Origin & Evolution of the Malayan Shophouse

The origin & evolution of the Malayan shophouse is the first book to attempt to give an overview of shophouses in Malaya from 1794 (Malacca) to 1969 (Kuala Lumpur) — a period of 175 years, during which over 30,000 shophouses were built. 

The period of 175 years coincided with a period of mass migration from mainland china to Nanyang, and British colonial rule in Malaya via India. Indeed, shophouses were a direct result of the intersection of these three cultures in the context of Malay sultanates. We have all inherited the DNA of migrants. 

Earlier authors have generally confined their enquiry to a single city in peninsular Malaysia or a certain category e .g. federated Malay states shophouses. In this publication an attempt is made to link shophouses in various cities along the western seaboard of the peninsular and in Sarawak, all of which developed within their individual time frame. 

The subject is fascinating, for every shophouse in Malaysia and Singapore has a story to tell. the stories are often as intriguing as the architectural details that help date the individual buildings.