This film is part of Free
Malay States
Silent, pre-World War Two documentary recording the people, landscapes and industries of the Federated Malay States, (1895-1946), which were to become modern-day Malaysia in 1963.
Overview
βMalay Statesβ provides a British pre-war perspective on life in the Malaysian archipelago. Sections include βLife in a Malay Villageβ, βOn the Way to Schoolβ, βEn route for Malaccaβ (by train), βThe Sea Front, Malaccaβ, βA Tamil Childβ, βBurmese Womenβ, βThe Fisherfolk of Malayβ, βKuala Lumpurβ, βThe Travellers Palmβ, βThe Harbour, Penangβ βA Mohammedan Mosqueβ and βSacred Turtles in the Ayer Itam Templeβ.
This film focuses on architecture: from the vernacular fishing village βKampongsβ built on wooden stilts to aid ventilation and reduce flooding, to the colonial Portuguese and Dutch building styles, as seen in Malacca and Penang. As a British crown colony, the film documents the British-inspired architecture of Kuala Lumpur, including British architect Arthur Bennison Hubbackβs design for the Kuala Lumpur railway station which was completed in 1910. In the district of Ayer Itam we see the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, Kek Lok Si, which includes a sacred turtle pond as a method of spiritual liberation.
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