Ren I Tang Heritage Inn

Ren I Tang Heritage Inn (17 November 2013)


Ren i Tang (GPS: 5.41737, 100.34012) is a heritage inn at the junction of Penang Street and China Street in the inner city of George Town, Penang. It occupies a three-storey Early Straits Eclectic-style building that formerly housed Yin Oi Tong, the oldest Chinese medical hall in Southeast Asia.

The name Ren i Tang is pronounced to preserve the original name of Yin Oi Tong 仁爱堂, Rén'ài táng , which means "Hall of Charity". However, as it is changed from medical hall to inn, the present establishment is written in Chinese as 仁愛棧 .

The Ren i Tang building features full-length wooden windows on both the Penang Street and China Streeet façades.¹ These are in pairs, with with the top portion having jalousies while the lower third being plain panels. The restored building features townhouse-style frontages on lots 82B and 82C. Lot 82A, now (June 2014) occupied by the Macam-Macam Souvenir Shop, has an open frontage.

The inside of Ren i Tang features an airwell which features a pulley system used for the transportation of good. It is now used for bringing laundry to the various guest rooms.

At the rear end of Ren i Tang is a herb garden where the hotel grows a number of herbs and vegetable using aquaponics. It offers a dash of serene greenery to the bustling city outside.

Ren i Tang, George Town, Penang (17 November 2013)


Macam-Macam Souvenir Shop (17 November 2013)


Ren i Tang pulley system (17 November 2013)


Laundry basket coming down (17 November 2013)


Ren i Tang Courtyard (17 November 2013)

Contact

Ren i Tang
82A Penang Street
10200 George Town, Penang

Ren i Tang on Google Maps Street View

Getting there

It is possible to reach Ren i Tang by foot from the Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal. From Weld Quay, go along China Street Ghaut, followed by China Street, and you will eventually reach it on your left at the intersection of Penang Street.

Ren I Tang is on the map of Penang Street

Further Reading

Bibliography

List of Hotels in Penang and Hotels in Malaysia