The Origin and Evolution of the Malayan Shophouse is the first book to attempt to give an overview of shophouses in Malaya from 1794 (Malacca) to 1969 (Kuala Lumpur) - a period of 175 years , during which over 30,000 shophouses were built. The period of 175 years coincided with an era of mass migration from mainland China to Nanyang and British colonial rule in Malaya via India. Indeed, shophouses were a direct result of the intersection of these three cultures in the context of Malay Sultanates. We have all inherited the DNA of migrants.