The Pinang Peranakan Mansion ( ms, Rumah Agam Peranakan Pulau Pinang) in
George Town,
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, is a museum dedicated to
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
's
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...
heritage. The museum itself is housed within a distinctive green-hued mansion at Church Street,
George Town, which once served as the residence and office of a 19th-century Chinese tycoon,
Chung Keng Quee
Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chhang Kín-kui, 182713 December1901) was the founder and administrator of modern Taiping in Perak, Malaysia. Appointed "Capitan China" by the British in 1877, he was a millionaire philanthropist ...
.
The mansion contains thousands of
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...
artifacts, antiques and collectibles, as well as showcasing
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...
interior design and customs, such as the typical grand long dining table (
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
: ''tok panjang''). Due to its unique architecture and interior design that reflect the lifestyles of the
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...
s in
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
, the mansion has been featured in television series and reality TV shows, such as ''
The Little Nyonya
''The Little Nyonya'' ( zh, c= ) is a 2008 drama serial on Singapore's free-to-air MediaCorp TV Channel 8. It stars Jeanette Aw, Qi Yuwu, Dai Xiangyu, Lin Meijiao, Pan Lingling, Cynthia Koh, Pierre Png, Joanne Peh, Desmond Sim, Eelyn Kok, Andi ...
'',
''The Amazing Race'' and
''The Amazing Race Asia''.
History
The mansion itself was formerly named ''Hai Kee Chan'', which means the 'Sea Remembrance Hall' in
Penang Hokkien
Penang Hokkien (; Tâi-lô: ''Pin-siânn Hok-kiàn-uā''; ; ) is a local variant of Hokkien spoken in Penang, Malaysia. It is spoken as a mother tongue by 63.9% of Penang's Chinese community, and also by some Penangite Indians and Penangit ...
, by
Chung Keng Quee
Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chhang Kín-kui, 182713 December1901) was the founder and administrator of modern Taiping in Perak, Malaysia. Appointed "Capitan China" by the British in 1877, he was a millionaire philanthropist ...
, who was the ''Kapitan China'' of
Perak
Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...
and one of the richest men in
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
in the late 19th century.
[The Chinese in Penang - A Pictorial History (Binglang Yu Hua ren shi tu lu), Tan, Kim-Hong, ] He commissioned the construction of the mansion in the 1890s, having bought the piece of land in 1893. The site was formerly used by the ''
Ghee Hin
The Ghee Hin Kongsi () was a secret society in Singapore and Malaya, formed in 1820. Ghee Hin literally means "the rise of righteousness" in Chinese and was part of the Hongmen overseas network. The Ghee Hin often fought against the Hakka-domin ...
'', a
Chinese secret society that was a rival of
Chung's ''
Hai San
The Hai San Society (), which had its origins in Southern China,Encyclopædia Britannica was a Penang-based Chinese secret society established around 1820 and in 1825 led by Low, Ah ChongTriad Societies: Western Accounts of the History, Sociology ...
''. Both societies had clashed in the 1867 Penang Riots, which ultimately led to the decline of the ''
Ghee Hin
The Ghee Hin Kongsi () was a secret society in Singapore and Malaya, formed in 1820. Ghee Hin literally means "the rise of righteousness" in Chinese and was part of the Hongmen overseas network. The Ghee Hin often fought against the Hakka-domin ...
''.
The Straits Eclectic-style mansion, originally painted white, incorporated both European and Chinese designs. A
five foot way
A five-foot way ( Malay/ Indonesian: ''kaki lima'') is a roofed continuous walkway commonly found in front of shops in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia which may also be used for commercial activity. The name refers to the width of the passagewa ...
was indented along the building's side
facade, while the interior contains a number of wide courtyards similar to the Chinese townhouses of the era.
Chung also acquired European interior furnishings for his new mansion, such as Scottish cast iron works and
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...
ceramic floor tiles.
These European features were incorporated with Chinese elements, such as the carved wooden panels and screen for the walls.
In addition, a temple honouring
Chung himself was built next to the mansion. A life-sized statue of
Chung still stands inside the temple, which is also adorned with portraits of
Chung and his family members.
Chung Keng Quee
Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chhang Kín-kui, 182713 December1901) was the founder and administrator of modern Taiping in Perak, Malaysia. Appointed "Capitan China" by the British in 1877, he was a millionaire philanthropist ...
died in 1901 and the mansion was passed down to his descendants. However, the mansion gradually became derelict. It was acquired by a property developer in the 1990s, who repainted it green and, with over 1,000
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...
antiques, turned it into a museum dedicated to
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
's
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...
culture.
Media appearances
*
The Little Nyonya
''The Little Nyonya'' ( zh, c= ) is a 2008 drama serial on Singapore's free-to-air MediaCorp TV Channel 8. It stars Jeanette Aw, Qi Yuwu, Dai Xiangyu, Lin Meijiao, Pan Lingling, Cynthia Koh, Pierre Png, Joanne Peh, Desmond Sim, Eelyn Kok, Andi ...
(
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, 2008)
*
The Amazing Race 16
''The Amazing Race 16'' is the sixteenth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world.
The season premiered on CBS on Sunday, February 14, 2010, and the ...
*
The Amazing Race Asia 4
''The Amazing Race Asia 4'' is the fourth season of ''The Amazing Race Asia'', a reality television game show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race''. The fourth installment of the show features several teams of two, each with a pre-exis ...
*
The Iron Lady (TV series)
The Iron lady is another series produced by ntv7 and Double Vision. The series began its run on 17 March 2009 at 10:00 pm on ntv7.
Synopsis
In earlier times and not very long ago, girls born to traditional Chinese families were deprived of privil ...
(
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, 2009)
*
The Journey: A Voyage
*
Crazy Rich Asians (film)
''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a 2018 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jon M. Chu, from a screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, based on the 2013 novel of the same title by Kevin Kwan. The film stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding, ...
See also
*
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is a government gazetted heritage building located on Leith Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The mansion's external decorations and indigo-blue outer walls make it a very distinctive building, and it is somet ...
References
External links
Pinang Peranakan Mansion
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang
Houses in Malaysia
Tourist attractions in Penang
Art Nouveau architecture in Malaysia
Art Nouveau houses
Museums in Penang
Tourist attractions in George Town, Penang