Things to see and do Georgetown

The kongsi has a dual function. It enables members of the same family clan to gather together, and it serves as a temple dedicated to a family's ancestors. Penang has many kongsi, but the Khoo's is by far the finest. The Khoo, a powerful family from Fujian, built their kongsi in 1851 and added a temple in 1894. On the eve of its inauguration, after many years of work, the temple was destroyed by fire. Only the image of Tua Sai Yeah was spared. The fire was attributed to the anger of the gods at such a pretentious construction. The temple was rebuilt more modestly and completed in 1906. A major renovation was completed in 2017.

As you emerge from Cannon Square, it's a shock to discover this indescribable, glittering mass. In addition to its superb bas-reliefs, the courtyard features two lions, two imposing granite Sikh guardians and two even larger Chinese guardians. The main hall houses statues of Tua Sai Yeah and Ong Son Tai Sai, Yar Yar. To the left opens the ancestor worship hall, and in the third hall reigns Tua Peh Kong, ruddy and happy. Plaques on the walls bear the names of Khoo who have succeeded in their studies or careers. Black ebony furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl is everywhere. Opposite, the festival hall: this is where the bonzes gather for religious ceremonies and where wayangs are performed.

Information about the history of Penang and the various monuments of the city, to discover following the Heritage Trail. Unfortunately closed on weekends.

Passed the ark on which its name is written, entering a red courtyard. The temple houses a beautiful altar with four statues of Killed Péh Kong, easily recognisable to its happy air and pilgrim's stick. Above the statues is a covered parchment parchment.

To go to the most famous Georgetown building, Dr Kongsi, you have to take Cannon Street, between the Yap Temple and the Chinese bistro, with, on the right, beautiful restored Chinese houses. We turn left under a vault named Cannon Square, which is the place where Dr Kongsi rises. On the left, facing the temple, a narrow lane overlooks Lebuh Armenian. The holes, visible in the walls, dates fighting between secret societies, around 1860. The windows were bouchées, because we were pulled from one window to the other, and, as the ruelle is not 2 m wide, you could not miss it! In order to restore order, the English were forced to bring the Singapore Sepoys to the barrel of the belligerents. Hence the name of Cannon Square.

Be sure to visit this unusual neighborhood to round off your historic tour of Georgetown. Located along Weld Quay, this collection of houses on stilts was built in the late ^19th century. Originally, the shoreline was littered with the detritus of wood, planks and firewood from various construction sites. In 1882, the local council undertook the construction of Weld Quay. Wooden piers were added for docking and delivering goods. Very quickly, houses were built around these pontoons, controlled by different clans. Each clan had control over the work (and workers) that took place on each pontoon. There were originally 7 of them, but one burned down and was never rebuilt. Comfort was modest, and running water didn't arrive until 1957. Until then, the inhabitants fuelled up by filling old kerosene cans and rolling them from the town to the piers. Even today, the six wooden pontoons belong to different clans. It's pleasant to wander through these mazes of wooden lanes, lined with houses, shops and Chinese temples, where a nonchalant atmosphere reigns. Chew Jetty is the most unspoilt, but also the most touristy. Venture instead to the other, more picturesque piers. Families have lived here for generations, and thousands of tourists pass through every year. Ask their permission before photographing them.

This is the pride of the Penangites, their tropical Bois de Boulogne created in 1884 by Charles Curtis on the site of an old quarry. The whole area, including the tarmac roads, is immaculately clean. The garden includes a 30-hectare domesticated tropical forest divided into 12 sectors. Orchids, ferns, bamboos and cacti stand side by side with century-old trees. Monkeys used to be a major attraction, but due to their numbers and aggressiveness, park rangers are trying to contain them at the entrance to the park. It is now forbidden to feed them.

This mansion bears witness to the rich heritage of the Peranakan, the first Chinese to settle in the Strait of Malacca colonies that include Malacca, Singapore and Penang. It was built at the end of the ^19th century as the residence of the former kapitan cina Chung Keng Kwee. Although not a baba himself, he ensured that his house was decorated in the Peranakan style. He was one of the richest men in the Strait at the time, founder of the town of Taiping, and he sought to impress the community. Initially, the house was home to the Ghee Hin secret society. The tour takes us through perfectly restored rooms that bear witness to unparalleled opulence. Styles blend to form a harmonious whole: Chinese openwork wood panels, Scottish ironwork, patterned English tiles, hand-blown glass chandeliers... The furniture is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the woodwork gilded with fine gold. The house contains over 1,000 curios and antiques. Each new room is even more luxurious than the last, with a special mention for the games room, where you can guess the frenzied games of mah-jongg and poker that must have taken place under the light of the huge chandelier. The rooms are arranged around a flower-filled courtyard, where the monumental staircase leads to the first floor. You can round off your visit to this Peranakan mansion with a tour of the Chung Keng Kwee temple next door.

This temple is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Goodness. It's Georgetown's oldest Chinese temple, built in 1728. The entrance is through a large granite-paved courtyard, overrun with pigeons that let themselves be fatally fed by devotees. At the center of the courtyard stand two green lions and two enormous cauldrons for the most serious cases. Barren women, or those unfortunate enough to have only daughters, throw incense sticks(joss sticks) into the cauldrons in whole bundles. The first temple, with walls and ceilings blackened by incense smoke, is dedicated to Kuan Yin. On the roof stand the traditional dragons, also carved on the entrance pillars. At the far end, in a glass cage, the goddess appears, crowned and dressed in a red or white gown, depending on the festival. The temple is not very large, and the worshippers, mostly women, must not be disturbed. More rarely mentioned, behind the temple, a building is preceded by a courtyard. Against its wall, a hilarious Buddha holds in his hands the blue bag from which all happiness will flow when he returns to Earth. Two other Kuan Yin statues can also be seen here. In the background, facing the Buddha, Kuan Yu, god of learning and war (Kuan Kong, see "Nin Yong Temple" below), appears surrounded by mandarins who have brilliantly obtained their parchment donkey skins. This god is particularly revered by students. The place is peaceful and the incense smoke more bearable in the open air.

Fort Cornwallis was built in 1786 on the very spot where Captain Francis Light, founder of the Penang colony, set foot on land. Initially built of wood, it was rebuilt in brick between 1804 and 1805. What remains is the enclosure, 3 m wide in places and around 3.50 m high, the cannons and, on the left as you enter, the cells, now renamed the Memorial Gallery. Here you can see photos, engravings and read vague historical explanations. The famous Sri Rambai cannon stands at the corner of the fort, and is easy to recognize: it's the only wheeled bronze cannon on the island. The cannon is famous in Malayan straw huts thanks to the following facts. Its builder, a Dutchman by the name of Jan Burgerhuis, arrived on the island in 1603, and offered it to the Sultan of Johor in 1606 to help him in his fight against Malacca. In 1795, the cannon passed into the hands of the Sultan of Selangor. When an English junk was attacked in the area and sunk, the English retaliated by raiding the island and seizing 29 cannons, which they loaded onto a ship named the Sri Rambai. The cannon was part of the cargo. Deemed useless as it was out of fashion, it was thrown overboard and remained at the bottom of the sea until 1800, when it was solemnly raised in the presence of the Vice-Sultan of Selangor. Since then, it is said that barren women flower it in the hope that this gift will turn the wheel of fertility. You can walk around the enclosure. The chapel in the right-hand corner is not open to visitors.

Built in the heart of Little India over 200 years ago, Sri Maha Mariamman is Penang's oldest Hindu temple. The entrance tower, called a gopuram, is richly carved and decorated with colorful representations of deities and sacred animals. Since pujahs, or prayers, take place in the morning, don't hesitate to come and observe the ceremonies of offerings to the deities performed by the temple's priests. A fascinating and disconcerting experience.