Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial

Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park, Air Itam (23 January 2005)


The Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park (GPS: 5.40561, 100.28264), located at the Air Itam Roundabout in Air Itam, is a memorial to the Chinese people of Penang who died under the Japanese Occupation in World War II. The whitewashed obelisk especially commemorates the over 700 who were buried nearby. They consist of martyrs who joined the anti-Japanese resistance movement in China in the 1930s and 40s, mainly Chinese machinery workers from Penang, as well as victims of Japanese atrocities during the occupation.

The Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park commemorates the many who loss their lives under Japanese atrocities during the Second World War. Buried under the memorial are the remains of some 800 incomplete skeletons exhumed from various sites, among them Coombe Hill in Gelugor, Thean Teik Estate, Vale of Tempe and Batu Ferringhi. The remains were cremated and the ashes, in sixty-six bags, were then buried beneath the memorial.

The Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park, as viewed from the base (23 January 2005)


The Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park is in the form of a 45-foot-tall obelisk. There are 7 steps on each side of the base. This is to commemorate the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which took place on the Lugou Bridge, also called Marco Polo Bridge, about 15 km outside Beijing, marking the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) on 7 July, 1937. The memorial was unveiled by Mr Lim Lean Teng, who served as supervisory chairman of the China Relief Fund, at 11:00 am on 11 November, 1951. The date 11 November was chosen as it was the 33rd anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Today the Penang Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park stands largely forgotten as Air Itam becomes increasingly urbanised and relics of the Second World War are fading from memory. I visited the Penang Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park to document it so that the sufferings and sacrifice of the Chinese people of Penang would not be forgotten.

The Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park, under the canopy of the nearby tree (23 January 2005)

How to reach to the Penang Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park

The Penang Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park is located at the Air Itam Roundabout. Go along Jalan Air Itam from the direction of George Town to the roundabout, you will find the memorial at 11 o'clock, between the road to Kek Lok Si and the road to the Penang Hill Railway. If taking public transport, Rapid Penang Bus 201 and 204 passes the memorial from Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal and Komtar Bus Terminal.

Updates

11 November, 2011: The area around the Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park was upgraded into the Air Itam War Memorial Park with the installation of interpretive plaque and other memorial features.

The Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial Park, as viewed from the shaded side (23 January 2005)

Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial is on the Map of Jalan Air Itam

List of Monuments in Penang and Monuments in Malaysia

Private Guided Tours of Penang

If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.

 Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang

Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.

Adakah anda mempunyai hartanah untuk dijual atau disewakan? Adakah anda ingin membeli atau menyewa hartanah? Hubungi saya. WhatsApp saya (Timothy Tye) di 012 429 9844, dan saya akan menugaskan salah seorang ejen hartanah saya untuk berkhidmat kepada anda. Saya akan pilih ejen untuk anda, mengikut keperluan hartanah anda. Oleh itu, apabila anda menghantar mesej kepada saya, berikan saya beberapa butiran tentang apa yang anda perlukan, sama ada untuk menjual, untuk membeli, untuk disewakan atau untuk disewakan, dan jenis hartanah apakah itu kondo, pangsapuri, rumah, kedai, pejabat atau tanah.

您有待出售或出租的房产吗？ 您想购买或租赁房产吗？ 与我联系。 WhatsApp 我 (Timothy Tye) 012 429 9844，我将指派一名房地产经纪人为您服务。 我会根据您的房产需求，为您选择代理。 因此，当您给我发消息时，请向我提供一些您需要的详细信息，无论是出售、购买、出租还是出租，以及房产类型，是公寓、公寓、房屋、商店、办公室还是土地。

 New Properties in Penang

Looking to buy property in Penang? Get the e-brochures right here without having to visit or contact individual developers.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Songs about Penang

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.