For an example of the city’s rich Peranakan heritage, there’s no better place than the Penang Peranakan Mansion.
Currently serving as a museum, visitors can learn more about this unique culture in an affluent household of a bygone era. With no limit to how long you can explore, this impressive mansion in an attractive mint hue is hard to miss in George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage Site!
We think it’s worth visiting! See why below.
History
Originally used as Kapitan Cina Chung Keng Kwee’s Residence/Office on Church Street, the Penang Peranakan Mansion is a Chinese courtyard-style mansion built during the 19th century. Chung Keng Kwee had the mansion built at the height of his influence, and it was finally completed in 1895.
Once named Hai Kee Chan (or Sea Remembrance Hall), its initial exterior had a white coat, unlike the current coat of mint green! The 2-story mansion adopts a Straits Eclectic style, a popular choice among the wealthy Peranakan back in those days. It has further influence from other styles as well, with Chinese, English, and Scottish materials and design!
As his name suggests, Chung Keng Kwee himself was not of Peranakan (or Baba) descent. But as a Chinese immigrant, he found success in the Hai San society, rising through the ranks to become the Kapitan Cina (Chinese captain) of the local Chinese in Penang.
Note: The Hai San society were heavily involved in mining at the neighboring state, Perak
Current Ownership
After Chung’s passing in 1901, the mansion was left to his descendants. Who abandoned it after losing their riches in WWII.
Much later in the 20th century, Peter Soon, a Peranakan architect, bought and restored the mansion to its former glory. It’s also where he keeps his astounding collection of over 1,000 Peranakan artifacts.
The mansion is now a public museum and key attraction in Penang, and has since been featured in hit shows including Crazy Rich Asians and The Amazing Race too!
Entrance Fee
To buy the tickets, just walk in and the friendly staff will assist you! The entrance fee includes a free guided tour.
Tip: Do keep the entry sticker as you can re-enter multiple times on the same day with it!
Ticket Prices:
- Adults: RM 20
- Children (under 6 years old): Free
Note: Ticket prices listed in this post are subject to change without notice by the Penang Peranakan Museum.
There are big-group and school-group rates as well, but you need to give them a call first to make an advance booking!
Note: To celebrate the opening of their brand-new sister museum, George Town Mansion, there is a ticket combination promo (RM25 per adult) to visit both Pinang Peranakan Mansion and George Town Mansion.
Guided Tour
Learn the story of the mansion and the life of Peranakans from knowledgeable and friendly tour guides! The humorous guides speak both English and Mandarin.
Remember to book the tours in advance before you visit! Only groups of 5 or more are eligible for the complimentary conducted tours. As we found out during our visit so our group of two didn’t qualify.
Daily tours for the museum run at 11:30am and 3:30pm daily and each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes.
Our Visit
We came in the afternoon and had just missed a tour session. Still, a friendly male staff showed us the first section of the museum after introducing himself (he is of baba nyonya descent himself). It wasn’t a full tour, but it was insightful despite the short duration.
This section of the museum housed many antiques, including a priceless blue headdress which we learned through the staff, that the jewels were bird features using a long-lost process!
He also showed to us and explained the significance of gold accessories to the affluent ladies of baba nyonya descent. We got a look at some very dainty decorated Peranakan style slippers too. What’s interesting is some of them were made for ladies that underwent painful feet binding.
After our short tour, we explored the mansion on our own. There was a family temple behind the mansion (off limits to the public).
Inside the mansion, there were many beautiful rooms including upstairs where the bedrooms were. There was also more than one dining room, and the inner courtyard was stunning at every angle! Besides these, there is the kitchen (with numerous enamel pots) and an old Chinese apothecary counter. The likes of which, we have never seen before anywhere else.
The mansion is furnished with many elegant antique furniture pieces. We cannot begin to guess the price of everything inside!
Attractions Nearby
Consider visiting other outdoor attractions nearby first. Then as the heat intensifies, make your way to the cool, sheltered mansion, or simply go early to beat the crowds!
Here are some suggestions on places that are within easy walking distance:
Wonder Food Museum
Feast your eyes on more than 100 local street foods and delicacies on display. From miniature hawker stalls to gigantic food models of cendol, laska, and char kuey teow, it is fun and unusual perspective of bringing Malaysian food culture to the table (pun intended)!
We had a blast during our visit to this museum and highly recommend it!
Goddess Of Mercy Temple
Built by Hokkien and Cantonese settlers in the early 19th century, the Goddess of Mercy Temple is Penang’s oldestTaoist temple and is still a well-visited place of worship. With intricate architectural features like the dragon entwined pillars and exquisite roof details, it’s a fine display of 19th century Chinese craftsmanship!
Sri Mahamariamman Temple (And Little India)
This is the oldest Hindu temple in Penang! It is another 19th century gem that is an architectural marvel despite its small size. Its numerous sculptures up front make it easy to spot!
During festive seasons, thousands of devotees will flock to the temple to offer prayers.
Note: Remember to remove your shoes before entering the temple!
You can read more about our visit to Little India if you want more details.
Fort Cornwallis
Visitors can marvel at the many restored old cannons and flagstaff on site of Malaysia’s oldest and largest fort! The star-shaped British bastion was originally built to defend against pirates, Kedah and French forces during the outbreak of Napoleonic Wars.
The fort is home to the second oldest lighthouse in Malaysia, just in the northeast corner of the fort.
Note: The outside moat is currently under renovation with the first phase completed. Entrance fees apply to enter the property!
Read more about our visit to Fort Cornwallis.
Conclusion
The Penang Peranakan Museum is a real-life history classroom where you can delve deeper into the lives of prosperous Peranakans of the 19th century. With so many highlights in the mansion, we find that it is easy to spend 2 hours to half a day exploring.
Moreover, with reasonable pricing for the entrance fee and guide tours, it’s certainly a tourist location that you can’t afford to miss! We highly recommend a visit here even if you can’t catch one of their daily tours on time!
Clan Jetties Of Penang
If you don’t mind walking for about 10 minutes, you can visit the clan jetties of Penang too. Otherwise known as floating villages, there are 6 jetties altogether, each named after the 6 Chinese Clans that emigrated from China during the 19th century. Among them, Chew Jetty is the most tourist-friendly one.
Penang Itinerary
Check out our Penang itinerary guide for more ideas on what to include (and exclude) from your trip. We’ve got suggestions on how to visit the city even if you just have one day to do so!
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (The Blue Mansion)
If you simply can’t get enough of the Peranakan culture, we highly recommend a visit to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (The Blue Mansion) too. It’smuchbigger too.
