Jonker Street

Welcome to Jonker Street, lah — the beating heart of Malacca's Chinatown and arguably the most famous street in the whole city! If you're standing here on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evening, you already know what the fuss is about, kan? This street's official name is Jalan Hang Jebat, named after one of Malacca's legendary warriors, but everyone calls it Jonker Street. The word 'Jonker' comes from the Dutch word 'Jonkvrouw,' meaning a young nobleman or merchant. And that makes perfect sense, because back in the Dutch colonial era, this was where wealthy Peranakan traders built their ornate shophouses and ran their businesses. Take a good look at the buildings lining both sides of the street. These heritage shophouses date back to the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, and each one tells a story. You'll notice the narrow frontages — that's because property taxes during the Dutch period were calculated based on how wide your building faced the street. So clever merchants built narrow but incredibly deep houses, some stretching back forty or fifty metres with multiple courtyards and airwells inside. During the day, Jonker Street is a treasure hunter's paradise. Antique shops overflow with Peranakan porcelain, old coins,...