George Town

General Information about George Town

George Town is the capital city of the island state Penang in the west of Malaysia. The city is located about 290 kilometres north west of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur and 115 kilometres south east of the Langkawi archipelago which is also a part of Malaysia. George Town was named after Britain's King George III and is currently home to 220,000 people, or 400,000 including the suburbs.

There are many historical buildings in George Town which are worth a visit. Some of the most well known include Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi and Queen Victoria Clock Tower. Other places to visit in the city are Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram, Kapitan Keling Mosque, St George's Church and Dharmikara Burmese Buddhist Temple.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is a palace that was built in the 1880's and features 38 rooms, 7 staircases, 5 courtyards and 220 windows. The palace was commissioned by Cheong Fatt Tze who left China completely broke, then established a finanical empire throughout east Asia and became known as 'The Rockerfeller of the East'. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is influenced by both western and eastern designs. This site was chosen for the palace because of it's excellent feng shui, with a mountain behind and water infront. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion was restored in 1992 and featured in the film Indochine. There are tours of the palace and it is also run as a homestay hotel.

Built by convict labour in 1818, St George's Church is the oldest Anglican church in southeast Asia. It was designed by military engineer Captain Robert Smith and features a towering spire and marble floor. St George's Church was named after the patron saint of England and also contains a Greek temple in the grounds which serves as a memorial to Francis Light. The church still holds regular services today and has remained the same since it's construction.

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