KUCHING, Nov 7, 2014: If you are planning to visit
Penang, make sure to include George Town Heritage Site on a must-visit list of itinerary.
The site, of about 259ha, is where you can see
well-preserved old buildings and places of interests, which have been declared
as heritage buildings and sites by the Penang government.
Picture: A sketch map of the George Town World Heritage Side area.
Refurbishing works are allowed on these buildings so long
as their original characters and designs are maintained.
Owners are not allowed to demolish their old buildings
and those who do so will have to face the laws.
The Penang government believes that there is a need to
protect, preserve and promote George Town World Heritage Site by engaging civil
society and experts in heritage conservation through collaboration with civil
society and experts both local and international.
George Town World Heritage Incorporated general manager
Lim Chooi Ping, briefing the media from Sarawak, said that protecting,
preserving and promoting the heritage also involves the stakeholders comprising
of the State and Federal Governments, private investors and civil society to
manage and implement projects in the heritage site through the concept of
Public-Private-Partnership.
"We have also enacted state legislation that empowers
the State Government to preserve, promote and protect all heritage sites apart
from George Town World Heritage Site.
"This includes the setting up of a State Heritage
Fund which we hope will attract both private and public donors whether locally
or internationally," she said.
The world heritage site has a total of 5013 buildings, and out of it,
some 3,853 or 77% have been declared as heritage.
The heritage buildings are grouped into six categories,
based on their ages. The first is the 1790s, second the 1840s, third 1890s,
fourth 1910s, fifth 1930s and sixth, 1950s.
Most of the heritage buildings are shophouses.
George Town's unique urban fabric detailing a rich mosaic
of cultures dating from the 18th Century together with the monumental facades
and latticed grids, are still largely intact.
The blending of Arab, Chinese, Indian, Armenian, Russian,
Indonesian Archipelago, Thai, Burmese, Japanese and English cultures together
with the indigenous Malay cultures provides a backdrop that led to the
inscription as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The historical and cultural imprint of the traders remain
significant in George Town as evident in the architectural styles, the
religious rituals and customs that together form the tangible and intangible
heritage. This is best represented by sections of the local populace carrying
on with their lives in the same manner as their ancestors two centuries ago.
Picture (right): Bitcha or trishaw is a common feature on the street of George Town Heritag Site.
After George Town and Malacca were jointly inscribed as
UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the 7th of July 2008, the values of these
shophouses and other heritage buildings have shot up dramatically.
"Before the inscription, the prices of these
shophouses were between RM200,000 and RM300,000, but today, the prices have
gone up to between RM2 million and RM3 million," Chooi Ping said.
Among those who have bought the shophouses are the rich
Chinese nationals, who are allowed to buy properties with a value of RM2
million upward.
According to Chooi Ping, only a small percentage of the
heritage buildings is owned by the Chinese nationals.
She said Penang government set up George Town World
Heritage Incorporated whose main function is to manage the site by working
together with all the stakeholders.
"This body acknowledges that George Town World
Heritage Site is a source of pride not only to Penang and Malaysia but also to
the world and humanity.
"We are duty-bound to ensure that our future
generation would be able to enjoy George Town in its present distinctive form.
"We are convinced that to peer into the future we
must know and be connected with our common past. Let us prove that we are
worthy custodians and keepers of our precious heritage," she added.
"We provide advice to property owners, architects
and builders; conduct skills development workshops; provide resources on George
Town and heritage through our library and digital archive; and we engage with
school children, students of institutes of higher learning, and the public
through our programme of talks and activities.
"The convergence of an intelligent and sustainable
heritage city that belongs to Penang, Malaysia and all humanity," she
added.
The World Heritage office of George Town was first
established in 2009 and in 2010 it became registered as a company to become
George Town World Heritage Inc, giving it the necessary locus standi within the
government.
It functions as an independent body.
The team at GTWHI is made up of individuals with
backgrounds in urban planning, architecture, conservation, heritage and
cultural management, and education.
"We have a growing cohort of 15 full-time staff and
work closely with a dedicated number of collaborators and volunteers,"
GTWHI board of directors is chaired by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
George Town's
unique urban fabric detailing a rich mosaic of cultures dating from the 18th
Century together with the monumental facades and latticed grids, are still
largely intact.
The blending of Arab, Chinese, Indian, Armenian, Russian,
Indonesian Archipelago, Thai, Burmese, Japanese and English cultures together
with the indigenous Malay cultures provides a backdrop that led to the
inscription as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
"The historical and cultural imprint of the traders
remain significant in George Town as evident in the architectural styles, the
religious rituals and customs that together form our tangible and intangible
heritage. This is best represented by sections of the local populace carrying
on with their lives in the same manner as their ancestors two centuries
ago," Chooi Ping explained.ends
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