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Penang Island
KNOWLEDGE OF Penang Island
"Lest we forget--lest we forget!" Rudyard Kipling in "Recessional".
Penang's history meaningfully began when a quick-witted Francis Light discovered the island, off Malaya's northern west coast, and deemed it a seamless fit in the British Empire's Eastern money puzzle. The East India Company (EIC) had been pulling in the Empire's 18th century bacon from Asia--particularly from India--with profitable and uncompassionate finesse, but something was still missing. When the island caught Francis Light's fancy and imagination in 1771, Pulau (Malay for island) Pinang (betel nut), as it was known, had a population of roughly 50 and the Sultanate of Kedah owned it. A deal was struck a decade later when the Sultan's heir, Abdullah, came to the throne. "Take the island and take away my enemies," were the Sultanate's terms, referring to the northerly Siamese and Burmese, plus $30,000 a year for rent.
Light set up a port in Penang in 1786, but the British occupation of Penang was not legally ratified until five years later when gunboat diplomacy forged a 1791 treaty. This treaty imposed on the Sultanate of Kedah a reduced annual rental of $6,000. In 1800, the adjacent mainland area, Province Wellesley, also became British territory. Penang's stronghold of fisherman then gained a new kind of life under Light's founding zeal, and generous land grants attracted many settlers--particularly the Chinese. The first Chinese to establish themselves in Penang came from a Chinese community in Kedah, and the first Kapitan Cina was a baba (Chinese male who has assimilated some Malay culture) named Koh Lay Huan.
In two years, a cosmopolitan population of several thousand sprouted, largely Chinese, Indian, Sumatrans and Burmese. Light was declared the Superintendent and Penang a free port. Light renamed Penang "Prince of Wales Island", while Georgetown was named after the reigning king, George III.
Light passed away in 1796, overworked and disillusioned, and he was buried at the Protestants' Cemetery. His legacy abounds in Penang from a street in his name, Lebuh Light, to a memorial at St George's Church, and a Francis Light Well at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus where his former residence, a handsome bungalow, remains in good condition.
Thus Penang became Malaya's first EIC settlement followed in quick succession by Singapore in 1819 and Malacca in 1824, leading to the formation of the Straits Settlements in 1826. The British Colonial Office took direct control in 1867, and Penang officially became a crown colony. From then on, Penang grew as oriental as the Chinese coolies and merchants who settled on the island in increasing numbers. The Chinese through the ages sought protection and a sense of belonging in clans, which were largely organised along dialect groups or ancestral districts. Khoo Kongsi, Cheah Kongsi, Yeoh Kongsi, Chung Keng Kooi Temple, Carpenters' Guild, Ng Fook Thong Cantonese Districts Association and the numerous guilds and clans along Lebuh King provide good illustrations.
Penang's history meaningfully began when a quick-witted Francis Light discovered the island, off Malaya's northern west coast, and deemed it a seamless fit in the British Empire's Eastern money puzzle. The East India Company (EIC) had been pulling in the Empire's 18th century bacon from Asia--particularly from India--with profitable and uncompassionate finesse, but something was still missing. When the island caught Francis Light's fancy and imagination in 1771, Pulau (Malay for island) Pinang (betel nut), as it was known, had a population of roughly 50 and the Sultanate of Kedah owned it. A deal was struck a decade later when the Sultan's heir, Abdullah, came to the throne. "Take the island and take away my enemies," were the Sultanate's terms, referring to the northerly Siamese and Burmese, plus $30,000 a year for rent.
Light set up a port in Penang in 1786, but the British occupation of Penang was not legally ratified until five years later when gunboat diplomacy forged a 1791 treaty. This treaty imposed on the Sultanate of Kedah a reduced annual rental of $6,000. In 1800, the adjacent mainland area, Province Wellesley, also became British territory. Penang's stronghold of fisherman then gained a new kind of life under Light's founding zeal, and generous land grants attracted many settlers--particularly the Chinese. The first Chinese to establish themselves in Penang came from a Chinese community in Kedah, and the first Kapitan Cina was a baba (Chinese male who has assimilated some Malay culture) named Koh Lay Huan.
In two years, a cosmopolitan population of several thousand sprouted, largely Chinese, Indian, Sumatrans and Burmese. Light was declared the Superintendent and Penang a free port. Light renamed Penang "Prince of Wales Island", while Georgetown was named after the reigning king, George III.
Light passed away in 1796, overworked and disillusioned, and he was buried at the Protestants' Cemetery. His legacy abounds in Penang from a street in his name, Lebuh Light, to a memorial at St George's Church, and a Francis Light Well at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus where his former residence, a handsome bungalow, remains in good condition.
Thus Penang became Malaya's first EIC settlement followed in quick succession by Singapore in 1819 and Malacca in 1824, leading to the formation of the Straits Settlements in 1826. The British Colonial Office took direct control in 1867, and Penang officially became a crown colony. From then on, Penang grew as oriental as the Chinese coolies and merchants who settled on the island in increasing numbers. The Chinese through the ages sought protection and a sense of belonging in clans, which were largely organised along dialect groups or ancestral districts. Khoo Kongsi, Cheah Kongsi, Yeoh Kongsi, Chung Keng Kooi Temple, Carpenters' Guild, Ng Fook Thong Cantonese Districts Association and the numerous guilds and clans along Lebuh King provide good illustrations.
Chapi