Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
Chinatown
KHOO KONGSI
(
www.khookongsi.com.my
;
18 Cannon Sq; adult/child RM10/1; 9am-6pm)
The
kongsi
(clanhouse) is a
major node of overseas Chinese communities, and the Khoo Kongsi is the most impressive
one in Penang.
The Khoo, who trace their lineage back 25 generations, are a successful clan, and they're
letting the world know. Stone carvings dance across the entrance hall and pavilions, many
of which symbolise or are meant to attract good luck and wealth. Note the Sikh guardian
watchman at the entrance. The interior is dominated by incredible murals depicting birth-
days, weddings and, most impressively, the 36 celestial guardians (divided into two panels
of 18 guardians each). The fiery overhead lighting comes courtesy of enormous paper
lamps. Gorgeous ceramic sculptures of immortals, carp, dragons, and carp becoming
dragons (a traditional Chinese motif symbolising success) dance across the roof ridges. As
impressive as all of this is, Khoo Kongsi was once more ostentatious; the structure caught
fire on the night it was completed in 1901, an event put down to divine jealousy. The
present
kongsi
dates from 1906. At research time, a hotel was being built on the premises.
HISTORIC BUILDING
CHEONG FATT TZE MANSION
(
www.cheongfatttzemansion.com
;
14 Lebuh Leith; admission RM12; tours 11am, 1.30pm & 3pm Mon-Sat)
Built
in the 1880s, the magnificent 38-room, 220-window Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion was com-
missioned by Cheong Fatt Tze, a Hakka merchant-trader who left China as a penniless
teenager and eventually established a vast financial empire throughout east Asia, earning
himself the dual sobriquets 'Rockefeller of the East' and the 'Last Mandarin'.
The mansion, rescued from ruin in the 1990s, blends Eastern and Western designs, with
louvred windows, art nouveau stained glass and beautiful floor tiles, and is a rare surviving
example of the eclectic architectural style preferred by wealthy Straits Chinese of the time.
The best way to experience the house, now a boutique hotel, is to stay here; otherwise
hour-long guided tours give you a glimpse of the beautiful interior.
HISTORIC BUILDING
