Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion ( aka the Blue Mansion ) ( first posted on thebarefootfoodie.org on 3 Nov 2015 )

 

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion ( aka the Blue Mansion )

NOVEMBER 3, 2015BAREFOOT TRAVELS, PENANG

The Blue Mansion

 In the heart of Georgetown on Leith Street, stands a magnificent 56,000 sq ft 19th century architectural legacy of Penang.  This mansion is one of the only three stately Chinese-style mansions remaining outside China.  It was built in the late 19th century by Chinese immigrant and rags-to-riches Cheong Fatt Tze.  Designed in the chinese style with an open courtyard in the middle and wings to either side, it  houses Cheong’s seven wives and various offspring and other relations. .Constructed over a seven year period between 1896 and 1904 by  master craftsmen from China, the mansion has 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows.

It is built according to Chinese geomantic principles (Feng Shui) and decorated with intricate carvings, rare chien nien mosaics and Chinese latticework. It also includes Art Nouveau stained glass, Gothic louvered windows, Stoke-on-Trent geometric floor tiles and Scottish cast-iron elements.

When Cheong Fatt Tze died in 1916 , the youngest son (of the seventh wife) inherited the mansion with the condition that it couldn’t be sold until after he died. It is said that he left the mansion in the hands of a relative and migrated to Australia. With little means to finance the upkeep of the mansion the relative began letting out rooms. Over the years squatters moved in and by the time the youngest son died in the 1990s, the place was in a dilapidated state.

Fortuitously,  in 1990, it was bought over by a local firm specializing in heritage conservation work and was restored over several years by Laurence Loh Architects. They had to hire skilled workers and craftsmen from China to restore and repair by hand all the woodcarving on the timber beams and shutters as well as the chien nien mosaics.

The renovated courtyard now  serves as a public space for exhibitions, tours, concerts, weddings and other public activities. The annexes have been converted into 16 uniquely themed apartments, decorated in nineteenth century style to serve as a Boutique Hotel and Museum.  In 2000 it was awarded the UNESCO ‘Most Excellent’ Heritage Conservation Award.

SIngapore’s Glen Goei produced a film by the same name in 2009, shot entirely on location here.

The Sales Pitch

Striking Indigo Blue

Entrance to the Blue Mansion

All ears as the guide relates juicy tales

I am guessing this is the beloved seventh wife

Ornate mother-of-pearl Chinese style furniture

Elaborately carved armoire

Writing Desk

Red and White Ceiling

Stained glass rivaling those in European Cathedrals

Living Room

Chien Nien Mosaic

Retro tiles

The Backyard

Private Transport

Something about Feng Shui