Malacca's Beautiful Chinatown: A Photo Essay

While most westerners have heard of Singapore, Hong Kong, and maybe even Penang and Macau, very few have heard of Malacca (also spelled Melaka). However, that doesn’t mean that it was any less important to trade in Asia. In fact, at one point Malacca was one of the most important cities in Asia because it controlled the Straight of Malacca, a strategic shipping lane for passage between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.