I loved visiting Cheong Fatt Tze's favourite home, which has now been restored and is used as a small hotel. If you get the chance, attend the one hour tour at either 11 am or 3pm each day and pay 10rm and you will be rewarded with a very entertaining and informative tour given by a very theatrical Chinese lady who has nothing but the utmost respect for everything the mansion stands for.
The building was designed using Feng Shui principles and is a crazy mix of various turn of the 19 century styles of architecture. Cheong Fatt Tze imported clay floor tiles from Bristol, amazingly colourful Victorian style lead lights from England and he employed master craftsmen from China to carve the intricate woodwork.
There are three dimensional scenes on the outsides of the building decorated with shards of broken glazed pottery. The craftsmanship is amazing and has stood the test of time well. I was only able to take photographs of the outside of the building as internal photography is prohibited. The blue lime wash paint is the original colour, but not the original paintwork.
If you have the opportunity, this is one tour you should not miss.
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Phone: +60 4 2625289
Address: 14 leith street, 10200 penang, malaysia
Directions: Close to start of Penang Road. Taxis available nearby. Enjoy a meander around local streets which are rich with other gems like this. Don't forget to check out 20 Leith Street (opposite), the original kitchen for the mansion.
Website: http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com/
Penang
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on Feb 13, 2006
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