Penang Chew Jetty (8♣)

Located straight down from Lebuh Chulia (beside the Kapitan Kling Mosque) at Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay), these water villages are over a century old. Each jetty is named after a Chinese clan – the Chew Jetty is the most tourist-friendly with the most stilt-houses, the longest walkway, a temple that is worth stopping by and plenty of places for those Kodak moments.

Initially, the area where the Clan Jetties now lie was a char hionh (wood yard) littered with planks and firewood. After the construction of the Quay in 1882, the waterfront was developed with short public landing stages or jetties. Settlements grew on these foundations and they were used for the loading and unloading of goods and for the mooring of sampans (boats). Gradually, each jetty became identified and dominated by certain clans and over time more huts sprung up. Due to constant rivalry over access and monopoly of work consignments, relationships between the clans were very antagonistic and often led to bitter fights and disputes.

In the early 20th century, the jetty settlements expanded but as squatters, residents did not have basic amenities like water and electricity. It was only after the Penang municipal election in 1957 that the Clan Jetties began to join the modern era; before that they carried their water in kerosene tins from the main road.

When the government first developed the jetties, a shed was built to provide shelter and rest for those waiting for the arrival of the cargo sampans and when the clans took over the jetties, this shed was converted into a communal house. Seven different clans still reside at the Clan Jetties: the Lim, Chew, Tan and Yeoh jetties are the oldest and the Koay, Lee and Mixed Surname jetties were built afterward.

姓氏桥

槟城是个宗亲与同乡意识非常浓郁的岛屿。在乔治市的海墘街(Weld Quay)一带，你可以感受到依姓氏群聚的色彩，那里的姓氏桥(Clan Jetty)近年已成了一个闻名遐迩的观光点。和富丽堂皇的会馆相比，姓氏桥展现的淳朴风貌，数十年不变，带有怀旧气息。

所谓的“桥”并非什么桥梁，而是建于海上的木屋，以木柱架高。姓氏桥犹如几个小村落，颇有浓浓甘榜风情。这里有姓林桥、姓周桥、姓陈桥、姓李桥、姓杨桥、杂姓桥及平安桥。当中以姓周桥规模最大，水上人家约60户。这些桥多建于19世纪末，唯有杂姓桥及平安桥建于上世纪60年代。

这里房屋很简单但不简陋，屋身外画有创意的壁画。一进入姓氏桥，浓郁的生活气息扑面而来。这的居民生活简单而淳朴，现在老一辈的居民仍继续以捕鱼为生。电影《初恋红豆冰》就在著名的姓周桥取景，现在还留有巫启贤的家。