Malaysia · Furniture / Basketry
Xiang Xin Long (祥兴隆)
The hand-weaving of commercially sourced rattan and bamboo into furniture, baskets, birdcages, and household goods associated with Seang Hin Leong, a Chinese-Malaysian family shophouse business at 393 Lebuh Pantai (Beach Street), George Town. Current profiles date the shop to 1957, while an older official inventory lists 1940; the date requires family confirmation. Distinct from Sarawak's indigenous Penan and Bidayuh rattan/bamboo traditions (CRAFT-0246 and CRAFT-0249) chiefly in its urban Chinese-Malaysian commercial lineage, material sourcing, workshop continuity and repair/transmission context; the finished object types themselves are not presented here as uniquely Penang. The workshop uses rattan purchased from Pahang and Johor rather than self-harvested forest material. Third-generation weaver and Penang Heritage Trust Living Heritage Treasure Sim Buck Teik died in April 2024; published accounts conflict on his age. The business was reported in 2025 as managed by his fourth-generation children, siblings Sim Chew Po and Sim Jeck Choo.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not inscribed. Sim Buck Teik was awarded 'Living Heritage Treasure' status by the Penang Heritage Trust (an NGO, not a UNESCO body) in 2009
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