Koay Jetty

Koay Jetty, George Town, Penang (23 January 2005)


Koay Jetty is a now defunct clan jetty off the coast of George Town, Penang. It used to be the home of the Koay people. The jetty (to be exact, two jetties) extended off Presgrave Street Ghaut as a community perched on stilts. The houses were arranged on two plankways of unequal lengths. The roofing was originally thatched, but over time was replaced by zinc and asbestos.

Unlike the jetties located further north, Koay Jetty had a shortlived history. It was established only towards the mid 20th century, and was gone by 2006. As with the occupants of the other clan jetties, the Koay clan was a working-class community. The people here made a living as port labourers, boatmen, and charcoal makers. Their jetty extends over a semi-swampy area that is dry land during low tide. The Koays were similar to the other jetty clanspeople in most respects but two: their ethnic group and their religion.

Koay Jetty Site in 2005 (23 January 2005)


The Koay clan is ethnically distinct from the Han Chinese of the other clan jetties. They are known in China as the Hui people, an ethnic group identified as a people of Arabic and Middle Eastern ancestry. By the 14th century, they had established themselves in southern China, with substantial numbers living in Quanzhou, Fujian Province.

The fortune of the Huis in China swung according to the ruling dynasty in China. They prospered when China was under the Mongols, in the Yuan Dynasty. But when Han Chinese wrestled control from the Mongols to established the Ming Dynasty, the Huis found themselves oppressed by the rulers and ostracised by the local Han Chinese. Their position improved momentarily when the Manchus vanquished the Han Chinese to establish the Qing Dynasty.

Revolts by the Han Chinese in the southern provinces were severely dealt with by the Qing administrators. This drove many Hokkien seafarers to leave southern China to form the early settlers in the Malay peninsula; those leaving via Xiamen settling on the southern part of the peninsula while those from Zhangshou settled the northern coast of the Malay peninsula. Together, they formed the stock that became the Baba Nyonyas. Back in China, political instability eventually caught up with the Huis, particularly following the Taiping Rebellion in the mid 19th century, and this forced them to join the Han Chinese in immigrating to the Nanyang. Along with the Hakkas, Cantonese and newly arriving Hokkiens, they form the Sinkheh ("new guests") of 19th century Penang.

Koay Jetty Site in 2013, now occupied by Sri Saujana Apartments (25 January 2013)


The Koay of Koay Jetty is a clan of Hui people. Although they are Muslims, having lived for centuries in Quanzhou, the Koay clansmen speak Hokkien, albeit with some differences in intonation from Penang Hokkien who in comparison traced their ancestors to the city of Zhangzhou, Fujian Province.

Pressures from urban redevelopment forced the demise of Koay Jetty. Although there are those who hang on to the idea of preserving the jetty, the reality is that by the 21st century, many of the occupants of Koay Jetty were no longer Hui people, and the majority have discarded their occupation as port labourers. Even the urban village culture which conservationists wanted to preserve and cultivate was tearing in its seams.

Eventually development prevailed when the majority of Koay Jetty occupants opted for compensation to move out. The jetty area was cleared, and in its place construction began on three low-medium cost apartment blocks. Called Sri Saujana Apartments, they were completed in 2010.

Between the Sri Saujana Apartment and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway is a piece of land which was proposed under the George Town Special Area Plan in 2011 for the creation of a park called Merdeka Park.

Further Reading

External Articles

Clan Jetties of Penang

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