Keeping old city breathes amid modernization<\/p>\n
Keeping the old cities Breathing: Malacca and Kali Besar
\nFransiska Prihadi
\nArchitect
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
How do we remember a city? Is it by the roads and buildings that
\nwe pass through? By the food we eat? By unfamiliar faces of
\npeople we meet on the street? We could find thousands more
\nanswers, but it would still come back to the sense of place in
\nour mind.<\/p>\n
The sense of place is defined by time-historical and political
\ntime, they do not work with timetables, lists of departure and
\narrival times. Old cities usually leave one with a certain image
\nof a frozen "here, now and then" place.<\/p>\n
As one of the cities that is considered as Malaysia's most
\nhistoric place, Malacca has an interesting blend of Chinese,
\nPortuguese, Dutch and British influences. We can still see the
\nold architecture of Malacca is being preserved.<\/p>\n
Malacca was once the most important trading port in the region
\nbut is now little more than a sleepy backwater. Ancient-looking
\njunks still sail up the river, imbuing the waterfront with a
\n"wants to be" timeless charm. The city remains full of intriguing
\nChinese streets, antique shops, townhouses, temples and nostalgic
\nreminders of the now-departed European colonial powers.<\/p>\n
One of the relics from the Dutch period in Malacca is the
\nmassive pink town hall, Stadthuys, built between 1641 and 1660.
\nIt's believed to be the oldest Dutch building in Asia and
\ndisplays all the characteristic features of Dutch colonial
\narchitecture (read incredibly weighty doors and louvered
\nwindows). The building houses government offices and the
\nEthnographic Museum, which highlights aspects of local history
\nand culture.<\/p>\n
The ruins of St Paul's Church, built by the Portuguese more
\nthan 400 years ago, stands in an attractive setting atop St
\nPaul's Hill. It was regularly visited by St Francis Xavier, who
\nwas buried here for a short period before being transferred to
\nGoa in India. The church fell into disuse when the Dutch arrived,
\nbut is still surrounded by Old Dutch tombstones.<\/p>\n
Buildings on St. Paul's Hill and all along River Side Street
\n(including the old shop-houses) are now all painted red. It's
\nindeed amazing to see how much he Malacca Municipal Council is
\ntrying to conserve the old part of city, no matter how audacious
\nit may seem.<\/p>\n
For a few decades, the Malacca Municipal Council was on
\nimproving economic and infra-structural conditions of the state
\nby doing lots of heritage conservation.<\/p>\n
One could notice all the signboards of building constructions
\nwhile strolling through Malacca's old town, especially in some of
\nthe Malaccan townhouses in Heeren Street.<\/p>\n
As a mix of European-Chinese influences with local tropical
\ncompromise, many of the Malaccan townhouses are no longer
\nutilized as intended. Some have already turned into tourist
\nhotels, giant swallow birds' nests, antique shops, bars and
\ncafes.<\/p>\n
One cannot escape the feeling that these townhouses are
\nmanipulated to draw tourists, businesses and property
\nspeculators.<\/p>\n
Tourism is undeniably one major reason that keeps the old city
\nof Malacca breathing.<\/p>\n
For a comparison, Jl. Kali Besar in Jakarta is also struggling
\nto keep the soul alive. Although the government claimed that
\ntourism would be a major reason to improve the old part of town,
\none would easily feel that it's being abandoned.<\/p>\n
If we agree to think simple, the heritage of an old part of
\ntown could be labeled successful if it is esthetically pleasing,
\nthen "taste" would be a later topic of discussion. The old
\nhistoric buildings along Jl. Kali Besar are not ephemeral, it has
\nduration. Conservation plays an important role, gives the
\nsurrounding its texture and communicates its solidity. By
\nexploring the expressive potential of Kali Besar Street, only
\ndisappointment rises when we see the situation now.<\/p>\n
When one goes to an old city anywhere in the world, there are
\ngreat expectations of how it's being preserved for various
\nreasons.<\/p>\n
Tourist agencies worldwide sell the local heritage of a city
\nwith "try authentic experience" packages to tourists and
\nvisitors. They turned heritage issues into a global commodity for
\ngreater mass consumption.<\/p>\n
Even when we let the consumerism save our old part of Jakarta
\n(as it happened in Malacca), Kali Besar might have to wait longer
\nto breath again among the clothes and underwear that's being
\ndried along the river.<\/p>",
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