Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion or better known as the Blue Mansion, is another peranakan mansion that is a must visit. Bare in mind, because it’s also a boutique hotel, the only access is to follow the guided tour and there’s a limited space we can explore unless you stay at the hotel. For me, I prefer the green mansion, The Pinang Peranakan Mansion, for obvious reason.
Took some photos because the outer decoration are gorgeously done.
We waited quite a while for the guided tour and it last only 45 minutes or so. Never less, we get to know about the architecture, its history and Feng Shui in that compact history lesson from the guide. Check out the daily tour here so you don’t have to wait that long like us. Entrance and guided tour cost us RM17.00 each. For room reservation (or just checking the rooms and non accessible hall ways of the mansion, you can check them out here.
A gorgeous door details in the waiting hall
Typical Chinese Malay decorated floor
The front office, I assumed double as a check in area for the hotel
Our guide today
The mansion was built at the 19th century (1880s) by another Chinese merchant named Cheong Fatt Tze (dubbed as the Rockefeller of the East, for his accomplishment in economic and politics). Cheong Fatt Tze has many houses but the Blue Mansion was his office and resident with his favorite 7th wife.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion was built adhered to the Feng Shui principle, much like the style of Hakka and Teochew from the Su Chow Dynasty in China. Although Cheong Fatt Tze preferred the Chinese architecture style, he also took Western and Malay influence in his design; from English Art Nouveau stained glass to the iron works imported from Glasgow by MacFarlane’s & Co. By recent account, there were 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows with Gothic flare and Chinese influenced.
Detail of the floor pattern
Art Nouveau stained glass
The water collected from the roof channeled down the walls and down to the drainage in the central courtyard.
Gorgeous iron balcony with pillar crown details
The central courtyard
One of the dining hall
Love this staircase to the second floor.
The second floor
Museum for the Nyonya fashion at the time
Second floor hall way and ceiling, partly museum
The mansion was called the blue mansion because of it’s wall color, mixing blue dye from Indigo plant from India and lime. The lime to make the house cooler and stronger walls. The Indigo is because it gives the mansion a prestige status. Indigo is prized color and imported by the rich at that time.
Old style ruler
Chinese musical instrument
An accordion, records and player used as props for the movie Indochine.
Mahjong and its box
Nowadays, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion stood as a museum and hotel and as an UNESCO heritage, ‘Most Excellent’ Heritage Conservation Award in 2000. It was also featured in some movies like Indochine starring Catherine Deneuve and Vincent Perez, the Blue Mansion, the Red Kebaya, Road to Dawn and other tv series. All in all, I quite enjoy the blue mansion, but for photograph, I prefer the green mansion.
Penang Travel:
- [Travel] Penang, Touchdown at George Town
- [Travel] Penang, Exploring the street art of George Town
- [Travel] Penang, Walking the Heritage Core Zone at George Town
- [Travel] Penang, China House Restaurant and Teochew Chendul Ice Kacang in George Town
- [Travel] Penang, Snapping at Asia Camera Museum in George Town
- [Travel] Penang, Thai Buddhist Temple Side by Side with Burmese Temple in George Town
- [Travel] Penang, The Vast Complex of Kek Lok Si Temple
- [Travel] Penang, The Rich Heritage of Pinang Peranakan Green Mansion
- [Travel] Penang, The Interesting Tidbits of Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion
Source: Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion official website
101MonkeyMagic 
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