Penang, Malaysia, is a fascinating city. The British hoisted the Union Jack on Penang in 1786. Before the British, in the early 1700s, ethnic Minangkabaus from Sumatra and Arabs had set up trading posts on Penang Island, but it was basically undeveloped. The British set out to change that, and work began to create a new city – George Town. There’s a story that the British founder, Captain Francis Light, shot silver coins from a canon into the jungle to encourage people to clear the land as they searched for them!
George Town grew quickly and it became an important part of trading routes that linked countries like China and India. There was also a nearby tin mining boom, and local spice production. In short, by the 1830s Penang Island was a major port in the region and the economy was booming. Chinese and Indians as well as Armenians, Arabs, Jews, and Germans moved to George Town to make their fortunes. They made Penang Island a meeting of cultures, which can still be seen today as you walk George Town’s streets.
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