Category: Straits Eclectic Style Houses

Walking Through Heritage XII (Five Foot Way)

Five foot ways are the common architecture features of George Town’s pre-war heritage houses. The term “five-foot” usually describes the width of the sheltered walkways or covered sidewalks of the houses.

The Nine Emperor Gods’ Temple

This old The Nine Emperor Gods Temple (a townhouse painted in yellow) is located at Cheong Fatt Tze Street, George Town.

Primarily observed by the local Chinese, the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a 9-days Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. This year’s celebration will be ending on the 17th October. During a 9-days period, devotees will be observing a strict vegetarian diet.

“The festival is dedicated to the nine sons of Dou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star, who is believed to control the Books of Life and Death. Devotees believe the deities arrive through the waterway and processions are usually held from temples to the river or seashore as a symbolic gesture.”

A Walk Through Heritage: A Malaysia Day

Held on the 16th September every year, Malaysia Day commemorates the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. The date marked the joining together of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia (although Singapore was later removed two years after being a part of Malaysia).