Saturday, June 16, 2012

Medium Format at Penang - Cultural Rich Chinese Heritage

I have always wanted to do a trip with my Medium format camera..but its always unlikely to happen especially if i were to bring my DSLR along. The medium format cameras are usually heavy and bulky and to bring it along with a DSLR seems rather impossible. So on my recent trip to Penang, i decided to forego the choice of Digital.

As i was with my family this trip to Penang, i had limited personal time for photography and whenever i could, i would try to capture as much as possible. This trip, i managed to finish a roll of Acros 100 and a roll of Fuji NPC 160 which was expired since 2002. The results was pleasant to me...

We stayed at Gurney Beach Resort(Located at Lim Chin Guan Road) and had the seaview of the Beach each day.

On my 2nd day there, the sky was blue and the water was clear. My family was resting in the hotel and I strolled down the beach alone to get some shots..
This is where most of the fisherman park their boats after their daily catch.
Fuji NPC 160 (5)

Fuji NPC 160nf

Fuji NPC 160 (2)

In Penang, there are a few heritage trail.. Penang Khoo Kongsi is one of them and is a part of the ‘Goh Tai Seh’ (five big clans) that formed the backbone of the Hokkien community in olden-days Penang. Fuji NPC 160 (18)

Fuji NPC 160 (17)

Fuji NPC 160 (21)Fuji NPC 160 (19)

My little model which i spend a fair bit of time looking after him.. Fuji NPC 160 (20)

This place gets lighted up in the evening and the best pictures displayed for this Kongsi are actually taken at night..its a pity i cant visit it again in the evening..

 The Yap Kongsi temple is another clan in Penang. The forefathers of Yap families in Penang mostly originated from Fujian Province of Southern China .
 Looking for greener pasture was the main reason that made the Chinese migrated to Penang back in 19th century being coolies at the beginning and soon turned into traders at the bustling port city of Penang. Fuji NPC 160 (13)

Fuji NPC 160 (8)

The famous Peranakan Mansion..
Built at the end of the 19th century by one of local history’s famous personalities, the ‘Hai Kee Chan’ or Sea Remembrance Store had once served as the residence and office of Kapitan Cina Chung Keng Kwee. Though not a Baba himself, his Chinese courtyard house was much like a typical large Baba home of eclectic style, incorporating Chinese carved-wood panels and English floor tiles and Scottish ironworks. Having survived the many decades of neglect and decay, the mansion has now been restored to its former glory of a stately home.

 This was also where the Little Nonya was filmed. As i was on Acros 100, i was pretty restrictive on the shots i could take here...but the mood of the place is really nice from this negative. Acros 100 (3)

Acros 100 (6)

Acros 100 (2)

While my family went to Praglin mall to hide away from the scotching sun, i made my own way along the streets of Penang George town.

Similar to Malacca, this place preserved its own nostalgic feel. Acros 100

Acros 100 (10)

Fuji NPC 160 (10)

Acros 100 (5)

Acros 100 (7)

Coincidentally, i walked into another heritage landmark,
 The Goddess of Mercy Temple in Penang George Town or fondly known locally as 'Kuan Yin Teng' in Hokkien dialect. Being the one of the oldest Chinese temples in Penang, it was built in 1728 by Chinese settlers boasting Hokkien and Cantonese architecture. Acros 100 (11)

It was a small temple but bustling with activities here.. Acros 100 (12)

A beggar outside the temple Acros 100 (9)

A little distant away, situated along Pitt Street, the Kapitan Keling Mosque is Penang’s first-ever mosque built in the 19th century, which is also the largest and one of the oldest mosques in town. This was an unintentionally double exposure that was done due to the film advance jammed..i had a fright when this happened but glad that it gotten me something special here... Fuji NPC 160 (11)

Retook the shot. Fuji NPC 160 (12)

There are definitely more places to cover here...and my pictures might not be a good representation of the place. Penang is definitely an island of rich Chinese heritage.

 A last picture of the sea on my last day there before we depart back to Singapore. Acros 100 (4)

Yashica 124G, 
Acros 100, Dil H, HC110
Fuji NPC 160 (Expired 2002)

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