Penang Isle: The Standard Chartered Bank

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The Standard Chartered Bank of Penang is an old building dated back during the British Colonization with British Palladian architecture. The bank is located at Beach Street, Georgetown, the island’s ‘financial district’.

The Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio. The design was briefly popular in Britain during the 17th to 18th century.

Penang Isle: The CHEW Jetty

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A Brief Info

The CHEW Jetty is a settlement of wooden houses built on stilts and the name “CHEW” is the surname (the first name) of the residences and that’s where the name was derived. Migrant’s families with this surname would live together in this area. The CHEW jetty is now one of the popular tourist attractions on the island. Wooden platforms connect the houses supported by stilts on the waters. Visitors can even go for a homestay at the village for an unique experience.

Penang Isle: Kek Lok Si Temple

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A Brief Intro

The Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam in Penang and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia.  In 1930, the seven storey main pagoda of the temple or the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, was completed. This pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown; reflecting the temple’s embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.

In 2002, a 30.2m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin was completed and opened to public. It replaced the previous white plaster Kuan Yin statue which was damaged due to a fire a few years earlier. The bronze statue is located on the hillside above the pagoda while the head of the previous statue which survived the fire is preserved and placed on the right hand corner of the new statue.

(Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kek_Lok_Si )