๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ง๐-๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฐ๐ฌ?
๐โ๐ โ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐โ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐กโ๐ ๐ถโ๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐ก๐ก
๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.
Credit: Muzium Negeri Pulau Pinang (Facebook)
Hand-drawn rickshaws were one of the earliest modes of transport in Penang, predating the iconic trishaw we see today. Rickshaws were first introduced in Penang around the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century and were a common sight on the road and around marketplaces. [1] When Albert Einstein visited Penang briefly in 1923, he was pursued by rickshaw men.
Credit: Muzium Negeri Pulau Pinang (Facebook)
Although the trishaw was only introduced in Penang in 1936 [2], it wasnโt until after World War 2 when the trishaws overtook rickshaws in terms of popularity (by 1957, there were only 28 registered rickshaws left. [1]). According to oral history, during the Bombing of George Town in December 1941, the Japanese bombers mistaken parked rickshaws (with their handles pointing up) as anti aircraft guns and began to bomb the rickshaws, especially at the Prangin area.
RICKSHAW AT AYER ITAM RD 1960. credit: Jamil Othman
Rickshaws at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. Credit: @dayamuthu (Instagram)
Today, while trishaws are still plying the streets of George Town, one can only view rickshaws at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion and the Pinang Peranakan Mansion.
Rickshaws and Trishaws at Pinang Peranakan Mansion.
It is interesting to note that Singapore banned the rickshaws on humanitarian grounds, with The Straits Times newspaper described rickshaw-pulling to be โthe deadliest occupation in the East (and) the most degrading for human beings to pursueโ [3]. Many of the poorest individuals in Singapore in the late nineteenth century were poor, unskilled people of Chinese ancestry. Sometimes called coolies, the hardworking men found pulling rickshaws a new means of employment. Rickshaw pullers experienced "very poor" living conditions, poverty and long hours of hard work. [4]
Credit: Jamil Othman
The trishaws are pedaled, while rickshaws are hand-pulled.
๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐? ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐! โค๏ธโ๐ฅ Sources: [1] https://www.facebook.com/muziumnegeri.pulaupinang/posts/3324836684220304 [2] https://prezi.com/zcyd6_tqvpos/history-of-trishaw/ [3] https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/.../SIP_947_2005-01-25.html [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulled_rickshaw