Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post! During my trip to Penang, Malaysia, Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion was a personal highlight on this trip. I’ll share what to expect along with some bits of information I learned along the way.
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Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion: Entrance and Tour
First of all, entry is 25 MYR with a free audio tour included. If you can, come for the in-person tour. Terry, the guide, was full of character and information. The daily guided tours run at 11am and 2pm in English.
In addition, this was a location for the film ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ in 2017. The mahjong scene was shot on the ground floor of the house. When you go outside, you’ll see the quintessential blue walls and bikes parked. The bikes are actually from Hanoi and have nothing to do with Cheong Fatt Tze!
Upon Entry to Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion
Once you go inside, there is a vast hallway with fans spinning to make sure the room is air-conditioned. If you enter via the gift shop, there’s a courtyard which is surrounded by several rooms including a room dedicated to Cheong Fatt Tze. It explains the restoration process of the blue mansion along with a copy of his will.
Cheong Fatt Tze’s Many Wives
A fun fact about Cheong Fatt Tze is that he had 8 wives! He had a favourite wife and she was the mother of his youngest son. This was the only wife he mentioned in his will. She was 17 when he married her and he was 70 years old. It was the wife of his youngest son who kept the mansion running after Cheong Fatt Tze’s death. In order to keep it up and running, she rented out all of the spaces. Most of what you’ll hear about on the tour is from her lips.
Cheong Fatt Tze’s Clothing and Plates at the Blue Mansion
In the image below, there’s a room where you’ll see his old shirts which have his Chinese symbol on them. He also brought the first Chinese school to Penang and it was the first one outside of mainland China. You may also notice some colourful bowls around the place. They were used to produce the colourful mosaics which you see outside at the front of the mansion near the roof.
Cheong Fatt Tze’s Death and Wishes for the Blue Mansion
He was 76 when he died and he made it clear that the mansion couldn’t be sold until his youngest son died who was 2 at the time. Cheong Fatt Tze envisaged that 9 generations of his family would be able to stay there. One thing I didn’t notice until it was pointed out to me was how there are two steps on one side of the courtyard and three on the other as one part of the mansion is 11 inches higher. Additionally, the drainage hole is an old Chinese symbol for money.
Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion Restoration Project
Frankly, I couldn’t believe the state of dilapidation the mansion was in when it was sold in 1989 as I looked at the photos. A heritage architect bought the house and worked to restore it in 1990 using gold standard techniques of conservation. The entire restoration process took 6 years and it involved collaboration with local artisans and people from Fujian province in China. On the tour, the next two rooms you’ll see on the tour are of a restaurant and a bar.
Movies Shot at Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion
As you go upstairs, there is a large landing along with posters of different movies. All of these were shot at the mansion including Crazy Rich Asians, Road to Dawn, Ghost Bride, Within Indigo Walls, The Red Kebaya and Indochine.
Along with artefacts which were used in the restoration being on display, there were also some props from Indochine. For example, items such as a feng ayi compass, manual typewriters, calculators and cheque printers. These are all from when the mansion was occupied families and squatters as well as mahjong sets and pots.
Would you like to stay at Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion Hotel?
Another interesting fact is that part of the mansion was also turned into a luxurious 18-room boutique hotel. You can take a look at that here! It’s not open to the public but from the parts that I could see, it looked very well-kept. The current location of indigo restaurant was Cheong Fatt Tze’s personal quarters before. Now, it is divided into three rooms. The current gift shop was previously Cheong Fatt Tze’s man cave.
If you visit Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion on the Weekend
On Friday and Saturday at 6:30pm there is a musician in the garden if you’d like to sit down and enjoy the atmosphere in the courtyard. They recommend to stay for sunset and the red lanterns light up against the blue walls. Cafe Mangga is a nice spot for a cold drink after the tour and if you have a sweet tooth they have plenty of cakes on offer as well.
Thanks for Reading!
I hope that this post was of some use. If you liked this post, please consider sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. Furthermore, you may like some of my other posts about Malaysia.
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