The Betul Nut Tale

Before Penang, the Pearl of the Orient, was known to the world as a beautiful, exotic holiday destination, she was Pulau Pinang – a virgin paradise that got her name from the abundance of betel nut palms scattered across her soft, sandy beaches.

Literally translated, Pulau Pinang means the “Isle of the Betel Nut” in Malay – Malaysia's national language. Steeped in history, “Penang” was born when charismatic English captain Francis Light persuaded the Sultan of Kedah to cede Pulau Pinang to the British East India Company.

In 1786, Light landed on what is known as the scenic Esplanade today. Local folklore tells of how he fired gold coins into the surrounding jungle to induce his men to clear the area. Fourteen years later, the Sultan of Kedah further ceded a strip of land on the mainland across the channel to a very persuasive Light.

The state of Penang then comprised of an island originally named Prince of Wales Island, after George V, and the strip on the mainland which was christened Province Wellesley, after the Governor of India. The former was later named George Town, after King George III.

In 1832, Penang formed part of the Straits Settlement with Malacca and Singapore. The Penang maritime port was among the busiest in the region, attracting rich merchants involved in the lucrative trade of tea, spices, porcelain and cloth.

Settlers and fortune-seekers from the all over called Penang home and it was from this interesting mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Siamese (to name a few) cultures that Penang became a melting pot for hybrid communities – the most famous being the Baba Nyonya, Jawi Peranakan and Eurasians.

For more than a century, the major trading post remained under British colonial rule until 1957, when Malaysia gained independence. George Town was accorded city status by Queen Elizabeth II on January 1, 1957, thereby becoming the first town in the Federation of Malay – after Singapore – to become a city.

Although she is Malaysia's electric and electronic manufacturing hub, Penang has successfully retained her old world charm. As recognition of her rich heritage, George Town, together with Malacca, was listed as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.

Water Babies... The Weld Quay Clan Jetties Waterfront Settlement

The houses used to have atap roofs but these have since been replaced with zinc sheets. The six clan jetties may be located at the backwaters of George Town but the 6ha area is home to a priceless piece of Penang’s history and a living heritage that serves as a reminder of one of South East Asia’s most important maritime ports.
The birth place of many community leaders and successful merchants, Weld Quay is a crime-free settlement – a claim several residents attest to.

Here, people consider their neighbours family and would bend over backwards to help each other – a rarity in this modern day and age.
The settlement’s oldest resident is 91-year-old great-grandfather Chew Boon Cheang. The friendly old chap doesn’t speak a word of English but will flash the warmest smile whenever he sees a tourist visiting the settlement.

His parents were pioneer immigrants who came to seek their fortune here more than a century ago. Lured by the promise of a better future for their poor families back home, Chinese immigrants from the different clans settled here and lived in groups according to their provinces. The five main clans at the jetties are Lim, Chew, Tan, Lee and Yeoh. There other immigrants stayed together at the Chap Seh Keo (Mixed Surname Jetty).

In the old days, traders from Myanmar (then Burma), Acheh and Medan in Indonesia, and Kerabi and Phuket in Thailand would come to Penang, providing opportunities for the Weld Quay settlers who were mainly boatmen, fishermen, odd-job labourers and porters, to earn a good living.
Today, the young ones, who no longer depend on the sea for a living, have moved out of the settlement while their elders continue to enjoy the wooden jetties’ laidback lifestyle.

During the Thee Kong Seh (Jade Emperor’s birthday), Phor Tor (Hungry Ghost Festival) and Kew Ong Yeah (Nine Emperor Gods) festivals, everyone comes home to dutifully embrace their religion, culture and life at the settlement. Indeed, these are the best opportunities for foreign tourists to observe some of the most interesting local ceremonies in Malaysia!

Note:
The Chew Jetty residents are particularly busy on the ninth day of Chinese New Year. That is when they celebrate the Jade Emperor’s birthday by making offerings on a 20m-long altar decorated with huge sugarcanes and colourful dragon and fish motive joss sticks. Roasted piglets, traditional cakes and fruits are offered to the deity as fireworks are lit at the stroke of midnight.

At the Lim Jetty, elaborate floats take to the streets during the Hungry Ghost Festival while stage performances are held for the wandering spirits and deities.

To mark the end of the annual Kew Ong Yeah (Nine Emperor Gods) Festival, devotees who follow a strict nine-day vegetarian diet are let by mediums to the edge of the sea to “send off” the deities. Lost in a deep trance, these mediums perform mind-boggling feats like bathing in hot oil, walking over hot coals and piercing their bodies with long, sharp objects.