Research in Asian Architecture

Chew Jetty
Penang
Chai Phey Chiat
Ho Pei San
Joslyn Siew Zi Tong
Poh Weng Chuan
Serene Lim Jia Yi
Wesley Wong Teck Won
0334480
0332992
0334488
0319951
0334258
0330496
Challenges in Conserving
the Historical Site and
Architectural Identity of the
Cultural Heritage

Introduction
In 1998, World Heritage Site
(WHS) for George Town was
nominated and it was in the
waiting list of UNESCO’s
World Heritage Center.
In July 2008, George Town
got approval and achieved a
WHS status (The Star
Online, 2008)
historical site in George Town
Penang, Chew Clan Jetty is
one of the longest and best
preserved clan jetties located
along Weld Quay.
1 2 3

In the past, the jetty was just
a port, where fishermen use
it as a place for loading,
trade and disembarking for
boats.
Today, Chew Jetty has been
established as a
commercialize place due to
tourism and activities. The
site itself has become
sustainable due to
economical benefits in return
from mass tourism.
Introduction
4
5

With lack of documentation, people in
present days will begin to neglect its
historical values, thus it will diminish and
its knowledge will not be educated and
appreciate by future generation
Abstract
Objective of Research
document the
conservation on a
cultural heritage
site that has been
stood for decades
how its past and present
affected its contextual
quality and under
appreciate by modern
society
Benefit of Researching on
These Issues in Conserving
Cultural Heritage
lead to
understanding of its
characteristic of
contextual site
By doing this research, we are able to
identify the causes of problems in
conserving the heritage place, such as
tourism impact, sustainable
management, quality of maintenance
and lack of involvement
21

Methodology
Extraction:
● The retrieved informations are skim and
scan thoroughly before it is extracted
and put to the content.
Case study:
● The beginning of the procedure was to
study the programme and factual data
happen in the core zone(George
Town), then started to research on
conservation methods on the historical
site.
● The case study also lead to issues in
conserving Chew Jetty, which
responsible to its context.
Data collection methods:
● By using a reliable resource such as
internet we are able to access to different
resources based on conservation issues
on cultural heritage.
● All the supporting evidence are retrieved
based on references from different
authors through electronic-book, reports
and scholarly articles. The data was
analysed and collected before hand.

Literature review
Cultural Heritage Tourism
Cultural heritage tourism means traveling to experience the
places and activities that authentically represent the
stories and people of the past and present. It includes
irreplaceable historic, cultural and natural resources
(Cultural Heritage Tourism 2010 Fact Sheet, National Trust for Historic
Preservation)
Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessments
for Cultural World Heritage Properties
Conservation is about managing sustainable change. Every
reasonable effort should be made to avoid, eliminate or
minimise adverse impacts on attributes that convey
Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and other significant
places. Ultimately, however, it may be necessary to balance
the public benefit of the proposed change against the harm
to the place. In the case of WH properties this balance is
crucial.
(Clause 6-2, Publication of International Council on Monuments and
Sites)

1. What is the issue concerning on conserving a
heritage site while maintaining its own identity?

Key Issue:
Human Behaviour Towards Cultural Heritage
This allows attraction towards visitors
which in turn creates different impact
in conserving a heritage site.
Where human behaviour influence
the most and leads to various issues
such as:
Mass Tourism •
Fading of History and Cultural Identity •
Destructive Effect •
Question of issue:
As part of WHS under UNESCO, the
development brought huge impact into
economical gain, which increase of
demand towards human behaviour need.

Communicate the Outstanding Universal
Values (OUVs) of the WHS to increase
broader understanding and appreciation, and
thus ensure conservation and safeguarding
of the WHS.
Solutions:
Ensure broad stakeholder participation in
the management of tourism activities at the
site.
1
2

2. How Does Cultural Heritage Tourism Bring
Impacts in Sustaining Heritage Site?

The development of cultural heritage
tourism could play a major differentiation
in sustaining a heritage site such as that
begin with negative economic impacts
could include
low multiplier effects
increase in prices of goods and services
increase of property prices
Moreover, the local population would feel
disturbed by visitors if the site were
designed especially to cater to the needs
of the foreign tourists and domestic
visitors.
Tourism development could increase in
traffic and congestion was found to be a
common problem such as creating
conflicts in historic towns.
1
2
3

Moreover, an important
role for cultural tourism
to play was to generate
revenue that could flow
back to the heritage
resources and bring
about economic benefits
to the host communities.
Researchers have also found that highly
popular tourist sites could have advantages
Tourism has been
known to help protect
the natural and cultural
heritage, to bring about
preservation values in
learning and research.
Tourism could also help
to better their life-style
through improved
intercultural knowledge
and encourage the
local community to
upkeep their traditions,
legacy and customs by
learning, understanding
and socializing in their
cultural activities.

3. How does the Involvement of Communities and Partnerships Contribution bring about in
Conserving the Heritage Site?

Some stakeholders are working
independently without having a shared
interest with local authorities, which proven
challenging to find sufficient financial
support so that the management process
will not unfairly burden the stakeholders
Lack of collaborations between communities
and the local authorities
creates a financial issues in funding through
managing cultural heritage assetsIssue on Conserving the
Heritage Site by the
Communities and
Partnerships

The local communities should get better
understanding in public knowledge about the
working authorities.
General Solutions
Communities should be consulted with the
tourism management, developer and operative
of the heritage site.
Proper civil society organizations could be
included to assist the coordination between
local communities and authorities
1
2
3

The state government and Penang Heritage Trust (NGO)
took responsibilities in implementing restoration works
towards derelict buildings.
This project is used by the Penang Heritage Trust to
showcase the importance of protecting significant historic
buildings.
Partnership
It offers training opportunities to learn traditional
construction techniques.
Information boards were set up for better understanding
on benefits of restoration.
1
2
3

Local communities involve in and support actively
government`s modus operandi in conserving the
heritage site.
George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI)
encouraged shared effort among shop owners
(stakeholders) from local communities in restoring
dilapidated buildings.
Operate business stores to create an income for the
stakeholders
Continuous maintenance to improve the infrastructure
and yet the destroyed parts by using the shared
assets between the stakeholders and the local groups
Local communities
1
2
3

4. How does the Community of the
Jetties Respond Towards Heritage
Tourism with the Name ‘Cultural
Heritage’ as Representation?

Confusions and Issues Towards Heritage Conservation
privacy is affected due to the listing of
Jetties as the heritage site
better to be preserved than to be wrecked
as Jetties fell into disrepair
revitalized communities
attraction of the tourists towards the
heritage site results in changing the
identity of the site
1
2

“We used to live here without
fences but now we feel the need to
have them to prevent visitors from
trespassing our property.”
Chew Siew Pheng,38
Create different rules and
regulations to reduce destructive
effects by the tourists.
Responses from the Community
Commercialized transformation
of the Jetties by most of the
communities as a result from
increased tourism
Setting up dividing fences to
avoid intruders to their homes
1
2
3

Commercialised business alteration
A resident is fencing up her living quarter
Mass Tourism

5. What is the Imminent Dilemma
Experienced Before and After Chew
Jetty is Enlisted as the UNESCO
World Cultural Heritage Site?

Before
Positive Side
Authentically inherited as the typology
of Chew Jetty remains as single-storey
with triangular shaped zinc roofs and
slightly elevated porch.
Negative Side
Developers intend to sabotage the
iconic waterfront settlement.
single-storey with triangular shaped zinc roofs

After
Positive Side
Encourage job opportunities such as
food and beverage business,souvenir
selling and homestay.
Negative Side
Tourism growth eradicates its identity
and authenticity as a fishing village.
Many food stalls are set up for
business purposeFisherman with his traditional fishing tool in Chew Jetty

Conclusion
This documentation is to
spark awareness to the communities and different
organizations on the importance of protecting
significant historical buildings.
Appreciate by the communities and the partnerships
by different means of solution.
It is recommended that the related organizations
should take drastic actions to reduce the total impact
by the human towards the heritage site to protect its
identity as part of the world heritage, and use it as a
source of knowledge to nurture the upcoming
generations.

Tam, S. (2018). Preserving Penang’s heritage buildings - Malaysia | The Star Online. Retrieved from
https://www.thestar.com.my/travel/malaysia/2012/05/25/preserving-penangs-heritage-buildings/
[Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
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12 Reasons to Love Living in George Town, Penang. (2018). Retrieved from
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2018].
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