HISTORY
At the
beginning of the 16th century, merchants and entrepreneurs were lured to
Malacca’s shores due to stories of the city’s burgeoning success and wealth. In
particular the city saw an influx of Chinese traders who arrived in droves in
an effort to escape Manchu rule. These entrepreneurs went on to marry local
Malay women – descendants of these marriages were known as Peranakan or
‘Straits-born Chinese’.
Their
relative success resulted in these expatriate merchants becoming the principal
wealth catalysts of the thriving city. The ‘Babas’ (male Sino-Malays) flaunted
their affluence by purchasing Dutch townhouses and transforming them into
out-and-out palaces. The interiors of these homes were opulent and stuffed to
the tee with Dutch-influenced fixtures including hand-painted tiles and
Victorian lamps.
MUSEUM
Located at No. 48-50
along Jalan Tun Cheng Lock in Malacca, the Baba-Nyonya Heritage Museum is
actually a collection of three beautifully restored houses arranged to look
like a typical 19th-cenutry Baba-Nyonya residence. Excellent examples of
Chinese-Palladian style, these townhouses, built in 1896, were transformed into
a traditional Peranakan museum in later years; connected by a common covered
footway, the museum features hand-painted tiles, elaborately carved teakwood
outer swing doors and a sturdier internal door which provides extra security.
Framed by Greco-Roman columns, two red lanterns, one bearing a household name
and the other messages of good luck, hang on either side of the entrance.
The upper level of the
house has a short canopy of Chinese tiles above the portico which frames the
almost-Venetian shuttered windows. Boasting distinctively east-meets-west
allure, the glass windows feature wrought-iron grilles and the eaves and
fascias are covered with painted, floral designs. Inside the house there’s a
collection of gold-leaf fixtures, Chinese- and Dutch-design black wood
furniture inlaid with mother of pearl as well as skilfully carved lacquer
screens and Victorian chandeliers.
The best parts of this
tour are the guides who regal guests with Baba Nyonya tales of yore with
noticeable Peranakan wit during the informative 45-minute tours.
Opening Hours: 10:00 –
12:30 & 14:00 – 16:30 Monday - Saturdays
Address: 48-50 Jalan
Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 75200.
Tel: (606) 283 1273.
The map to go Baba Nyonya Heritage
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| traditional clothes of baba nyonya |
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| baba nyonya traditional food |
