Straits Chinese Cultural Hotel in Penang

Straits-Chinese were defined as those born or living in the Straits Settlements: a British colonial territory consisting of Penang, Malacca and Singapore constituted in 1826.

Also known as Peranakan, they partially adopted Malay customs and spoke a Chinese-Malay dialect of which many words contributed to Penang Hokkien as well (such as "Ah Bah" which means Mister, referring to a man as "Baba"). The Peranakan community possessed a distinct identity in terms of food, dress, rites, crafts and culture. The room seen here shows antiques from Penang decorated in this style, recreating a Chinese guest house of the 1880s.

The Peranakan Chinese practised a form of ancestor worship and Chinese religion, while some were Christians. They prided themselves on being Anglophone and distinguished themselves from the newly arrived Chinese. The Peranakan culture is said today to be almost extinct due to re-absorption into the mainstream Chinese community, and/or becoming Westernised.

This was a Community very much engendered by the British Empire and its holding in the 18th Century of the there ports on the coast of Malaya.