踏入位于槟岛乔治市（Georgetown）的杭州旅社，仿佛穿越时空长河，回到上世纪60年代，令人感觉置身王家卫电影的场景之中。五彩缤纷的瓷砖墙面，营造视觉层次，带有艺术气息。杭州旅社的楼下是茶室，楼上有着12间客房，是槟城少数仍在运营的传统旅社，目前由第二代掌舵人陈永福叔叔及其太太罗女士打理。
早上九点，陈叔叔拉开铁栅门，随即擦拭茶室的大理石桌面及结实的木椅，罗女士则在厨房里忙着准备食材。有的住客已经醒来，下楼吃早餐；有的住客则仍埋首被窝，沉醉在梦乡里。茶室一直营业到下午四点打烊，店门却一直开到半夜12点，方便住客进出。
杭州旅社坐落在牛干冬街（Chulia Street）末端的一幢战前建筑，前端有三层楼，后端则两层楼。百年前建立的原用途已遥不可考，只能追溯到1930年代曾是基督教会慈善诊所。1939年诊所迁离后，父亲陈来枝与友人合伙将其买下，成立中央旅社，以“下铺上宿”（楼下茶室、楼上旅社）的形式运营。直到1960年左右拆伙，陈父独立经营，才更名及重新装潢。
选用“杭州”命名旅社，并非与该地有任何关系，而是因为杭州以人间天堂享誉千年，大部分人一听就能产生联想，容易被记住。绚丽的马赛克瓷砖也牢牢吸引路人目光。步上木阶梯，来到二楼的客房。客房的陈设简单，一张床，桌椅及盥洗台。天井处设了共用浴室和厕所，并加盖了屋顶及天窗，采光和通风都极佳。
陈父有着灵活的思维，1920年代从福建惠安来到槟城，白手起家。他曾从事拉人力车，后进入E&O Hotel工作，再自立门户经营旅社，将七名子女抚养成人。身为次子的陈叔叔，1970年开始投身旅社事业，父亲于1973年辞世后协助母亲打理，直到1988年正式接手。
90年代正值外国游客高峰期，陈叔叔深谙掌握国际语言的重要性，成功招揽欧洲客源，在一众小旅店中站稳脚跟。其中不乏长期住客，从两三周到两三个月不等。若干年前，一晚的房钱六令吉起，如今随着通货膨胀，涨至60令吉起跳。
昔日茶室里只卖咖啡、茶、面包和鸡蛋，没有主食。陈叔叔接手后，曾招印尼巴东饭和西餐摊贩，但都做不久便离开，他索性请太太帮忙做一些简单的吃食。墙上的菜单白板，从1989年就一直挂在店内，品项也持续增加。西式餐点始于洋人住客教罗女士烹调，她再自行研究，拓展风味层次。
即使旅游行业变化，传统旅社式微，陈叔叔夫妻依然维持着营运。年逾七旬的他们，无法像年富力强时包办一切事项，便只专注在力所能及的范围内，楼上房间另雇佣人打扫、更换床单。坚守数十年，在乔治市的灯火璀璨中，给予旅人一个停靠的港湾、一顿温热的餐点。
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【地方小知识】
牛干冬街（Chulia Street）是在十八世纪末槟榔屿刚开埠时，莱特上校（Captain Francis Light）开辟的四条主要街道之一。最初因众多印度商人和印裔穆斯林聚居，起名为马拉巴路（Malabar Street），后来改以印度朱罗王朝（Chola Empire）命名。
华人来槟城，主要是在十九世纪中叶至二战后。当时Chulia Street是非常繁忙的商业街，有着许多供赶车载货的牛只歇息的棚栏，其华文地名“牛干冬”便是源自马来语 Kandang Lembu 的福建话音译。
出身槟城、长年书写槟城的杜忠全博士曾这样介绍它：“牛干冬”原本只是Chulia Street上从爱情巷口（Love Lane）直到槟榔路（Penang Road）交接路口的后段路。然而，现在一般所指的范围，似乎已经延伸到原本“大门楼”（Beach Street）的路段了。
牛干冬街至今依旧非常繁忙，汇聚不少老宅住宿、夜间大排档，以及富有特色的餐厅和酒吧。因此，它屡获知名全球旅游指南《孤独星球》（Lonely Planet）推荐，是槟城乔治市的核心旅游热点。
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『书游记』 x 『有你 UNI』
2026年9月，一辆载满书的小卡车，从吉隆坡市中心的二手书店BooKu出发，一路经槟城岛读书店、怡保小小书店、峇株巴辖亣亣书册，再回到雪隆区，巡回四个书店站点，用线下活动带你一起探索一座似旧又新的城镇。
【书游记】
日期：2026年9月5日至27日（逢周六周日）
时间：11am – 7pm
地点：槟城岛读书店、怡保小小书店、峇株巴辖亣亣书册、吉隆坡BooKu书店
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Upon stepping into Hang Chow Hotel in Georgetown, Penang, travel back in time to the 1960s, as if entering a scene in a Wong Kar-Wai film. The colourful wall tiles create visual depth and an artistic ambiance. The ground floor serves as a coffee shop, while the upper storeys consist lodgings with 12 rooms. It is among the handful of traditional hotels still operating in Penang, currently managed by the second-generation owner, Tan Eng Hock, and his wife.
At 9A.M., Uncle Tan opens the metal grilles, and goes on to wipe the marble tabletops and sturdy wooden chairs, while Mrs Tan is busy preparing ingredients in the kitchen. Lodgers who have already woken up come downstairs for breakfast, others are still snuggled up and dreaming away. The coffee shop is open until 4P.M., but the grilles remain open until midnight, providing lodgers ease of access.
Hang Chow Hotel occupies a pre-war building situated at the end of Chulia Street, with three storeys at the front and two at the back. The original purpose of its construction a century ago was lost in time, but in the 1930s it once housed the Adventist Mission Clinic by the Penang English Seventh-day Adventist Church (PESDAC). After the clinic moved out, Uncle Tan’s father bought the building together with a few friends, establishing the Central Hotel, running a coffee shop downstairs and lodgings upstairs. Around 1960, the partnership dissolved and Uncle Tan’s father became the sole proprietor, thus the hotel was renamed and renovated.
The name choice “Hang Chow” is not due to a connection with the city itself, but rather stems from Hangzhou’s millennia-long reputation as a paradise on earth, most people make the association and easily remember. The vibrant tiles also attract passers-by. A wooden staircase leads to the lodgings upstairs. The rooms are simply furnished with a bed, a table and chairs, and a washbasin. Common shower and toilet facilities are located in the courtyard, with a roof and skylight providing excellent natural light and ventilation.
Uncle Tan’s father hailed from HuiAn, Fujian, China. He came to Penang in the 1920s, building a new life from scratch with his lively mind. He started out as a rickshaw puller, then worked at the E&O Hotel, and later started his own hospitality business, and raised seven children. Uncle Tan, the second son, also entered the industry in 1970. After his father passed away in 1973, he assisted his mother in managing Hang Chow, until he officially took over in 1988.
The 1990s saw a tourism boom, Uncle Tan understood the importance of mastering international languages and successfully attracted European customers, establishing a foothold among the multitude of small hotels. There were long-term guests who stayed for weeks to months.
(Full Article: https://uniness.gallery/hang-chow-hotel-coffee-shop/)
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