The ‘Water Villages’ of Penang Island

On the 7th September, 2008, I attended the Damn Shiok Media Workshop on website publishing organized by the SUARAM Penang. As part of the activities, the participants were told to write a news story based on the observation made in the neighborhood.

From the location at our workshop, we walked across Weld Quay to take a look at the Clan Jetties.

A Clan Jetty is actually a village built on stilts by some pioneer Chinese immigrants. Each jetty comprises of row of houses on stilts joined by wooden walkways over the water. These ‘water villages’, set up more than a century ago, house the descendants from Fukien Province in China, who shared common historical, geographical and clan origins. They left their motherland in droves as the Manchu rulers of China lost their grip on power, and widespread poverty, famine and hardship became the order of the day. They are the anchor for newly arrived immigrants who, through kinship ties, were able to find jobs as stevedores and cross -channel ferry boatman in the bustling port of Penang to stake their survival in the new land.' [http://discoverpenang.evomediatech.com/chewjetty/home.html]

I met a tourist from Kuala Lumpur who was very amazed to see these Clan Jetties, to watch people staying in the wooden shacks or houses built on stilts on the waterfront of the channel. I shared his sentiment too. It crossed my mind to wonder whether the last Tsunami on December 26, 2004 has had any effects on the jetties.

The residents settled down at the jetties according to their last name(sir name,姓氏) At the moment there remains seven clan jetties, namely, Ong Jetty, Lim Jetty, Chew Jetty, Tan Jetty, Lee Jetty, Yeoh Jetty and Chap Seh Keo (杂姓挢，mixed surnames jetty). It is estimated that there are a total of 3,000 residents staying around here. All the residents of the clan jetties still preserve their Chinese tradition and cultures. They are either being employed as workers or shop attendants, or they are self employed doing small time business as hawkers in the neighborhood operating either coffee or food stalls, or grocery shops.

According to a middle aged resident of Lee Jetty, Lee Jetty was a newer jetty rebuilt 40 years ago. As a result, the wooden houses at Lee Jetty were neatly erected on both sides of the walkway as compared to the other jetties. The residents at Lee Jetty were relocated from elsewhere.

Jokingly he said, “I like to stay here. I have a world class swimming pool beneath my house!”

He told us that the oldest pier settlement here is Chew Jetty which is more than 100 years old. It is an old Chinese waterfront settlement, the largest and the liveliest jetty at the end of Gat Lebuh Armenian. The Chews were originated from the south-eastern coast of China - from Tung Aun District, Xin Lin She Village, and Quan Zhou Prefecture of Fujian Province. They were maritime clan communities in China. Thus when they emigrated, they also built homes for themselves at the waterfront. The Chew Jetty settlement has grown from about 10 families back in the 1920s to over 1,500 residents today.

Among the remaining jetties, only the Chew Jetty continues to have any clan-related activity - the once a year annual worship of its Temple Deity and "Tee Kong" (God of Heaven or Sky-God, 天公). The event takes place on the 9th of Chinese New Year (Lunar Calendar) annually. This distinctive and grand event attracts throngs of people to Chew Jetty to enjoy lion dance and dragon dances. On that day, residents place the worship food on the long altar table for praying.

Lee Choon Har of Chew Jetty resident said she was glad that her wooden house in Weld Quay was now part of Penang's tourism attractions. “This is a very nice and lively place to live in. Now we no longer have to worry that our houses will be torn down,” she said.

Next time if you happen to come to Penang Island, do not forget to visit Madam Lee Choon Har, to see for yourself the Clan Jetties, which is a pride of Penang Heritage.