Utilising Sino-Penang people-to-people relationship history to expand BRI people-to-people bonds

According to the “Encyclopedia on the Belt and Road Initiative: What is People-to-People Bond?” published by the Regional Openness Department under China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), People-to-People Bond is one of the five cooperation priorities of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

This pillar goes beyond cultural exchange and seeks to cultivate mutual understanding, trust, and friendship among countries and regions along the BRI routes through cultural, educational, academic, and humanitarian exchanges.

In essence, People-to-People Bond could be referred to as people-to-people ties.

Within the longstanding relationship between Malaysia and China, Penang has emerged as a particularly vibrant node of people-to-people interaction.

The historical and contemporary connections between Penang and China demonstrate how such bonds can be mobilised to support the broader objectives of the BRI.

In recent remarks made during the 2026 Chinese New Year reception hosted by the Consulate General of China in Penang, both the Penang state government and the Chinese Consulate-General highlighted the depth of these ties.

They emphasised that cooperation between Penang and China extends beyond trade and investment to include tourism, education, and culture, precisely the sectors identified as central to the BRI’s People-to-People Bond agenda.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow noted that improved connectivity with China would further stimulate investment and tourism flows. He cited the recent launch of a direct flight from Guangzhou to Penang and the China-Malaysia mutual visa exemption agreement as concrete steps that have strengthened mobility between the two places.

In response, China’s Consul-General in Penang, Zhou Youbin, affirmed that the Consulate-General has consistently promoted sub-national cooperation, particularly with Malaysia’s four northern states. He stressed that people-to-people exchanges have expanded significantly, with nearly 70 weekly flights now connecting Penang to various Chinese cities.

These connections facilitated more than 200,000 Chinese visitors to Penang in 2025 alone, alongside a steady increase in academic and cultural exchanges that have further deepened mutual understanding.

Penang’s attractiveness to Chinese visitors and investors is often attributed to its multicultural harmony, rich colonial heritage, renowned street food, and status as both a Unesco World Heritage site and a regional technology hub known as the “Silicon of the East.”

Yet the success of Sino-Penang engagement is not merely a product of these contemporary advantages. More fundamentally, it is rooted in a long and remarkable history of personal, social, and institutional networks that continue to shape present-day relations.

The stories of two prominent historical figures, Dr Wu Lien-Teh and Cheong Fatt Tze, illustrate how the legacy of the past can be harnessed to expand BRI People-to-People Bonds today.

Dr Wu Lien-Teh, a Penang-born physician of global renown who lived from 1879 to 1960, represents one of the most enduring bridges between Penang and China. Educated at Cambridge University, he became the first ethnic Chinese to earn a Doctor of Medicine degree from the institution.

Celebrated as the “Plague Fighter,” Wu led China’s successful battle against the pneumonic plague outbreak in Manchuria in 1910–1911 and is widely regarded as the father of modern public health in China.

His invention of the Wu mask, a precursor to the modern surgical mask, gained renewed global attention during the Covid-19 pandemic. Wu’s Penang roots remain deeply visible.

From the naming of Jalan Dr Wu Lien-Teh to the establishment of the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society of Penang in 2010, his legacy continues to inspire cross-border engagement. In 2026, delegates from Harbin Medical University (HMU) visited Penang to commemorate the centenary of the university founded by Wu in 1926.

The visit, reported in The Star dated Feb 4, 2026 under the headline “Dr Wu’s Legacy Lives On at HMU”, underscored how historical memory fosters contemporary academic collaboration.

Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai aptly described Wu’s spirit as “a living bond between Penang and Harbin”. Such initiatives demonstrate how shared remembrance of Wu’s contributions has become a powerful platform for educational and cultural exchange between northern Malaysia and China.

A parallel example can be found in the legacy of Cheong Fatt Tze (1840–1916), the famed Penang-based entrepreneur and philanthropist often referred to as the “Rockefeller of the East.” Cheong played a pivotal role in linking Penang with modern China through commerce, diplomacy, and philanthropy.

He founded the Chung Hwa School in Penang in 1904, the earliest modern Chinese school in Southeast Asia, and established the Changyu Pioneer Wine Company in Yantai, Shandong, in 1892, now China’s oldest and largest winery.

Cheong’s iconic Blue Mansion in George Town remains one of Penang’s most recognisable heritage landmarks and a magnet for visitors from China. In April 2024, a delegation from Yantai visited Penang and representatives from Changyu Pioneer Wine Company of this delegation held discussions at the Blue Mansion on establishing a dedicated exhibition hall.

Yantai Mayor Zheng Deyan highlighted Cheong’s historical role in fostering Sino (Yantai) and Malaysian connections and expressed support for enterprises to invest in Malaysia under the “going global” strategy.

This initiative reflects how historical business networks continue to generate contemporary economic and cultural opportunities aligned with BRI objectives.

Both Dr Wu Lien-Teh and Cheong Fatt Tze exemplify how individual achievements can produce enduring social capital that transcends generations. Their institutions, writings, monuments, and collective memories serve as shared heritage connecting Penang and China.

These historical narratives have been revitalised through exhibitions, academic exchanges, commemorative events, and tourism, all of which contribute directly to strengthening modern People-to-People Bonds.

The experience of Sino-Penang relations demonstrates that the BRI’s People-to-People Bond is most effective when anchored in genuine historical and cultural foundations.

By rediscovering and promoting the shared legacies of figures like Dr Wu Lien-Teh and Cheong Fatt Tze, Penang and China can continue to cultivate trust, friendship, and collaboration in education, tourism, public health, and business.

Ultimately, history is not merely a record of the past. It is a living resource that can guide contemporary cooperation.

The Sino-Penang people-to-people relationship, nurtured over more than a century, offers a model of how local heritage and history can be transformed into a meaningful international partnership.

By leveraging this rich historical capital, Penang and China are well positioned to expand BRI People-to-People Bonds and achieve mutually beneficial, sustainable, and inclusive development in the years ahead.

Dr Tan Chee Seng is the Chairperson & Senior Lecturer at the History Section, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

The SEARCH Scholar Series is a social responsibility programme jointly organised by the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Humanities (SEARCH) and Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT).