There is no complete agreement as to how Love Lane got its name. There is a belief that it was named after a British officer named Love, but this has not been verified. Another belief is that it was the site for early 19th century brothels for sailors and soldiers. The adjacent road, Muntri Street, was where the rich Straits Chinese lived, and it is widely believed that these men kept their mistresses along Love Lane.
There is also the somewhat far-fetched theory that Love Lane was named after the self-flagellation procession staged by Shitte Muslims who in the early 19th century, paraded from the Indian Muslim settlements in Chulia Street through Love Lane, on their way to the sea, while the performed painful rituals of flogging themselves, in rememberance of the Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.
Pre-war shophouses along Love Lane, George Town (15 December 2012)
Shih Chung School, Love Lane (30 June 2014)
Getting to Love Lane
You can reach Love Lane by taking the Rapid Penang Free Shuttle Bus to Station No. 6 (Muzium), and then walking a short distance from Farquhar Street to Love Lane.
Love Lane sign (30 November 2008)
50, Love Lane, the property at the intersection of Love Lane with Muntri Street (left) and Stewart Lane (centre), which is embroiled in an issue between the Penang state government and the Penang Chinese Clan Association in 2017. (15 December 2012)
Updates on the property, 50, Love Lane
An issue has arisen over a property along Love Lane. House number 50 along the lane came into the news after the State Government seized the property after it defaulted on arrers for assessment and quit rent.
50 Love Lane, Penang. (11 February 2013)
12 Oct, 2017 The Starreports that a group of people have come forward, identifying themselves as the descendants of the Ghee Hin to claim the property, 50, Love Lane. This group of people is seeking to meet the state government before deciding on their next move.
6 September, 2017 The Starreports the Penang Barisan nasional saying that it was appalled that the Penang Chinese Clan Council (PCCC) was given the run-around for five years despite reaching an understanding with the state government in 2012, and that the state government should stop insisting on proof of direct connections to justify transferring the property.
5 September, 2017 The New Straits Timesreports State Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow saying, in the presence of state MCA chief Datuk Tan Teik Cheng, that an understanding had been reached bwetween the Penang Chinese Clan Council (PCCC) ande the DAP-led state government in 2012 over the property, 50, Love Lane, and accused the Penang government of breaking its promise to the PCCC.
20 Aug, 2017 The Starreports the war of words between the Penang state government and the Penang Chinese Clan Association (PCCA) over the property, 50, Love Lane. The report mentions that the PCCA's to take over the property and turn it into a museum has pit it against the Penang chief minister. This is one of the Ghee Hin properties that were handed to trustees after the British colonial government forced the disband of triads of which Ghee Hin was classified as one. The assessment for the property went unpaid after the trustees passed away, causing the state to impound it.
At the heart of the matter was that the Chief Minister was willing to transfer the property to the PCCA on condition that the latter furnish proof that it is the beneficiary of the property, something which the PCCA was unable to do.
2 Aug, 2017 DAP Malaysia.orgreports on the property 50, Love Lane, condemning The Star's Joceline Tan whom it alleges ".. typically mixes her usual staple of innuendo with half truths to cast a negative light against the Penang state government ... " It also reports that the Penang Chinese Clans Association (PCCA) chairman Chang Wei Lu had set up a public confrontation against the state government.
14 July, 2017 The Starreports Gerakan deputy secretary-general Dr Thor Teong Gee saying that the state should not find it complicated to decide what to do with the property, 50, Love Lane, and that the state government's role is to facilitate, not confiscate.
13 July, 2017 Malay Mail Onlinereports Gerakan deputy secretary-general Dr Thor Teong Gee saying that the state government, beign the registered owner of [50, Love Lane] could return it to the clan council for a sum that they feel is appropriate.
13 July, 2017 Free Malaysia Todayreports a Gerakan leader, deputy secretary-general Dr Thor Teong Gee, asking the Penang government what it intends to do with the property at 50, Love Lane.
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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.
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.
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.