Chew Jetty is one of six wooden Clan Jetties in George Town on Penang. These jetties feature buildings and are currently inhabited by members of Penang’s Chinese immigrant community. Over time different Chinese family groups, known as clans, took over control of each of these jetties and fees needed to be paid to the clan in charge to use the jetty. As well as a Chew Jetty, which is controlled by the Chew Clan, there were also jetties controlled by Lim, Tan, Lee, Yeoh, and Koay clans. The late 19th Century was a period of often violent rivalry between different immigrant groups for control of economic resources in Penang and the jetties were at the forefront of these conflicts. The Chew Clan still occupies the Chew Jetty although it no longer used for loading and unloading cargo having been superseded by the large commercial sea port nearby. You can’t unload large freight ships on a small wooden jetty. Chew Jetty is now a tourist attraction with the clan members using the lower part of their houses as shops.
