One can't-miss feature of the Kek Lok Temple in Penang, Malaysia, is the new numerous shops, whether those enclosing the steps to the temple's entrance...
... or those inside the temple complex.
Temple-related items were sold, but a variety of other goods could be found as well.
T-shirts appeared to be one of the more popular items to sell. Some included messages that left me curious about the design process used to create them.
In that respect, they were similar to many I have seen in China, although they had a different flavor. However, a specific set of shirts stood out to me.
I saw shirts with the Apple, Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Yahoo brands. Penang is an area with a great deal of Chinese influence, both historically and in its current culture. But in and around its most famous temple I didn't see a single shirt for a China-based technology brand such as Baidu, Sina Weibo, WeChat (Weixin), Xiaomi, Youku, or QQ. Especially since these shirts were sold in markets that target tourists, before commenting on what this might mean I would want to take a closer look at who purchases such shirts and whether these and similar shirts are sold elsewhere in Penang.
But at the very least these shirts are symbolic of the relative influence of American and Chinese technology brands in many regions outside of China--even where there are many Chinese people.
More on this topic later.
... or those inside the temple complex.
Temple-related items were sold, but a variety of other goods could be found as well.
T-shirts appeared to be one of the more popular items to sell. Some included messages that left me curious about the design process used to create them.
In that respect, they were similar to many I have seen in China, although they had a different flavor. However, a specific set of shirts stood out to me.
I saw shirts with the Apple, Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Yahoo brands. Penang is an area with a great deal of Chinese influence, both historically and in its current culture. But in and around its most famous temple I didn't see a single shirt for a China-based technology brand such as Baidu, Sina Weibo, WeChat (Weixin), Xiaomi, Youku, or QQ. Especially since these shirts were sold in markets that target tourists, before commenting on what this might mean I would want to take a closer look at who purchases such shirts and whether these and similar shirts are sold elsewhere in Penang.
But at the very least these shirts are symbolic of the relative influence of American and Chinese technology brands in many regions outside of China--even where there are many Chinese people.
More on this topic later.
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