A line of modest wooden buildings follows the gently curving waterfront at Kampung Cina, the oldest street in what is now one of Malaysia’s largest cities, Kuala Terengganu. When these traditional Chinese shop houses were built in the late 19th century, they functioned as both homes and businesses. Kampung Cina’s proximity to the water is central to its identity. (...)
A line of modest wooden buildings follows the gently curving waterfront at Kampung Cina, the oldest street in what is now one of Malaysia’s largest cities, Kuala Terengganu. When these traditional Chinese shop houses were built in the late 19th century, they functioned as both homes and businesses. Kampung Cina’s proximity to the water is central to its identity. Situated in northeastern Malaysia where the Terengganu River empties into the South China Sea, the city functioned as a trading post for textiles, pepper, and gold between Eastern Asia and the West.
The architecture of the shop houses charts evolving fashions into the 20th century: the earliest buildings are simple, single-story structures, but later they accumulate impressive plaster and ceramic decoration, art deco motifs, and fine river gates that open onto the water. Many were the property of local officials who were engaged at the palace of the Terengganu Sultan located nearby. The Kampung Cina houses remain occupied and intact but Kuala Terengganu has been modernizing around them, causing tension between developers and preservationists.
