Chinatown

Where there are Chinese, there are temples, ancestral halls and markets, and there are Chinatowns. In Malacca, Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country, there is a Chinatown. Chinatown has not only become the carrier of overseas inheritance of Chinese culture, but also the place where the spirit of overseas Chinese is placed. Melaka's Chinatown, also called Jonker Street, is located on the north bank of the Malacca River. Although most of the buildings here are hundreds of years old, you can still see traditional Chinese architectural features. Walking across the bridge over the Malacca River, the shape of a treasure ship straddles the street. The famous Chinese Tea Room (Hainan Chicken Rice) is on the right hand side of the entrance of Chinatown. It was full of people outside and outside, and there were many people waiting by the door. Behind the Western Treasure Ship Landscape is San Shugong Food Company, which makes people feel that Chinese cultural elements are oncoming as soon as they arrive in Chinatown. Next to the third uncle is the famous Chinatown in Malacca, which is a place that tells the old stories of the old shops in the old streets of Malacca. Chinatown is about 400 meters long, and the width of the road is only enough for two cars to lean over. The streets are mostly two-story buildings with high beams and arcades, all of which have a history of more than 100 years. On the lintel of Xiangjie Street, there are characters such as "Tongfa", "Fengshun", "Fengjie", etc. These are the shop names left over from the ancestors, so people can think of the prosperity of the commercial market in the past. scene. Walking into Chinatown, in addition to the Chinese architectural style shops on both sides, there are 8 temples and guild halls standing in the short street. These buildings still retain dripping eaves, and the walls are inlaid with exquisite Chinese element decorations and patterns. The Chinese community in Malacca still retains traditional Chinese customs, such as burning incense to worship their ancestors at ordinary times. During the Spring Festival, residents wear red cloth, new clothes, New Year greetings, hanging palace lanterns, sticking Spring Festival couplets, setting off firecrackers, visiting graves during Qingming Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat races to eat brownies, Mid-Autumn Festival to eat moon cakes and so on. Especially when the wedding is held, the ceremony is quite authentic. The groom wears a long gown and a jacket, a satin ribbon on the back, and a small cap with melon skin on his head, while the bride sits in a sedan chair. One of the most famous is the Hokkien Guild Hall. On the roof of the gate, there are statues of the "Eight Immortals" familiar to Chinese people. For the Jiangmen folks in Malacca, they can also find their spiritual home here - Gangzhou Guild Hall, located at the other end of Chinatown. This is a three-story building built in 1887. The first floor is leased to a cultural company, and the second and third floors are used as the office space of the guild hall. Chinatown is really worth taking a stroll. The buildings here have their own characteristics, and the colors are mostly bright tones. There are graffiti-style Western paintings, and there are also Chinese-style dragon-shaped patterns. Human-powered floats can be seen everywhere on the street. If you are tired from walking, you might as well ask one to take a seat and experience the style of the town. It is not too early to visit Chinatown. According to local people, to experience the culture of Chinatown, you must wait until the afternoon. In the afternoon, Chinatown is completely different from the daytime situation, the street vehicles stop entering, the stalls and hawkers flock, and the streets are crowded with tourists from all over the world. Walking along Chinatown, the shops and residences on both sides of the ancient streets are mostly two-story buildings. In these shops, there are various souvenirs, special products, clothing, etc., but most of the goods here are from China. In addition, if you have enough time, you can go to the nearby Malacca River to see it at night. At the beginning of the lanterns, there are tiny lights on the shore. Walking on the bridge to enjoy the scenery on both sides is also very artistic.