In 1786 the British East India Company saw the strategic importance of Penang's location at the northern entrance to the Strait of Malacca, and developed it as a trading port.
西元一七八六年，英國東印度公司統治南洋，眼見檳島地控麻六甲海峽北方門戶，交通位置正居要衝，於是大力開發其為貿易港。