Jalan harmony

JALAN HARMONY ASIAN ARCHITECTURE | PHOTOBOOK | CASE STUDY

An unexpected pair huddled close, bloomed a relic of harmony

t e a m

AY Ai Yi

AM Copyright @ 2017 All rights reserved. This book or any portion therof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsover without the express written permission of the editor except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Photobook for Case Study : Jalan Harmony B.Sc Architecture | Taylor’s University | School of Architecture and Built Design ARC2234 | Asian Architecture

XQ

JY

Theresa Thia Ai Min 0323170

Ho Zi Yan 0323698

Alison Tang Ing Ee 0323705

Ai Min

Xiu Qing

Ji Yann Ng Ji Yann 0323713

Zi Yan

Ing Ee

Cho Mun Wong Cho Mun 0322723

Yong Ai Yi 0321977

zy

IE

CM

Lim Xiu Qing 0323214

C O N T E N T S

006 Introduction 008 Zoe Yong ‘s Photography 019 History 022 Alison Tang’s Photography

033 Architectural Style 035 Cho Mun’s Photography

047 Architectural Element 049 Xiu Qing’s Photography

061 Culture & Norms 063 Zi Yan’s Photography

089 Statistics 091 Ji Yann ‘s Photography 075 Landmarks 077 Theresa Thia’s Photography

INTRODUCTION Malacca,

a state in Malaysia that has very famous in heritage buildings located in the southern region of the Malay peninsula, next to the strait of Malacca , bordered by NegEri Sembilan and Johor. About the brief history of Malacca, this city was a fishing village until a Hindu prince from Sumatra, Parameswara whom moved to Malacca and constitute his own headquarters.

Back to the olden days, the communities came together on one long street that is divided into 3 segments known as Jalan Tukang Emas, Jalan Tukang Besi and Jalan Tokong.

Tourists usually call it "temple street" because there are number of places of worship abound in that area which belongs to different religions which are Muslims, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism but the local prefer to call it the "harmony Street’. There are four temple on that street which are Kampung Kling Mosque, Sri Poyyatha Vinagar Moorthu Temple, Cheng Hoon Temple and Xiang Lin Si Temple. On this street, it was lined with houses shop and temples which creates aa sense of blessing who worship here.

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“Every Building Has Its Story”

ZOE photography

zoe / photography

zoe / photography

harmony

From this street view on the middle of the road, it shows how beautiful and harmonious it is to have three different kinds of races to sit on a same street. Despite that the races are different in culture, somehow three of them blends well to become another unique race which I would regard as Malaysian. From the picture, it shows that three different religion buildings were arranged and built close to each other where it reflects the relationships between these races has been so close from the olden days.

The Indian temple, Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple is one of the oldest Hindu Temple in Malaysia where it sits next to Masjid Kampung Kling. Before the mosque is where the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple located. The architecture of these three buildings have a same motif where the roofs all have the direction that point to the sky. Moreover, these buildings have connections with each other from the aspect of architecture elements. For examples, the mosque has the characteristic of a Chinese temple while the Indian temple has the same ornamentation as the mosque such as the arches. Besides that, the Indian temple and Chinese temples have same motif where the sculpture of gods are displayed on the roof.

The visitors appear to be happy and excited to visit these historical places where some of the visitors have their own group who create their own adventure games in that area. In that group of visitors, they are mixed with different races which is a very nice thing to see that Malaysians can mix well with each other. This also reflects back to the buildings in the sense that they blend in well together on the street. With these three significant buildings, three of them successfully attract tourists to come and visit to add to the liveliness of the street.

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zoe / photography

zoe / photography

THE SHOPHOUSE

This is a shophouse that sells vases and merchandise .This shophouse is a two-storey structure where the second floor was built after several years. The evidence can be found by looking at the other shophouses where the oldest shophouses consist of only one floor. Moreover, the use of building materials at the second floor is more advanced than the ground floor. For example, the zinc roof located at the second floor is more modern than the ceramic tiles from the ground floor. The ceramic tiles shown in the picture were starting to fall off while the colour is fading, and some of the tiles were cracked into small pieces. The broken ceramic tiles of the building does not bring down the image of the shop, rather it brings out the vintage essence and enhanced the aesthetic view of the shop. Moreover, the coloured rain gutter, ceramic tiles and wall creates harmony of the shop itself and also the shop that sits beside it.

In this picture, we can see that they still conserve part the original appearance of a traditional shophouses, not only this shop but the other buildings that sits on the street. Due to this, the street remains the image of traditional and vintage style of buildings that very different from other urban buildings. Moreover, this shop is a combination of commercial shop and private house. The second floor is a residental floor where privacy is protected while the ground floor is for commercial activities. As such, it is more open to outsiders. The right side of the shophouse appears more modern than the middle shophouses where contrast is shown in terms of the materials used and also the colour scheme. But the overall shape of the building remain the same.

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zoe / photography

zoe / photography

classical chinese architecture

This is one of the best conserved Chinese building on the street. On its main door, there is a big signboard which is written “Zheng He Cha Guan�, which indicates that it is a teahouse. From every spot of this building, it has the most ornamentations of traditional Chinese architecture and also a building that is very pure alike to a classical Chinese building. From the top of the building, it has a pitched roof covered with black roof tiles and a decorative half-circle shaped cap at the end of the tiles.

This building has many decorative ornamentations such as the two iconic stone lion sculpture that put each side of the door. The ancient Chinese people believed that it has powerful mythic protective benefits. Other than that, there are also woodcrafts appearing on the door panels that shows the atmosphere of what an ancient Chinese teahouse would look like. The materials used on the openings were all timber which has the characteristic of a classic Chinese shophouse. The openings of the building only has one direction to open it. The shop is decorated with lanterns which shows that the Chinese culture remains prevalent until now.

There are bamboos were planted at the side of the shops which provides shades and also for aesthetic purpose.

Moreover, the Chinese love bamboo, and bamboo culture has been rooted in their minds for a long time. To the Chinese people, bamboo is a symbol of virtue. It reflects people’s souls and emotions. Conservation on traditional buildings are so important to let the future generations have the chances to see it by their own eye. It is also an advantage for our country to attract more tourist to visit these historical significant buildings.

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zoe / photography

zoe / photography

APPRECIATION OF HERITAGE SITE

This picture was taken at the end of street where there appeared a group of people who shooting a film on that street. This shows the appreciation of production media towards the unique heritage essence of harmony street, as they choose it as the backdrop of their film. The production of the film will pique the interest of viewers towards this street for those who never been there before, and encourages them to visit it.

By promoting this street through social media , people will have their awareness raised know that on the traditional places that still exist. It lets them know the importance of heritage site. Besides that, it also enhances the reputation of Malacca which increases the popularity of the place and attracts more tourists to enjoy their holidays at this place.

Heritage sites are so important as it not only represents the soul of a city, it also represents the character of a country. From the picture, it shows that the consistency of the building heights which makes the view more pleasing rather than the uneven heights of buildings located in the city which gives a feeling of chaos.

The street gives a sense of coziness and peacefulness which is a pleasant trait of heritage streets. This makes it enjoyable for people to come and visit while appreciating the heritage buildings.

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zoe / photography

zoe / photography

influence that creates beauty

The Masjid Kampung Kling, which was built in the year 1748, is one of the historically significant mosques in Malaysia.

This mosque is unique in the sense that it has been influenced by the Chinese, Portuguese and European architecture. It also has the same characteristic as a Javanese style mosque that can also be found in Malacca, which is the Terengkera mosque.

Chinese architecture influence is reflected though the roof ornaments and minaret. Another Chinese influence can be found is the material used for the roof. The tiles were imported from China to adorn the roof, the floor and the lower walls. Decorative motifs such as the curved eaves terminating in sculptural finials further point to an Oriental influence, as is the rooftop ornament, or mastaka. As the picture shows the Corinthian colonnade which is influence from the western classical style of columns design.

While looking minaret which placed beside the mosque was entirely built with from masonry in contrast to the accompanying timber mosque. The minaret has similar characteristics to a Chinese pagoda or stupa. On the Minaret, it has Renaissance ornamentation styles such as the arched openings on each levels. Originally, minarets are not traditional to Malay Islamic architecture, though they have become increasingly more prevalent and are useful in demarcating the mosque in dense urban areas.

This historical timber mosque was built with a triple-tiered roof. The triple –tiered roof is supported by four primary columns while another set of four columns raise the lower two layers. Built during the Dutch occupation that followed the period of Portuguese rule, the mosque also spot European touches such as the rendered plaster on the internal masonry walls. Lastly, the patriotism in Malaysia is very strong where there are flags that rise at the top of the pole to honour our country.

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HISTORY

During the Malay Sultanate, Portuguese, Dutch and British

period, the Harmony Street was the living quarters of traditional traders. After the invasion of the British, the Harmony street is divided into three names which are Blacksmith Street, Goldsmith Street and Temple Street and mainly occupied by Chinese. On Harmony Street, there are some significant places of worship from Malaysia’s main religions. There are mosque, Hindu temple and chinese temples situated within walking distance between each others. The street named Harmony Street as it is worship places of three religions are located peacefully along the same street.

Out of the religious places, the most eye-catching one

would be Cheng Hoon Teng temple located at Jalan Tokong, probably because of its rich intricate design with spacious area. It was built in 1645 by Kapitan Tay Hong Yong and Kapitan Lee Wei King with building materials imported from China. This is the oldest temple practices the Three Doctrinal Systems of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism which show that these three religious systems had deeply rooted in the Chinese and the systems had now become one. In the early days, Cheng Hoon Teng temple also acted as court and administrative centre untill 1911, influencing the daily lives of local Chinese. The temple is still bustling with worshipers now. Moreover, the heritage building has been awarded a UNESCO award for outstanding architectural restoration in 2003.

The Kampung Kling Mosque was built in 1748 by rich Indian

Muslim traders as the place of public worship for Indian Muslims. It is located at Goldsmith street. Kampung literally means village and Klings are what natives called the Muslim Indians originating from South India.The mosque was constructed due to the local Malays community was not on the best of terms with the Indian Muslims during that period. They were centered by the Malays around the Kampung Hulu Mosque which built in 1728 by the Chinese Muslims. The Indian Muslim community went on to establish their own mosque the Kampung Kling Mosque.

Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi,the oldest functioning Hindu

Temple was built by Thavinayagar Chitty, the leader of the Chitty people during the Dutch colonization in 1781 on the plot donated by the religiously tolerant Dutch. The temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Vinayagar. It is located just beside the Kampung Kling Mosque.To practice their religion especially the veneration of Lord Vinayagar,the Dutch colonial government granted the Chitty community a piece of land.

The San Duo Temple has 222 years of history and was

formally called the Qing Long Hui when it was built at Blacksmith Street in 1795. It was later renamed as the San Duo Temple after the expansion was completed in 1857.

This temple highlighted the settlement of chinese people and also the expansion of the religion in that area.

Throughout the time, most of the shophouses was

abandoned. This scene changed when tourism in Malacca is increased which caused the conservation of the shophouses.

Some of the shophouses shift to souvenir shops and restaurants which give back the life of the street and become heritage street in Malacca.Besides, there was a great deal of joy in knowing that the people of Malacca peacefully co-exist for centuries despite the differences in religious beliefs. There was a sense of triumph in realizing that the close proximity of these different religious institutions stand almost next to each other in just one street.

“Red bestrewed the quaint skyline, ceaseless festivity it exuded”

ALISON photography

alison / photography

alison / photography

AntIque BuIldIng In 1646, the Cheng Hoon Teng temple was built with Southern Chinese style as the Chinese brought along their culture and beliefs with them when migrated to Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most notable landmarks in Malacca and it is the oldest functioning Chinese temple in Malaysia. The architecture style of the temple is the one of the significant in the street. From the street, the weighty saddled roof would attract people to enter into the temple. The temple has the dark timber beams and beautiful carved woodwork as part of it. Smaller chambers devoted to ancestor worship are prominent throughout the temple.

The building materials and the artisans concerned with its construction were brought in all from China. Therefore, the structural element consists of ‘dougong’ element which is interlocking wooden brackets in traditional Chinese architecture. It also has relief images of winged men, dragons, birds and flowers which intricately carved and painted up to the very tip of the eaves. The red lantern and red tiles were used in the temple as chinese believe that red considered auspicious.

These remarkable pieces of art and culture remain harmoniously in the area and also expanding in this region. It give a sense of peacefulness within the community and also showcase a harmonious scene exist in the age of globalisation.

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alison / photography

alison / photography

Serene The Cheng Hoon Teng temple complex lies along Jalan Tokong, which is part of the famed Harmony Street. It is known as the ‘Merciful Cloud Temple’ and is the old and full of history Chinese temple practicing the Three Doctrinal Systems of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism which located at Jalan harmony, Malacca. In 1646, the temple was built with Southern Chinese style as the Chinese brought along their culture and beliefs with them when migrated to Peninsular Malaysia. The temple is the oldest functioning temple in Malaysia and is still serving the local community after 400 years.

It served as the main place of worship for the local Hokkien community and consists of a complex of several prayer halls with a large main prayer hall dedicated to Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy. A black, gold and red-robed statue of the goddess stands in the central prayer hall. The locals will come and pray to find a sense of peace in this serene and beautiful temple. It is an attraction that only a person can feel by themselves. People would feel the peaceful place with the heavy smell of incense wafting around and gorgeous iconography flickering in the candlelight. The visitors are free to wander it and appreciate in an atmosphere of quiet reverence. Unlike other Chinese temples in Malacca, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple has no doors protected by the gods. The gates are guarded by the famous Taoist monks, the Eight Immortals.

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alison / photography

alison / photography

trade

There is a shop named RazKashmir Crafts in the Harmony street. It is an unique existence in the street.

The exterior appearance is not very flashy, but the interior is splendid. People always impressed by the first view when entering the shop. The shop is a lively shop which sells a wide range of variety Middle Eastern gifts and souvenirs which giving the store an exotic vibe. This shop is run by middle eastern brothers who speaks English and passionate in what they are doing. Their passion for the artistry and their prides in this field which creates their products more admirable. The materials they used to create the products are usually imported from India. The accessories are lined in the shop, centering on the handmade items.

Most of the products look like one-point items such as handmade as well as the designs are slightly different one another and also front and back are reversible. All the products are really elegant and made up of high quality as well as the prices are reasonable. The locals and tourists are welcomed to the shop to purchase some own favourite middle eastern items as souvenirs, as some are not be able to travel to other countries for these items. The brothers are able to show their cultures to different races and religious people as the street always attract the tourists came from different places. The locals and tourists are pleased to enter into their shop to buy the different cultural items. Even though it shown a different culture, but the harmonial atmosphere is still existing in Harmony Street.

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alison / photography

alison / photography

descent

This picture was taken at a pottery shop located in Harmony street. also known as ‘The Clay House,. It is appears to be an old and ordinary shop in Malacca with variety of pots and clay artwork displayed to be sold in front of the shop. However, it turns out to be more than that, as this place is one of the tourist attractions which the molding clay session is to be provided and guided by a patient potter, Mr. Leong who wears the shirt in orange color and has 19 years of experience in this field. The handiwork can be brought back after the 2 hours session. the pottery studio is located at the back where Mr.Leong and his son work.

The session seemed to be quiet and at really slow pace. coming from a fast pace city, it looked comfortable and calming to the soul. Nowadays, the younger generation would spend a lot of time on electronic gadgets or devices, which caused most of the craft to have an absence of skilled successors.

Nonetheless, the son of Mr.Leong is patient to learn the skills of the pottery trade, while Mr.Leong is happy to teach his son. This displayed a traditional culture on the products and the pottery skills being inherited from one generation to another generation thus increasing the interconnection between the parent and child.

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alison / photography

alison / photography

the street

The street Jalan Tukang Besi, formerly known as Blacksmith Street is a street in the historic city of Malacca as well as a heritage quarter and tourist attraction of Malacca. When the dirt road was unpaved, the street dates back to the Dutch era. Once end at riverside of Blacksmith Street, there would be a jetty of pier for boats to berth and to allow for passengers to get off.

Those shophouses are in the historic residential and commercial area, located on both sides of the narrow streets of Malacca. In term of faรงade design, the visual experience is raised by the intricateness and types of the buildings. Apart from that, there are a lot of tourists, regardless of genders, ages, religious, races or even locals and foreigners can travel, communication and enjoy the rides together by understanding the culture of old varied streets and doing other activities they planned as their common goals were to visit and enjoy. This showed a view between the doings of teenagers in this era and the historical buildings.

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ARCHITECTURAL STYLE

EARLY MALACCA STYLE (1790S - 1850S)

SOUTHERN CHINESE STYLE (1840S - 1910S)

ARLY STRAITS ECLECTIC STYLE (1890S - 1910S)

LATE STRAITS ECLECTIC STYLE (1910S - 1930S)

ART DECO STYLE (1930S - 1960S)

EARLY MODERN STYLE (1950S - 1970S )

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

∙1-2 STOREYS ∙SIMPLE FACADE

∙ 2 - 3 STORIES ∙ FROM SIMPLE TO DECORATIVE FACADE ∙ CHINESE INFLUENCE : CARVED TIMBER DOOR, AIR VENT, GABLE END, AIR WELL ETC. ∙ UROPEAN AND INDIAN INFLUENCE : FULL WIDTH TIMBER LOUVERED SHUTTERED WINDOWS AND U/V SHAPED TERRACOTTA ROOF TILES

∙ 2 - 3 STOREYS ∙ CHINESE INFLUENCE : CARVED TIMBER DOOR, AIR VENTS, GABLE END, AIR WELL ETC. ∙ EUROPEAN INFLUENCE : FULL LENGTH SHUTTERED WINDOWS, GEOMETRIC PATTERN COLOURED CLAY FLOOR TILES

# 2 - 3 STOREYS # CHINESE INFLUENCE : CARVED TIMBER DOOR, AIR VENTS, GABLE END, AIR WELL ETC. # EUROPEAN INFLUENCE : FULL LENGTH SHUTTERED WINDOWS, PROJECTION ROOF, BRACKETS, PLASTER RELIEF, GEOMETRIC PATTERNED FLOOR TILES AND DADO PANEL TILES BELOW WINDOWS

# 2 - 3 STOREYS # EUROPEAN INFLUENCE : ART DECO FACADE WITH GEOMETRIC DESIGN HIGHLIGHTING VERTICAL &HORIZONTAL LINES. # SHANGHAI PLASTER WALL FINISHING # FLAGPOLE AND RELIEF WRITING ON THE WALL # METAL FRAMED GLASS WINDOW

# 2 - 3 STOREYS # SIMPLIFICATION OF FORM AND DESIGN BASED ON AVAILABILITY OF NEW BUILDING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURE DRIVEN BY TECHNOLOGICAL AND ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS. # SUNSHADE FINS, METAL - FRAMED GLASS WINDOWS.

“Behind Every Pastry, There Is a Hand Of Passion And Patience.”

CHO MUN photography

cho mun / photography

cho mun / photography

GATEWAY This picture was taken at the harmony street. It is a traditional Chinese temple which is called Cheng Hon Teng temple. The entrance of the Cheng Hoon Teng temple just like a gateway, it serving as an entrance to spread the understanding of Chinese culture and history, the gateway reflects the fundamentals of Chinese architecture and preserve its rich heritage, moulding and shaping an identity to the street. As you can see in the picture this temple has become a tourist attraction nowadays. There are some tricycle outside the temple, the driver fetch the visitor from others place to this temple and there is some hawker stall outside the temple which sell the religion bracelet, toys, adornment and some soft drink.

Cheng Hoon Teng temple is one of the most notable landmarks in Malacca and this Chinese temple is the first and oldest functioning religion building in Malacca. This temple was built in 1646, it is also known as the ‘merciful cloud temple’. The temple is dedicated to Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy. A black, gold and red-robed statue of the goddess stands in the central prayer hall. Cheng Hoon Teng temple was constructed by Chan Lak Koa. In the early days, Cheng Hoon Teng temple also acted as court and administrative center till 1911, it influencing the daily life of local Chinese.

Cheng Hoon Teng means temple of clear clouds. The roof of the temple is the highly ornate roof which influenced by the craftsmanship of guangdong and fujian in southern china. It was also constructed in strict accordance to the principles of Feng Shui. At the entrance to the hall, they are depicted as dragons with their instruments in their claws.

The eighteen arahants (or eighteen lohans) adorn the walls of the hall. These carved images are now encased in glass.

Outside the hall are columns embellished with gold calligraphy by Robert van Gulik, a Dutch diplomat.

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cho mun / photography

cho mun / photography

DIVERSITY

This picture show that the integration and the merging of the malay and chinese architecture elements that brings an identifier to the building. The building itself is a traditional vernacular malay style but the staircase in front the house is a chinese masonry staircase, so that this house has combine two different style together. The beauty and strength are lied in diversity, it is the difference in detailing that classified the buildings, each reflecting different culture yet reflecting unity. This the only one traditional vernacular malay house in harmony street and this show that the people and the environment changes as time passed but the buildings will remain still as it aged.

This house is of traditional vernacular malay style. Early malay houses is described as raised on timber stilts and made of materials that can easily be found from the tropical forests for example such as timber, bamboo, rattan, tree roots, leaves etc. This house has pitched roofs, high ceilings and lots of big openings for ventilation purposes.

As for heat management, both structure are made of wood and leaves for the roof. The window of the house is using the wooden vintage window. The raise up foundation of the house is to avoiding dangerous animals and enabling a cooler interior by cross ventilation through beneath the floor.

The staircase that in front the house is chinese masonry staircase. In the first half of the 19th century, some common element subsequently influenced traditional malay house design. It is only traditional malay house which mainly can be recognized by its glazed and multi coloured tiles on the staircases which are imported from china. Flowers are a common motif for the decoration of the house. The house evinces a mixture of architectural influences especially for the staircase it is the which mainly adopted from the traditional chinese house. The masonry staircase is decorate with the decorative flower-motif tiled steps are its most striking feature.

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cho mun / photography

cho mun / photography

Juncture

This junction show that there is no one human being that is born identical to the other, it is just like this street.

People who uses the street might have taken the street for granted, thinking that it’s just an ordinary street. But in reality, every street, turn and corner is unique in its own right, and in turn gives the user a specific experience that cannot be experience elsewhere. This picture is take at the one of the junction in harmony street. The junction is crowded with car and there are Many people pass by this junction because this junction is around the beginning of harmony street.

In the junction, it show that there is a Chinese temple which facing the two junction and surrounded by the shop lot, theatre and house. It show the harmony between the Malaysia's 3 main religion which are Malay , Chinese, India. Harmony street is the nicknamed name of Jalan Tukang Emas it is meaning goldsmith street it is owing to the existence of places of worship from Malaysia's 3 main religions, they are all within 50 meters of each other.

These places of worship are Kampung Kling mosque, Sri Poyatha Vinayagara Moorthy Hindu temple and the Chinese temple which is the Cheng Hoon Teng temple. From the picture, it show that there are some trade beside the Chinese temple.

The building that opposite the Chinese temple is a jonker gallery, the is people chit chatting and laughter at the outdoor part of the gallery create a sense of harmonious along the street. The building of the jonker gallery is actually a older western architecture style. Beside the jonker gallery. it is a souvenir shop, The shop is remain as the traditional shop house architecture style. The floor that above the souvenir shop is actually a house, the vintage window of the house is open for the ventilation purpose so that the outdoor air can flow in to the interior space.

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cho mun / photography

cho mun / photography

TRADE

This shop is the only one Malacca traditional homemade biscuit shop in the harmony street. The worker in this shop are mostly senior citizens and they prepare and bake the biscuit on the spot, so that the customer can buy the freshly baked biscuit. The worker of the shop make full use of the outdoor space with putting full variety of biscuits display and also the freshly baked biscuit in front of the shop to attract the customer to come near the shop. In the picture, there is a customer asking the worker about the flavor of the biscuit and the biscuit that putting outside the shop are traditional pineapple tarts. Beside the pineapple tarts is are horse hoof biscuits and sun biscuit.

Pineapple tart with the pineapple jam filling which are made with pineapples imported from Taiwan. Since it is handmade, it is way more fluffier and less crumbly but crispy. The pineapple tart possesses an aromatic buttery smell, the tang of the pineapple jam is just about right and it is not overly sweet. Another famous biscuit that this shop sell is horse hoof biscuits it have many different flavor for example red bean, lotus, pandan, dry shredded chicken etc. The reason they are called horse hoof biscuits was that bakers used to cook these by sticking them to the side of a clay oven like a tan-door. As a result, the biscuits were thicker on one end and resembles a horse hoof.

The door of the shop is using the old style folding door and it allows some privacy and natural ventilation to the interior before of after the shop operates. Thus, it creates vague feeling in terms of visionary. The flooring of the shop is using terracotta tiles and cement floor for the 5 feet wide public corridor in front of the shop.

Overtime, the color of the wall of the shop paint has faded and flaking also occurred. Therefore the whole conditional of the shop show that the shop is very old and is are passed down from generations to generations that shows the artistry of our ancestors.

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cho mun / photography

cho mun / photography

ProtectIon

This picture is taken in the morning, it show the serenity of the street thus the street remains calm and quiet early in the morning. The lively street only occur in noon. The worker start working in the morning because the street will be crowded with cars and people in the afternoon. The worker need to stop their lorry in front of the shop for them to carry the material for renovate the shop into the shop, so that the lorry will block the whole road. Therefore, to avoid the traffic problem they should wake up early to carry the material so that they can finish it before afternoon.

The shop in the picture is started to renovate, it is a method how the people protect the historical building.The best way to predict future is to create it, the best way to create it learn from the past, and the best way to learn from the past is the protect it. The worker is carry the tile from the lorry to the shop so this show that they are going replace the old tile with the new tile to solve the leakage problem of the roof so that the building can last longer in the future. The worker will also repaint the wall because overtime, the colour of the wall of the shop paint has faded and flaking also occurred.

Renovate the building is just like giving a second life to the building, because before the shop renovation the building is a abandon building and it is very old and it have problem everywhere so that it is very hard for people to life. So after renovation it will become a new building, a new life and also a new story. The building is pass from generation to generation, every generation will adding their own element of their generation, so that when you look at the building you can look at the history and the story of the people and the building at the same time. A building is the evidence of the existing of different generation.

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ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT The architecture elements in Jalan Harmony various from different social and cultural influences. Different architecture timeline mixed up together and blends into series of buildings. Each element has a backstory like its origin and meaning to it. Except for being there as an ornament, each element has a role to play in a building. Without one part of it, the structure may collapse or change its aesthetic value.

Pillaster Also known as columns. It acts as a vertical structure of a building. it task is to withhold the load of the above structure. The pilaster. At Jalan Harmony is various from different architecture timeline such as art deco, early straits eclectic, early Penang and so on.

Five-foot Walkway Forms A Series of Arches The five-foot walkway is being derive from GuangZhou, China. It is vital due to the tropical weather in Malacca. It is noticeable as it is in front of the shops and act as a shelter. It also creates a linkage from shop to shop. Therefore, the walkway creates a linear form of circulation and a series of arches. the five-foot walkway also give raise to the economy of that specific area.

Wooden Shutters Door & Louvered window They are originated from Ancient Greece and it is prove to be useful that it can control the amount of sunlight penetrating into the building. however, due to the influence of Southeast Asia it changes over time to suit the social context of the place. it also maximizes the ventilation of the interior through the spaces.

Wooden shutters act as a separation between level of floors and spaces. Louvered windows usually being placed both side of the shutters.

Fanlight Fanlight is being derive from the west. In Malacca, the fanlight implements the Traditional Malay architecture.

They are usually place above the shutter door and blends in with the same design which is usually simple rather than the elaborate fancy fanlight in the west.

Roof

Roof is one of the most essential elements in a building. the roof in the street are mostly gabled with zinc or clay roof. There are 3 pitched in Harmony street’s roof due to the long elevation of the shophouses. One of the pitched roof has the jacked-up roof which emphasis of the height.

“Bead by bead, formed a culture with art of timeless beauty”

XIU QING photography

xiu qing / photography

xiu qing / photography

the origin of the great dragon

On the façade of a chinese temple, there are numerous Chinese dragon’s engravings everywhere, LITERARY EVERYWHERE! On walls, roofs and so on, the reason why is that Chinese Dragons gave a great impact in Chinese society and culture. Chinese believe that it brings out energy (chi) around them.

It is said to be the most potent symbol of good fortune in the Chinese pantheon of symbols. The Dragon also has the power to release water to parched lands, and which in turn stands for abundance and relief. Continued success, high achievement, and prosperity are also listed among the Dragon's arsenal of good qualities. The dragon also in the colour of yellow which follows the royal colour of Huangdi.

The origin of the yellow dragon goes way back around 2500BC, in ancient china, different tribes have war with each other for lands. An emperor called Yellow Emperor Huang Di made an alliance with another tribe leader called Yan Di for an upcoming battle. Yan Di was said to be born thanks to his mother’s telepathic communications with a mighty dragon. As the sequence go, they both win the war thanks to the dragon’s help. After the battle, the two alliances then picked a dragon as their symbol for their newly-formed tribe’s banner. Later in China, the Chinese consider themselves as a descendent of dragons. And now, it is considered a mystical divine energy that Chinese culture gives their respect and use the dragon symbol on celebrations and temples.

During ancient times, china decorate them on their walls for privacy purpose but as time pass, people use it as a decoration on hollow façade to let ventilation penetrate into the premise.

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xiu qing / photography

xiu qing / photography

the essence of five foot walk-way

The five-foot walkway is one of the most distinguished feature in the shophouses of Malacca. The walkway measurment must be a minumum of 5 feet and has to be built in front of the shophouses so that they could share a common boundary along the walkway. This law has been enforced by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles during the Dutch Colonial period. However, the width of the walkway is not consistent, some are wider and provide more space for visitor to pass through but others are narrower. This depends on the design and types of the shophouses.

At the end of the walkway a pilaster is placed, thus creating a linear walkway along the street as well as a series of arches making the visitor walk in a straight passage along the walkway. It also forms a porch acting as a roof protecting the people in it. It provides comfort to the masses. The pilaster can also be made into a signboard for the shops and it turns out to be a norm in the Chinese culture. As an example, the owner engraved the shop’s name on the pilaster in huge Chinese fonts. Most of the five-foot walkway have fancy detailed design such as terracotta tiles, pilaster ornaments and lanterns.

Throughout the years, due to the changes and adaptation of the people, the walkway started to close up and making a private porch or space for their premise. Letting people to walk in and out of the walkway under the hot sun. Thus, the linearity of the walkway faded from time to time.

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xiu qing / photography

xiu qing / photography

contrast throughout the years

The picture portrayed the raw faรงade of the building showing faded paintwork on the engrave which is slowing peeling off throughout the years, as it is exposed to unforeseen harsh weather and circumstances. On the other hand, the pilaster facing inside is well preserved and maintained. The pilaster is inspired from a fusion of Chinese, Malay and European traditions and architecture such as the colour scheme and engraving. It is also derived from the floral and geometrical motifs of the Peranakan Cina.

The elaborate ornaments on the pilaster are reflected on the prosperity of the owner and the particular streets. Buildings in cities that belong to richer families have more intricate engraving ornaments than those in the rural area with lesser income and assets. Their pillars will be simpler with less ornamentation. This puts an emphasis on the hierarchy of the social status in the town.

The construction pipe in the middle acts as a division between buildings and shows the contrast between two different timelines of the architecture style of Malacca shophouses which is during late eclectic style with the influence of a number of western architecture styles emphasis on the ornaments and craving on the faรงade. This style is well-known throughout the streets. The other side of the pipe is art deco style that is much later as it shows the Shang Hai plaster wall finishes and a rather simple pilaster yet using modern materials compared to the Late Eclectic Style. Thus, it gives various of variety of architecture style on the street of Tokong.

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xiu qing / photography

xiu qing / photography

the hidden gems of jalan tokong

Tricycle is part of the tourism industry. The “drivers” decorated their used to be dull tricycle into an artwork that is brightly decorated with multi-coloured fake plastic flowers, complete with loudspeakers blaring out music along with very friendly drivers that brings passengers into the streets of Jonker. The origin of tricycle goes way back during 1880 when it was first built and being widely used in Singapore during 1920. Slowly, it spread throughout South East Asia during 1950. That’s when the Malaccan tricycle business flourished and brought new business opportunity to the masses.

The picture shows a row of tricycles going to a nearby temple ahead and it is the first Chinese Temple built in Malaysia along the street of Jalan Tokong. The ladies in the tricycle appear to be immersed in the heritage essence of Malacca, mesmerised by the beauty of the shophouse facades while heading to the temple. Little did they know, they are passing through a series of historical buildings that yet to be exploited and thus, it is a hidden gem in Malacca street.

The shophouse architecture style along Jalan Tokong goes way back during the time when Dutch invaded Malacca and bring their early shophouses architecture style into the street and followed by Early Transitional Style, Early Straits Eclectic Style, Late Straits Eclectic Style, Neo-Classical Style, Art Deco Style and lastly Early Modern Style before the war happened. All of this shophouses architecture style is visible in the street of Jalan Tokong and carries a past in the timeline which is unknown to many. As if a silent gem and their history is unheard along the street. A silent whisperer which no one hears.

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xiu qing / photography

xiu qing / photography

embracing one another

Living in Malaysia has one advantage. Which is to experience others culture and traditions. We live in a place that is disintegrate, where people are separated based on either race, religion or beliefs. We often stay within our own comfort zone and hesitate to embrace other backgrounds which are different from us. As we can see in this photo, it gives us a glimpse on how we should embrace one another regardless of their skin colour and background. To take note that every religion teaches us to love and cherish one another but not by distant ourselves based on religion or cluster.

Here is a good example, few individuals come together under the roof of a temple. They embrace each other and smile all the way. You can see how they share their fellowship with one another without looking at races nor religion. As the purpose of religion is to unite all individuals.

Safeguarding a temple is a sacred duty of a person. Here, there are 3 generations sitting together at the front door of the temple guarding the temple with love and compassion. It is therefore the love and understanding of the importance of preserving the temple and strive to pass down the knowledge from generation to come.

It is also preserving the traditional ornaments as each ornament has a profound and vital meaning to it. The essence of a dragon on a pillars act as a stronghold that support the whole building and it is said that it grant wishes of those who cometh forward to pray but as a return, they need to contribute something to the temple.

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CULTURE AND NORMS

Malacca, throughout many years, its socio-culture has blossomed with diversity, continuity and nationalism, racial integration and subliminal harmony.

Majority of the people in Malacca is the Malay people, they speak in Malay language and practices Islam. The second largest community is the Chinese, they speak in Chinese but they are also prone to speak in their dialect language which is Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew and Hainanese. The Indians are also an important ethnic group in Malacca. Deepavali is their main celebration and Thaipusam is their religious event.

Even though the muilti-racial population of the place consists mainly of Malays, Chinese and Indians, the Portuguese and Peranakan culture is still being practiced by a few descendent communities.

Peranakans or Baba Nyonya are believed to be descendants as a result of intermarriage between Chinese and Malay. The male Peranakans are referred to as ‘Babas’ whereas the females are reffered to as ‘Nyonya’. The language that is spoken by the Peranakans is known as ‘Baba Malay’ which consists of a few elements of Hokkien language and they also adopt the Malay dressing styles as their daily attires.

The descendants of Portuguese colonists from sixteenth and seventeenth century are present until this day in Malacca town. Portuguese creole is generally the language that is spoken by them and most of the traditions which is originated from Portuguese occupation are being practiced until today. Many of them have settled down around the Portuguese Settlement area. Besides Christmas, they also celebrate the San Pedro in commemoration of their patron saint.

“Simplicity stood spirited amidst splendour, a glory of expression itself.”

ZI YAN photography

zi yan / photography

zi yan / photography

Royalty

Ornamented columns and roof structure have clearly made the Chinese temple outstanding. The San Duo Temple which is one of a Chinese temple in Malacca, has 217 years of history and it was built in 1795. Inside the temple, the ornaments of the building has indicated its significance as a Chinese temple. The dragon pillars in the temple are the important decoration for Chinese temples and they are common to be seen in Chinese temples because it is believed that dragons are represented as gods by Chinese. The dragon element is a symbol of enlightenment and it also symbolizes its power of clarity, which results in part of the decoration of most of the Chinese temple.

Looking across the picture, there was an old man holding a broom sweeping the floor under the hot sun during the afternoon hours. The old man was unable to be interviewed because he walked away as soon as he saw us.

We only knew that the old man is a longtime volunteer helper in this neighborhood and that he comes to temple every day to clean the temple. It can be seen that this, perhaps is how a life of a senior citizen is in midst of Malacca city.

The overall picture has given a sense of royalty where the old man is fulfilling his daily duty of cleaning the religious temple to welcome the visitors and to give the visitors a religious experience in the temple.

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zi yan / photography

zi yan / photography

Adapt A foreigner who was once a tourist, was seen to be standing in front of an old shop house, selling his hand made handicrafts that were made out of old, worn out denim clothes. He was friendly as I approached him, seeming to be someone that was not local as his appearance has told me that he was clearly a foreigner. The encounter was soon turned to a total surprise as soon as I talked to him.

The conversation started when he asked me about my whereabouts and whether was I a tourist on that day. Apparently, he was a tourist himself too six years ago, where he came to Malaysia for a trip. He then explained that when he spent the rest of his days in Malacca, he quickly fell for this place. He realized that the culture and architecture of this place had him captivated and so he decided not to return his country, Australia instead, he chose to stay in Malacca and keep searching what he had not explore yet. His hand made craftwork is his living tool where tourists admired and appreciated his work by reusing denim cloth to make something new and meaningful.

A talented craftsman who travelled across 3000 miles to Malaysia, left nothing behind to discover more on East Asia’s culture, stepping into Malacca for six years already and his passion were still remained. He adapted, accommodated and communicated for the past six years in the midst of Malacca city, which I believed this is the reason why he chose not to leave to somewhere else yet because this is his second home.

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zi yan / photography

zi yan / photography

Contrast Standing in front of me were two buildings that indicates two different architectural styles. Looking at the picture itself, the late straits eclectic style is being compared with the art deco style of both particular buildings.

Late straits eclectic style is an architectural style that can be seen in Malacca town shop houses which is portrayed in the picture, the building on the left side. This spectacular style implemented rich ornamentations in buildings during the 1910’s till 1930’s. The first thing that went into my mind was the full length louvered windows with fanlights that is ornately carved. The wall surface which is replaced by columns or pilasters framing the windows, is decorated with plaster renderings such as bouquets of flowers, fruits, mythical figures and geometrical shapes. The arrangement of the windows on the façade is actually used to reduce the actual wall space to the minimum and provide maximum ventilation. The columns are of classical order and are beautifully ornate and filled with colours.

Comparing with the art deco style building beside it, the style which was widely used in 1930’s till 1950’s is characterized by the use of straight lines which are arranged vertically or horizontally alongside with other geometric elements, creating a strong sense of vertical or horizontal emphasis to the structure. Stained glass windows are being implemented and arranged in groups rather than the typical three bays commonly observed in the earlier shop houses style which is during the late straits eclectic style. Highlighting the year of construction on the façade of the building is also one of the characteristics of art deco style.

Two of these buildings have given out a sense of contrast, even their functions also differentiate from each other whereby the late straits eclectic style building is used for a café, while the art deco style building is opened as a homemade pottery shop.

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zi yan / photography

zi yan / photography

Tone In Looking across those early and late straits eclectic style town shop houses, there is a tower that stands out among those shop houses. That tower is not from a Chinese temple nor an Indian temple, it is belonged to a mosque which is located at Jalan Harmony.

Kampung Kling Mosque is an old mosque in Malacca city alongside with Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple and Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Jalan Harmony. It was built in 1748 and it was being rebuilt in brick in 1872. The mosque is named as one of the traditional mosque in town, which it still retains its original design. The design of this mosque is combination of Sumatran, Chinese, Hindu, and Melaka Malay.

The tower that is shown in the picture is called a minaret. It is a feature of Islamic architecture and it is the place where the call to prayer is being sent out. The minaret in Kampung KIing Mosque is a pagoda style structure form and it has implemented some Moorish elements which I believed it is an exquisite example of East-meets-West kind of design.

A harmonious feeling was given out in the picture as all the buildings featured similar tones of colours despite its contrast in architectural designs. Sometimes, different blend of styles and design elements from different cultures could result an aesthetically pleasing kind of moment which it reflects the multicultural state very much.

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zi yan / photography

zi yan / photography

Blend In Two different buildings, one is a normal shop house that has Chinese influences on it while facing in front of it is an old Indian temple, all located in the same street, Jalan Harmony.

Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple is the name of the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia. It is also considered as one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in Maritime Southeast Asia and it was constructed in 1781.

The architecture style of this temple was something that had me explored. The architectural style of this building is called Dravidian architecture which it is an architectural term in Hindu temple architecture that has emerged in the southern part of India.

However, there is some differences compared to those South Indian temples whereby simplification of culture and customs are indicated at the Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple. The difference is that South Indians tend to display sculptures of the Hindu gods in many rows while the temple prone to have one row or a picture of one single god in each of the three rows. Not only the temple features colourful stone carved statues of Hindu gods, but it also features ostentatious figures of animals. With a faded exterior of peeling Brahmin-blue paint, the temple is might not seem to be as magnificent as Masjid Kampung Kling but it is still a temple that had lived for 200 years.

Putting the two buildings in the same street, being each other neighbours, even though both buildings are distinct from each other, but surprisingly, there is a sense of harmonious feeling instead of contrasting each other.

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SIGNIFICANT LANDMARKS These three buildings are what defined Harmony Street as the street of racial and religious harmony. Although there are several other worship places on this street, these three were the most significant as they were built the earliest. Having the worship places of three main religions practiced in Malaysia, namely Buddhism, Islam and Hindhuism placed together in such close proximity is a symbol of harmony which should serve as an example for the future generations in Malaysia.

CHENG HOON TENG TEMPLE The temple is the oldest functioning Chinese temple in Malaysia. Built in 1645 by Kapitan Lee Wei King with building materials imported from China, it served as the main place of worship for the local Hokkien community there. This temple practices the Three Doctrinal Systems of Taoism, Confucianism. Located in Jalan Tokong, the layout of this temple conforms to the principles of feng shui. It is richly decorated and has a complex of several prayer hall dedicated to respective Gods. Ancestral stone tablets that tell the story of this temple’s past are also placed within the building. The left wing of the main prayer hall houses the remains of two of the three Kapitans who contributed to the construction of the temple. The temple has a long history of association with the Kapitans China of Malacca, who headed the governance of the local Chinese community.

MASJID KAMPUNG KLING The original structure built by Indian Muslim traders in 1748 was a wooden building and in 1872, it was rebuilt in brick. The mosque is one of the traditional mosques in Melaka, which still retains its original design. The architectural design of the mosque is a cross between Sumatran, Chinese, Hindu, and the Melaka Malay. The minaret, ablution pool and entrance arch were built at the same time with the main building. The kampung kling mosque is named based on the place where Indian traders dwell in that place called Kampung Kling. The minaret resembles a pagoda. The mosque also has a blend of English and Portuguese glazed tiles, Corinthian columns with symmetrical arches in the main prayer hall, a Victorian chandelier, a wooden pulpit with Hindu and Chinese-style carvings, and Moorish cast iron lampposts in the place of ablution for pre-prayer cleansing.

SRI POYYATHA VINAYAGAR MOORTHI TEMPLE It is the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia and one of the few existing Chitty temples in Malaysia. Situated on Jalan Tukang Emas, The temple was built by Thavinayagar Chitty, the leader of the Chitty people, in 1781 after the Dutch colonial government of Malacca gave him a plot of land in the heart of Malacca for the purpose of setting up a Hindu Temple. The temple is dedicated to Vinayagar or Ganesha, the elephant deity. The simplification of culture and customs can be seen at the Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple. Distinct from the South Indian temples, which have a complex Dravidian Architecture in the Pallava style, which displays carved out sculptures of the Hindu gods in many rows, the Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple Chitty temple only has one row, which is a distinct feature of Chitty Temples.

“An unexpected pair huddled close, bloomed a relic of harmony”

THERESA photography

theresa / photography

theresa / photography

FESTAL Looking across the narrow lane, a paired row of continuous shophouses face each other. The shop houses of harmony street have their styles categorized based on their faรงade typology. In this picture, most of the shophouses are of the Early Dutch shophouse style, which is distinguished from the later shophouse styles through the two story height as well as simplicity, rather absence of intricate ornamentations. As of all shophouses in Malacca, they have a narrow faรงade due to the tax levied on the width of the facade by the Dutch government of Melaka during its days of Dutch colonization during the 16th century till the 18th century. The ground floor is recessed five foot into a building, forming a continuous lane shaded by the first floor, famously known as the five foot way. This significant element was introduced by the British in Singapore and spread to Malacca during the Dutch colonization.

A fusion of culture is seen through the elements of these shophouses, one which includes the shutter windows found on the top floor, which is of Malay influence. These windows allowed flexibility for the owner as they could be opened for a view of the street and closed when privacy is needed. The shutter windows were louvred as to allow natural ventilation from the wind blowing in even when the windows were shut. The party walls which separate each shophouse clearly shows influence from the Southern Chinese through its gable ends as well as the terracotta clay roof tiles found on the gable roofs of the shophouses. Engravings of Mandarin words on the pillars of the five foot way were common of shophouses owned by Chinese businesses as a way to capture the attention of passerbys.

The development of high rise buildings in Malacca resulted in a change in backdrop for Harmony street.

What was once the clear blue sky is now congested by tall structures, which also provides a contrast between tradition and development. The lanterns provide an all year festive spirit of the Chinese New year to the street, reflecting the prominence of Chinese culture on Harmony street.

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theresa / photography

theresa / photography

SANDWICHED An interesting characteristic of the shophouses in Harmony street is the variety of style and era they belong in whilst being in such close proximity. As seen in this picture, an Early Dutch shophouse is surrounded by the grandeur of Late Straits Eclectic shophouses on both its side. The reason for this diversity was because of refurbishment done towards the original buildings by wealthy Chinese tradesmen after the late 18th century, which was a transitional period of styles that took place all over the streets in Malacca. The development of reinforced concrete in the 1910’s enabled large spans to be achieved and more elaborate cantilevered details to be incorporated into facades. Advanced shipping technology also allowed the import of decorative materials from Europe to Malacca.

The most prominent difference which could be noticed right away is the difference in height. The Early Dutch shophouse was shorter than its later counterparts. Another comparison that could be made is the ornamentation on the facades. The Early Dutch shophouse façade was absent of decoration of any form, with only two rectangular windows placed symmetrically on its first floor. The Late Straits Eclectic Shophouse had the similar symmetrical arrangement and rectangular shape of windows, however they were lavishly decorated with pilasters topped with capitals of different orders, as well as intricate friezes lining the soffits. The decorations were heavily styled after the European and Chinese influences, as European elements were trendy during that era and Chinese elements was a natural way of the Chinese merchants keeping to their roots. The windows became full length louvred shutter windows with semi circular fanlights above them, an element distinct to the transitional shophouses.

It is seen clearly that the once wooden shutter windows of the Early Dutch shophouse have been replaced with glass louvred windows, which is a move made to suit the present needs of the building’s owner.

Although the function remains, however the essence of the building has dramatically shifted into a contemporary fusion.

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theresa / photography

theresa / photography

AMITY

In the heart of Harmony Street, lays a sight that beholds a phenomenon rare in modern Malaysia. A traditional Malay house wedged in between two Buddhist temples, namely the Xiang Lin Si Temple and Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. This was a testament to the title Harmony Street, as it was a symbol of racial harmony and religious tolerance between the Chinese immigrants and Malay citizens that existed long in Malacca before the independence of Malaysia.

The relationship of Chinese people and the Malaccan state goes back a long way. In fact, Malacca was the first state in Malaysia that Chinese Han settlers came to during the early 15th century. The friendly diplomatic relations between China and Malacca culminated during the reign of Sultan Mansur Syah, who married the Chinese princess Hang Li Po following the arrival of Chinese admiral Cheng Ho. This marriage brought many Chinese people into Malacca as five hundred high ranking youths and maids of noble birth accompanied the princess to Malacca. Cheng Ho also brought along 100 bachelors to Malacca. A significant number of the bachelors and entourages, who were mostly of Hokkien ancestry, married into the populace and created the Peranakan descent.

The existence of this unique community as well as the close proximity of structures of different religions have become a trademark of Malacca, which attracted many tourists from all over the world to marvel at this remarkable phenomenon of peace in Harmony Street. This resulted in Harmony Street becoming a major tourist destination in Malacca, however it still retains its cultural roots as the locals come to do their worshipping in the places of worship daily.

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theresa / photography

theresa / photography

REVERENCE Within the Sam Toh Tong temple lays the main prayer chamber which is dedicated to the Earth God, otherwise known as Tu Di Gong in Chinese. It was believed in Chinese culture that worshipping this God will bring wealth and good fortune. For Chinese merchants, it is believed that the Earth God will protect their businesses. Although the temple is not as well known as Cheng Hoon Teng temple, it is still historically significant. It was built in the year 1795, during the almost end of the Qing dynasty. The temple was named Sam Toh Tong which stood for good fortune, longevity and fertility.

During the establishment of Malacca as a state, there were already Chinese immigrants living there who came from all parts of Northern China. They reached Malacca by boats and most of them made a living there as carpenters, blacksmiths, and construction workers. When the population of Chinese people grew in Malacca, Sam Toh Tong was built not only as a temple, but as an association to unify the Chinese immigrants of Malacca so that they have a place to help each other out and fight for their rights. The temple was also built as tribute to the three Hakka people from Northern China who came to Malaysia, namely Zhang LiďźŒQiu Zhao XiangďźŒand Ma Fu Chun, who are also regarded as the Chinese pioneers of Malaysia.

Apart from bringing in tourists who want to understand the Hakka Buddhism culture in Malacca, the temple is also a place for local people who seek for peace, health, fertility and good fortune. The amount of joss sticks are proof that the temple is frequented by many visitors and the culture of worshipping the God of Wealth still maintains in this day. The stains on the wall are water stains. Although it is referred to as a building defect, the water stains gave the building distinct character of age and existence.

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theresa / photography

theresa / photography

INRICATE

Right in the middle of Tokong street stands a traditional Nyonya beaded slipper shop. These shoes are an important part of the Peranakan Community as they were part of culturally important Peranakan family occasions. In the past, the beaded slippers were made for two occasions in the Peranakan family, which are the happy occasions and sad occasions. The shoes made for happy occasions such as Chinese New Year or birthdays had colourful beads and intricate patterns while the shoes made for sad occasions such as funerals were made with traditional Chinese mourning colours such as black, white and blue, and had simple patterns.

The intricacy and fine workmanship of a pair of beaded slipper is a hallmark of highly accomplished Peranakan women, whose skills in embroidery and beadwork are highly valued. In the past, before a Peranakan lady was to be wed into a family, she had to impress the groom’s mother with her slipper beading skills. The lady would be given a time of approximately three months to complete the slipper. Whether the wedding would be granted was based on the mother’s assessment on the lady’s beaded slippers. Slipper beading is a time consuming process as each individual bead is cross stitched onto a fabric that is framed to provide the right tension for beading. After the beaded mosaic is completed, the fabric is sent to the cobbler to be made into slippers. The Peranakan pattern for the beaded slipper is unique in that even the background is quite ornate resulting in a colorful patterned mosaic with a well-defined border.

This trade is one of the few crafts left over from the Golden Age of Nyonyas, created by the hand of patience and detail. This shop preserved this rare trade so that the culture is kept alive. Unlike authentic Peranakan beaded slippers which had only one bead per stitch, the shop has several beads per stitch to save time. The amount of customers in the shop shows that this culture is still well appreciated in society.

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STATISTICS Types Of Stores At Jalan Harmony The majority of residential at Jalan Jonker are Chinese senior citizens. The second population goes to Malay while Indians are lesser than Malay, because beside Jalan Harmony located a small Malay Kampung.The leseer population are others,eg: goreign.

The largest population are the senior citizen , following by the working class people and children.

Hotel Antique Shops Restaurant CafĂŠ Shop Souvenir Shop Pastry Tailor Temple Mosque Moorthi Farmasi Traditional Shoes Makers Shop Traditional Carves Wooden Traditional Blacksmith Shop Traditional Joss Paper Shop Traditional Coffee Shop

-5 -7 -15 -8 -10 -1 -1 -5 -1 -1 -3 -1 -1 -1 -6 -1

“Patriotism is the virtue of the caring and loving”

JI YANN photography

jiyann / photography

jiyann / photography

curiosity

A tourist was standing at the doorstep of the main entrance arch , and looking forward the interior of the Kampung Kling Mosque. Kampung Kling Mosque is also known as the Kampung Keling Mosque , an old mosque in Malacca City, Malaysia.

The tourist was showing , a curious feeling to the architectural design of Kampung Kling Mosque , because the architectural design of the mosque is a cross between Sumantara, Chinese, Hindu, and the Melaka Malay. Kampung Kling Mosque had strong Javanese and Oriental influences in its architecture. Other than Asia country architectural design or influences , Kampung Kling Mosque also contains English and Portuguese architectural element in this sacred mosque .

The designer of this particular mosque applied western styles glazed tiles on the façade of main prayer hall . There are much different design of glazed tiles found in this mosque , all the glazed tiles are showing blossom pattern. Moreover , Corinthian columns ,the last developed of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture with symmetrical arches were located along the walkway and interior of the main prayer hall .The mosque also has a Victorian chandelier at the center of the main prayer hall, besides as a decoration element , it’s also an important appliance in this mosque.

There were plenty of Chinese-style carvings , that designed around the façade and interior of the main prayer hall and pre-prayer cleansing area. Hindu architectural element that applied in the sacred mosque was a wooden pulpit carving.

Last but not least, Moorish cast-iron lamp-posts also could be found in this pluralism architectural element mosque, it was located in the place of ablution for pre-prayer cleansing.

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jiyann / photography

jiyann / photography

East meet west

During the colonial era 1511th to 1946th of Malacca, Malacca city had been administered by 3 western country ,which is Portuguese ,Dutch and British.Each western country brought a lot their significant culture, architecture style and religion into Malacca city, and it was influenced by the native person of Malacca.Through the colonial era, it brings a lot of changes to our historic state ,Malacca.

The building was applying late straits eclectic style (1910s-1940s) ,decorative facade mixture of Malay, Chinese and western ornaments.Chinese architectural roof style with a combination of Corinthian columns was the features of this historical buildings. The roof in this particular building was designed in green color ,look very similar to bamboo.

In Chinese culture concept, bamboo as a powerful tool to attract abundance, prosperity and helps attracts awesome health for family members. Corinthian describes an ornate columns style developed in ancient Greece and classified as one of the classical orders of architecture. The capital or top part of a Corinthian style column has lavish ornamentation carved to resemble leaves and flowers. Beside this, Corinthian columns also was a combination of Doric and Ionic columns.

This unique architectural building plays a very important role for past, now and future. This building as a witness for a long time ,and it’s also a very precious evidence for western country and east country, it stands for the peaceful coexistence of nation.

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jiyann / photography

jiyann / photography

PatrIotic

Government Malaysia always encourage and mention to their native person through social media or news media, 'Heritage Is Our Country Treasure'. When studies on primary or secondary school, we learn all the important and understand the history of heritage culture or buildings from history subject or civic education.

Through this learning process, every native person should have a strong mindset to help our government pay hard work on this particular issues. Heritage buildings help our country stand up on the world wide stage ,and lets more people familiar with our country.

Nowadays, not only government Malaysia , Non Government Organization also help to conserve heritage buildings , this action was not only for our country benefit , it’s also for our next generation. If heritage buildings or culture didn’t have a good system to conserve it wisely , our next generation may only refer to the internet or textbook to understand and get familiar with this heritage buildings or culture, they may not see this precious heritage buildings or culture anymore.

This building owner plays a good role model for every native person of Malaysia. The owner conserves this building in good condition because of his patriotic to our country ,Malaysia. Owner of this historical building remains the same architecture outlook, the Dutch era shop houses. As a responsible native person of Malaysia ,we should learn from it and start being part of it.

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jiyann / photography

jiyann / photography

PrecIous

The old man standing at the front gate of the historical and traditional restaurant, looking to the environment of Jalan Harmony. This historical and traditional is Teo Soon Leong Restaurant ,located at the beginning of the Jalan Harmony. This traditional restaurant has 80years of history ,the first owner started the business before our country independence. Teo Soon Leong restaurant is very popular among local people and tourist. The most significant icon for Teo Soon Leong restaurant is their own recipe for Teoh Chew Traditional cuisine. BBQ Roasted Piglet, Signature Oyster Noodles, Steam Pomfret Fish in Teochew Style and “Orh Nee”-Yam Dessert is the most signature cuisine of this restaurant. This restaurant is very popular among local people and tourist .Beside that ,this restaurant also awarded 2014 winner-Excellent Restaurant, based on the following rating by guests of Tripadvisor.

Since February 2017 ,Teo Soon Leong have been moved to a new location, Kota Laksamana, a more comfortable area.

After relocated the restaurant, the old restaurant has become a residential location. Harmony Street situated beside Jonker Street ,every day have a lot of tourist pass by the shophouses. Through the changes of time , exterior of the shophouses looks outmoded ,but at the same moment the furnish and decorate they maintain the same from the past. Old style bike , storage-bench and notice board ,giving the tourist a reminiscence feeling. The notice-board who situated at the exterior wall, still showing the past event poster, promoting the heritage of Jonker Street, Heeren Street and Harmony Street.

Food is the primary demand for human, a restaurant will be an important place to fulfill the needs of human. A restaurant not only playing a role provides food to the customer , it’s also a place for people take a rest after a day of hard work .Through the times, Teo Soon Leong Restaurant already became a precious memory for Jalan Harmony.

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jiyann / photography

jiyann / photography

the past tense

One of the oldest village recorded since the Dutch era in Melaka is ‘Kampung Ketek’ or Ketek Village. Ketak Village history can be tracked down on the transcript in the Malay saga,”Hikayat Abdullah “ written by famous Malay literary figure in 18th century, and now he has been describing as “The Father of Modern Malay Literature” – Abdullah Munsyi. At the past, Kampung Ketek was called Kampung Pali. Now it is surrounded by old shop houses and strategically located in the UNESCO world heritage zone. Ketek village can be easily found by walking along Jonker Street and Harmony Street. Just opposite the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple you will see a signage ‘Kampung Ketek’. At Ketek Village reside the legendary Abdullah Munsyi house and Syamssudin AlSumatrani Tomb. Syamssuddin Al-Sumatrani Tomb dated back in Portuguese period – 16th Century.

During 1991, our former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Yang Amat Berbahgia Tun Dr.Mahathir bin Mohamad introduced sixth Malaysian Plan which is WAWASAN 2020, a Malaysian idea. The vision calls for the nation to achieve a self-sufficient industrialized nation by the year 2020, encompasses all aspects of life, from economic prosperity, social well-being, educational world-class, political stability, as well as psychological balance. Through this planning ,a lot of changes had made to this historical village. Technological ,economic or culture for this village had been changing a lot through the times. As you can refer from the photo, cable is installed for the convenient of villagers. Villagers also applied satellite at their house for their own entertainment, this action also showed ,villagers, are upgrading their entertainment through the transformation of a country.

Beside that evolution, many modern buildings are built around the Ketak Village. No matter residential, office tower or hotel , it’s showing this places had been success keep up the changes of the times. A transforming country without the support from native person is a fail planning ,but for our country, it’s an opposite situation.

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References Dimen, Y. (2016, August 27). Walking in Harmony: 4 Religious Places to Visit at Temple Street, Malacca, Malaysia. Retrieved November 27, 2017, from https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2012/08/harmony-temple-street-walking-tour-malaccamalaysia/ K. (n.d.). Malacca ~ Harmony & Jongker Street. Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://abckualalumpur.com/info_guide/melaka4.html (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://www.hbp.usm.my/conservation/SeminarPaper/peranakan%20cina.html An Influence of Colonial Architecture to Building Styles and Motifs in Colonial Cities in Malaysia. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://www.malaysiadesignarchive.org/an-influenceof-colonial-architecture-to-building-styles-and-motifs-in-colonial-cities-in-malaysia An Influence of Colonial Architecture to Building Styles and Motifs in Colonial Cities in Malaysia. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://www.malaysiadesignarchive.org/an-influenceof-colonial-architecture-to-building-styles-and-motifs-in-colonial-cities-in-malaysia

(n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2017, from http://www.data.gov.my/data/ms_MY/dataset?q=%2Bmelaka&sort=metadata_modified%2Bde sc Melaka Baba Nyonya. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2017, from https://www.malaysiavacationguide.com/baba-nyonya.html