added a history subsection
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Revision as of 05:24, 25 February 2017
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George Town has a rather relaxed pace of life, which also made the city attractive for expatriates and foreign retirees, especially from Britain, Australia, the United States, Japan and Singapore. The city truly springs to life in the evenings, when most local Penangites head to the nearby street hawkers to have their meals and, sometimes, a couple of drinks.
George Town has a rather relaxed pace of life, which also made the city attractive for expatriates and foreign retirees, especially from Britain, Australia, the United States, Japan and Singapore. The city truly springs to life in the evenings, when most local Penangites head to the nearby street hawkers to have their meals and, sometimes, a couple of drinks.
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=== History ===
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[[File:Penang Museum historical painting N171b.jpg|left|thumb|George Town in the early 19th century]]
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[[Penang]]'s modern history really began with the founding of George Town by Francis Light. Light had landed on the island, which was part of [[Kedah]] at the time, on 17 July 1786. After successfully negotiating with the then Sultan of Kedah regarding the cession of Penang Island to the British East India Company, Light and his crew returned to the island on 11 August, raised the ''Union Jack'' and established George Town as the newest settlement in the British Empire.
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[[File:Fort Cornwallis Eck.JPG|thumb|Fort Cornwallis was built on the spot where Francis Light first landed on 17 July 1786.]]
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Penang was the first British foothold in Southeast Asia, and George Town's strategic location within the Malacca Straits allowed the settlement to be developed into a major entrepot. In the beginning, Penang was the centre of the booming spice trade, with spices cultivated on Penang Island being exported out from George Town. In the late 19th century, Malaya's two most vital commodities, tin and rubber, would also be shipped out of George Town.
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George Town was briefly made the capital of the Straits Settlements, which also included [[Singapore]] and [[Malacca]]. In 1832, the capital was relocated to Singapore owing to the latter's superior location and greater economic preeminence. Nonetheless, George Town continued to grow as one of the largest towns in Malaya.
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The Straits Settlements was made a British crown colony in 1867. Direct British rule ushered in an era of prosperity in George Town; crime and triads were largely eradicated, while colonial administrative buildings (many of which are still in use today) were constructed and the port expanded. Banks and mercantile firms flocked to George Town, developing Beach Street into the town's financial centre.
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Penang was invaded by the Japanese in December 1941. Not only did the British retreat with barely a fight, they also evacuated the Europeans while leaving behind the majority Asian population to the mercy of the Japanese. A brutal period of Japanese occupation followed, during which thousands of Chinese were targeted for systematic massacres. Upon the end of [[Pacific War|World War II]], George Town became the first town in Malaya to be liberated by British forces.
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George Town was granted city status in 1957 by the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first city in the Federation of Malaya. It was also the first city in Malaysia to have a fully elected local council, with municipal elections being introduced in 1951.
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However, the city declined during the post-independence decades that followed. George Town's free port status was revoked in the 1960s, sparking off massive unemployment, an economic downturn and brain drain, as Penangites looked for greener pastures. Concurrently, the development of Port Klang near [[Kuala Lumpur]] as [[Malaysia]]'s main harbour took away much of George Town's maritime trade. In the 1970s, the construction of Komtar Tower proved controversial, as several heritage buildings and even entire streets were erased off the map. By the 1990s, Komtar fell into disrepair, with the project as a whole never completed.
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[[File:Penang city hall 3.jpg|thumb|The City Hall was built in 1903 and is still in use by the city council.]]
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In the early 2000s, media reports about the decline of George Town, including its derelict pre-war buildings, dirty streets and poor traffic management, led to vigorous conservation efforts to bring back the glory of the '''Pearl of the Orient''<nowiki/>'. The widespread dissatisfaction with the decline of George Town also led to the ruling party being replaced by the opposition in the 2008 elections.
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Since then, the state government (now governed by the opposition) and the local council have stepped up efforts to clean up George Town, improve its traffic flow and public transportation, and rebrand the city's living cultural heritage and attractions. Consequently, George Town has been undergoing a renaissance of sorts; it was accorded [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]] status in 2008 and ranked the most livable city in Malaysia by ECA International.
===People===
===People===