The FORT, The ASSIMILATION & The SNAKE

Day 2 (27 March 2009). Penang, The BEST.

Fort Cornwallis by the sea, our first stop on our day 2 Penang Heritage Trail. We are really serious when we said we wanted to see whole of Penang (well not whole lar as Penang is relatively HUGE) as a local tourist.

THUS, everyday itinerary was well planned (perasan = self-congratulatory) by mui - kid you not (we meant business ;P ).

Fort Cornwallis is an old star-shaped fort and is named after the late 18th century Governor-General of Bengal, India, Charles Cornwallis. It is also the largest standing fort in Malaysia (gosh! I just found out about this myself). Captain Sir Francis Light took possession of the island from the Sultan (King) of Kedah in 1786 and built the original fort.

A little bit of a backgrounder - Captain Francis Light was the founder of the British colony of Penang and its capital George Town in 1786.

Well, we spent half a day here and went for lunch after the tour in the fort. We then proceed to the townhall to take pics of the colonial architecture, it is located next to the fort as well as by the sea.

Nicknamed Ang Mo Kong Kuan by the Straits Chinese (European Club), was once a premier location for George Town’s social events, balls, public speeches, art exhibitions and amateur concerts for the town’s European community.

OK! This is the thing that makes the Negeri Selat (Straits Settlements - Penang, Malacca & Singapore) so unique, it is the Paranakan Heritage/Culture which exist in Malaysia only (I think, hehhehee.... I hope, to be fair - perhaps exist in Indonesia as well [Singapore use to be part of Malaysia back then]).

Peranakan and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region during the Colonial era. According to a legend in 1459 CE, the Emperor of China sent a princess, Hang Li Po, to the Sultan of Malacca as a token of appreciation for his tribute. The nobles (500 sons of ministers) and servants who accompanied the princess initially settled in Bukit Cina and eventually grew into a class of Straits-born Chinese known as the Peranakans.

Easily & loosely define : It is when the Chinese emigrated from China to the British Straits Settlement of Melaka, Singapore, Penang. They married the local females and their distinct background, cultures and customs blended together harmoniously and became baba nyonya in “Peranakan” culture. They assimilated not only the culture but also the daily practices, language, food and tradition of the Malays. You have to remember, when 2 cultures meet, the heritage is fantastic!

What better to do then visit one of the Peranakan antique mansion own by one of the renown Kapitan Chung Keng Quee right? One of the riches so far that I have ever seen, be it antique collections, house size, furniture, carvings (this are magnificent!); everything spells out exquisite!

Basically it was lavishly furbished with elegant ceramic floor tiles from England, beautiful iron casted art work from Scotland for the balconies and railings and elegant carved-wood panels and screen for the doors and walls from China. Tourist MUST MUST pay this place a visit, as a local - even I am in AWE!

The Snake Temple (simplified Chinese: 蛇庙) or less popularly known as The Temple of the "Azure Cloud". Interesting huh! Perhaps the only temple of its kind in the world. The temple was built in circa 1850 in memory of a Buddhist monk, and apparently legend has it that the Buddhist monk, who was also a healer, gave shelter to the snakes of nearby jungle and when the temple was completed, the snakes mysteriously appeared and moved in. Hence, this temple is dedicated to him.

That completes our Day 2 Penang Heritage Trail, we headed to Andrea's apartment as she will join us in tomorrow's outing together with Rad where we will take you to visit the colourful kongsi (clan halls).

And you will know how I injured & tore my ligament that left me limping for months later. Hehehehhee.... naughty naughty me!

Hyperlink & Pic Credits : Wikipedia, iGeorgetown Penang, Tourism Penang, Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Visit Penang, Malaysia Vacation Guide