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MERGED ~ PENANG BRIDGE Pictures & Panoramas + shopslot
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taken from City Bayview
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Pictures and article from Asia Explorers
One of the massive main columns of the Penang Bridge. Each stands at a height of 101.5 metres, half the height of Komtar.
It took 40 years for the dream of building a bridge to link Penang Island to the mainland to become a reality. Even as early as 1940's, there was traffic congestion on the old ferry terminal.
According to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, former Chief Minister of Penang, "The authorities considered expanding the ferry service. They also considered having another ferry terminal at another point, or building an island-mainland linkage either with a bridge or a tunnel. As far as I remember, ever since I have been in public life, the question of a linkage with the mainland had been mooted and there were proponents for the bridge, for the tunnel and for another ferry terminal.
"From the late 1950s onwards, there were more people in favour of the bridge."
In the late 1960s, the bridge concept was given added impetus because there was a feeling that Seberang Prai, the mainland part of Penang State, was being neglected in terms of development. When the Gerakan victory swept Tun Dr Lim into power in 1969, the bridge project was pushed ahead because it was in line with the party's election manifesto. However, nothing materialised, and the bridge project became a standing joke at every general election.
It was another decade before any concrete step towards constructing the bridge was to take form. As the eighties roll in, the government of Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamed pushed forward the project. On April 10, 1981, then Utilities Minister Datuk S. Samy Velu announced that the Government was considering two different designs for the bridge - the steel-tied arch in the style of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the cable-stayed concrete girder of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge.
The decision to go with the latter design was announce on 23 July 1981. At that time, the price tag for the bridge was $629 million (yes, at that time, we were still using the $ sign instead of RM). Two months later, the price has been revised upwards to $744 million. It was projected that 50,000 people will use the bridge every day, or about 20 million a year. In April 1982, Dr Mahathir sank the first pile and the dream got closer to coming true.
Between 1981 and 1985, the people of Penang waited eagerly as the bridge took shape over the horizon. Finally on April 13, 1985, Penang island ceased being an island when it was physically linked to the mainland for the first time with the laying of the final slab of the bridge. By the time the finishing touches were put in place, around mid August, 1985, the Federal Government has spent $850 million on the bridge, of which $525 million was for the bridge itself, $180 million for the interchanges on the Prai side, and $28.7 million for land reclamation.
The bridge has an overall length of 13.5km (8.4 miles), with 8.4km over water. The four towers in mid span is 101.5 metres tall, and the bridge is 33 metres above water. The total length of piling for the bridge is 648km, equal to the distance from Butterworth to Johor Bahru. The bridge can withstand earthquake up to 7.5 on the Richter scale.
More than 2300 people were involved in the construction, including about 800 South Koreans from the main contractor, Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. Twenty workers died in the construction, with the worst tragedy occuring on October 20, 1984 when five were killed when a crossbeam collapsed.
On Saturday, August 3, 1985, Dr Mahathir drove across the bridge in a red Proton Saga, bringing two national dreams to reality. By his side was Datin Seri Dr Siti Hasmah and in the back seat were Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, then Works Minister Datuk S. Samy Vellu and Proton Chairman Tan Sri Jamil Jan.
Finally, on Sunday, September 15, 1985, the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Dr Awang Hassan, opened the bridge to the public and became its first user.
Today 70,000 people use the Penang Bridge daily, with the number exceeding its full capacity of 100,000 on some days. Already plans are afoot to construct a Second Link, from Batu Maung on Penang Island to Batu Kawan on the Prai side. The project, which will be even longer than the present bridge, is expected to commence in 2006, under the 9th Malaysia Plan, and construction is expected to take five years. Until then, the Penang Bridge will continue to be the beloved longest link in Malaysia.
more pics---> http://www.asiaexplorers.com/penangbridge/index.htm |
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Penang's old buildings and shophouses
Buildings with character
When every tourist destination in the world can offer beaches, Prada handbags and cappucino, what is unique about Malaysia? What about our historical towns? More important than the tourist dollar, would we lose our identity if our traditional architecture were "developed" into Western-style "modern" buildings? ANDREW SIA examines what various heritage experts have to say.
A pre-war building on Beach Street, George Town.--Photo by K.T. GOH.
Heritage is becoming a crucial tourism product. After all, the best way to compete against Thailand抯 nightlife/beaches, China抯 cheap shopping and Bali抯 temples is to promote something uniquely Malaysian. Indeed, our mix of historical Malay, Chinese, Indian and colonial buildings (and the culture associated with them) is found nowhere else in the world.
More important than the tourist dollar, our architecture is part of our identity. For instance, if Malacca抯 antique shophouses were renovated beyond recognition with sheet glass, aluminium windows and shiny new tiles, perhaps the most concrete part of the Baba-Nyonya legacy would have disappeared |
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Pic by Pablo
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Pics and subtitles by Choo Tse Chien
Standard Chartered Building Beach Street Georgetown Penang
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ilding_1_.jpeg?6039
The colonial British left Georgetown with an indellible architectural mark even up to today (after all they only left in 1957). A big part of the charm of Penang is the many colonial buildings in Georgetown and after years of tear down & rebuild modernisation, there is now a new urgency to restore & maintain such buildings. The Standard Chartered building is located along Beach Street, one of the first streets of Penang after its discovery by Sir Francis Light in 1789 and the banking & financial hub of Penang.
Colonial Building Georgetown Dispensary Beach Street Penang
 ?4903
The colonial British left Georgetown with an indellible architectural mark even up to today (after all they only left in 1957). A big part of the charm of Penang is the many colonial buildings in Georgetown and after years of tear down & rebuild modernisation, there is now a new urgency to restore & maintain such buildings.
Government Building Along Farquhar Street Georgetown Penang
 ?2518
The colonial British left Georgetown with an indellible architectural mark even up to today (after all they only left in 1957). A big part of the charm of Penang is the many colonial buildings in Georgetown and after years of tear down & rebuild modernisation, there is now a new urgency to restore & maintain such buildings. Many are now used by the state government as offices, museums and courthouses. |
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City Hall looks alot like the old Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Chambers.
Shophouses are very common in Singapore.It gets so common that you may not look at them. |
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No 10 Downing Street
 ?8244 |
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Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
i wonder if Cheong Sze Hoong is related?? Hmmm.......
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ansion_1_.jpeg?8173
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ansion_2_.jpeg?3023
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ansion_3_.jpeg?4275
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ansion_4_.jpeg?5805
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ansion_5_.jpeg?3604
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ansion_6_.jpeg?7992
http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data ... ansion_7_.jpeg?8327
(pics by Solomon Siu)
 ?3281
 ?5023
A Unique Heritage Experience
Located in the historic inner city of George Town, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, dazzling in its original indigo-blue, is the mysterious Orient's best preserved paradigm Chinese courtyard house. Painstakingly restored in recent years, the myth behind "China's last Mandarin & first Capitalist" is revealed in the architecture that incorporates 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases & 220 vernacular timber louvre windows. The winner of UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Heritage 2000 Award for Conservation, the building's eclectic character is a reflection of the times at the end of the 19th Century when the myths & magic of the Chinese Kingdom embraced the glory of the British Empire in a whirling pool of cross-cultural energies.
110 years of history resonates within its cool, secluded, tropical spaces. 16 uniquely themed bedrooms of generous proportions echo the interior styles of various periods of human endeavour in Penang. A talented team of local & foreign artists lovingly crafted plans as interpretations of an ambience that evokes images of the days of wives, concubines & handmaidens aplenty, coyly hiding behind gilded Chinese lattice screens & gossamer silk curtains. To stay is to discover the beauty of "Jian Nian", "Feng Shui" & other lost arts within. The legacy of the consul of the Ching Dynasty in Malaya & Singapore beckons to you.
The Owner-hosted Home Stay
The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion owner-hosted home-stay offers short and long-term residential stays in 16 uniquely themed bedroom apartments. These vary in size from the Scholar's Suite to the Straits Suite and others of equally exotic disposition. All rooms are fully air-conditioned [or ceiling fans if you wish] and come with an en-suite bathroom and a personal valet. Common facilities include 2 archive rooms, a reading room, a TV room, an alfresco breakfast area in the courtyard, landscaped gardens, private car-parking and 24-hour security.
Architecture
The Mansion, dazzling in its original indigo-blue, incorporates 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows. Master craftsmen were imported from China, in the 1880's and again in the restoration in the 1990s. The paradigm Chinese Courtyard House has been embellished with Chinese timber carvings and porcelain cut & paste decorative shard works as well as Gothic louvred windows, art nouveau stained glass panels, Stoke-on-Trent floor tiles and Scottish cast iron works. It is an edifice of impressive delicacy, awesome in its "feng shui" subtleties and is an extraordinary tribute to the construction and design skills of the past.
The inner city mansion was acquired in 1990 in an extremely dilapidated state. A Grade One restoration has been carried out and has culminated in the project being judged the winner in the UNESCO Heritage 2000 Awards. 'History was preserved by meticulously applying extensive research on the architecture, traditional artisan skills and materials to the restoration' - has had enormous impact and influence on the preservation movement in Penang - and serves as a model for the restoration projects throughout the city of Georgetown and indeed, the broader region.'
The Owners
In 1990, a small group of Heritage preservationists led by Laurence Loh, an architect, acquired the Mansion to ensure that it would be maintained & conserved for posterity. Insensitive development would have ruined an irreplaceable cultural asset.
Why Restore?
The mansion was then in an extremely dilapidated state. In respect for its unique qualities, it was necessary to restore the building as closely as possible back to its original fabric & form in order to preserve its cultural significance.
About the Restoration
A Grade One restoration was carried out. This culminated in the project being judged the winner in the UNESCO Heritage 2000 Awards cycle. The citation read, "History was preserved by meticulously applying extensive research on the architecture, traditional artisan skills & materials to the restoration?.. has had enormous impact & influence on the preservation movement in Penang ?. and serves as a model for restoration projects throughout the City of Georgetown & indeed, the broader region". The international guidelines for conservation with authenticity were followed & where necessary traditional materials were imported from China.
About the Man
Epitomizing the rags-to-riches story, Cheong Fatt Tze left China, a penniless 16-year-old in 1856 and grew to become a one-man multinational conglomerate.
Dubbed "China's last Mandarin and first capitalist", Cheong was honoured with the title of "Rockefeller of the East" by the New York Times. Consult General for China, Mandarin of the Highest Order, director of China's railway and first modern bank, flags were ordered to be flown at half-mast by the Dutch and the British in their colonies, to honour this man when he passed away in 1916. Although he had homes throughout the East, he chose Penang as his operational base and built a late 19th Century architectural legacy of the highest order. It was designed to reflect his stature as well as to embody his ability to successfully combine an eclectic approach to life.
Conservation Experience
The cycle of life has been restored to the Mansion, to reactivate the intrinsic meaning of the place. As a private, inward-looking home, the values of family life & filial piety were nurtured by Cheong Fatt Tze who led by word & deed. Except for the incorporation of modern sanitary & ventilation amenities in the bedrooms, the original building fabric has been lovingly restored in pursuit of authenticity.
High ceilings timber floorboards on joists, ventilated rooms with open cast iron fanlights, sheltered verandahways around courtyards open to the sky, hand-plastered walls, lime-wash in Indigo Blue & Chinese lacquered doors & windows are some elements that pay respect to the traditions of a distant past. The ambience is as it was.
A door will slam with the breeze. The thud of footsteps on floorboards will transmit a rhythm. The sounds of human voices will travel within the house, expressing the whole range of human emotions. Handcrafted windows will expand in the rainy season. Colours will fade under the hot tropical sun & painters, carpenters & artisans will labour continually to maintain the high quality of traditional craft, even whilst breakfast is served.
The human rhythms of the place will be the core of its existence. This is the essence of the life & times of Cheong Fatt Tze in his favourite home in Asia, the seat of his Nanyang Empire. This experience is yours to share. Expect it to be different, for sometimes it can be unyielding to modernity & contemporary values.
Blessed by the spirit of great architecture & a sense of community, the place invites us to take a step back into the past.
website: http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com/ |
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Category: Negeri & Negara
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Post time 9-1-2008 01:09 AM
变色卡
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