About Penang

Bangkok Lane - Photo copyright John Ma 2012

I fell in love with Penang from the time I was a kid. Mum used to ship my brothers and I off to the island for our annual school holidays. We travelled by the KTM train from the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and it took us 6-hours to arrive at Butterworth. Our uncle Boonie would pick us up and we'd hop onto the ferry across to the island. And for the next 3 weeks, we'd hang out with our cousins on Bangkok Lane.


Penang is a delight. Its old world charm rises from a rich melting pot of cultures. I read in a blog that it was in 1786 that Captain Francis Light struck a deal with the Sultan of Kedah, making Penang the British Empire's outpost between India and China. It fast became the 'Pearl of the Orient' but faded in its glory by the mid 20th century. Over the years, Penang has been trying to edge an identity for itself. In the 1970s, the free port status made it one of the major industrial hubs in the region. Today, Penang has reinvented itself especially after receiving the prestigious Unesco Heritage City status. Come see for yourself the amazing living heritage of Penang.

Some official sites to help you get here:
Penang Global Tourism: http://penangglobaltourism.com/ 
Visit Penang government tourism website: http://www.visitpenang.gov.my/
Journey Malaysia: http://www.journeymalaysia.com
Malaysia Airlines: http://www.malaysiaairlines.com
Air Asia: http://www.airasia.com

Some interesting links in relation to Cheah Leong Keah in Penang (we're collecting data on Cheah Leong Keah. if you know any other information or websites that could help us in our research, please email it to us at jasminelow [at] gmail [dot] com:

Shih Chung Branch School - http://ssquah.blogspot.com/2008/05/shih-chung-branch-school-penang.html
A New Creative Economy (2008) - http://www.igeorgetownpenang.com/features/2-a-new-creative-economy