 by Captain Walter Caulfield Lennon. It is about his impressions of “Pulo Penang&...
The Dawn of Higher Education in Malaysia
10 min read
According to Alexander Carr-Saunders, the architect of colonial universities, there was “little sympathy with local aspirations for university education&r...
More Than an Air Force Station
7 min read
It was Australia’s biggest single engagement with Asia.At one point in the 1970s there were thousands of Australians in Penang, but few here now know wh...
The Botanic Gardens: A Tale of Gloom and Bloom
8 min read
The Penang Botanic Gardens is a much-loved oasis of greenery. It sits not far from George Town’s centre, and attracts plant-lovers, hikers, joggers and st...