A fusion of ancient naming traditions, “Dao Shang (島上)” is a Mandarin word referring to Penang as Island, and “Shao (燒)” follows the convention of describing the fire or kiln, except in this case it is the Japanese kanji character—Yaki—read in Chinese to represent the merge of influences from both cultures. 
 
The ideology behind Dao Shang Shao draws from the laid-back attitudes and multiculturalism in Penang, with an appreciation for more organic and unexpected qualities derived from Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetics.