Pinang Peranakan Mansion

About this place

A green mansion on Church Street built in the late nineteenth century by Chung Keng Quee, one of the richest tin-mining magnates of his day and leader of the Chinese community, now a museum of Peranakan culture: the Chinese families settled in the Straits of Malacca for centuries whose customs blended with Malay ones. Inside are more than a thousand pieces of mother-of-pearl furniture, painted porcelain, jewellery and beaded embroidered costume, spread across rooms kept as they were when a wealthy family lived here. The inner courtyard with its cast-iron columns shipped from Scotland, the carved wooden staircase and the gilded ceilings show at a glance how rich George Town grew in the age of tin. Adults pay RM 25, which includes a guided tour of about an hour, well worth waiting for because the guides tell the stories of the house and the people in it. The mansion opens daily from half past nine to five. It is indoors and partly air-conditioned, and suits older children and history lovers. It is a few minutes from Fort Cornwallis and the Kapitan Keling Mosque on a walk through the old town.