Appreciate Peranakan culture at the Penang Overseas Chinese Museum
The Penang Peranakan Museum in Malaysia, also known as the Overseas Chinese Museum, is a century-old house built in 1894. It integrates the most distinctive "Peranakan culture" of Nanyang. Peranakan refers to the descendants of Chinese in Malaysia and Malacca. "Peranakan culture" is a typical combination of Chinese and foreign cultures. It shows the old life of Chinese overseas Chinese in Penang.
Highlights:
1. The unique history and tradition of Penang's Peranakan culture, including the diet, marriage customs, social and family life of Peranakan people.
2. As an old house museum, the interior furnishings are greatly preserved. The exterior of the house is plain and unremarkable. When you walk in, you will find it suddenly enlightened. Everywhere is a treasure, and every step is a surprise. The shutter in your hand can't stop, and the rare treasures are too many to catch.
3. The integration of Chinese and Western is perfectly embodied. The hollow carved screen, English colored floor tiles, Chinese redwood furniture, Western shutters, Nanyang-style retro flower tiles, staircase iron flowers, etc. are matched together without any conflict, but full of atmosphere.
I really like the unique and rich Nanyang nostalgic charm here. At the same time, the Peranakan Museum has been the location of many film and television dramas, including Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" and Singapore's TV drama "Little Nyonya". The deep and profound Chinese culture, the romantic atmosphere of Europe, and the passionate Southeast Asia converge here, with a movie atmosphere, holding the old dreams of Nanyang, touching the thousands of styles, lazy and exquisite.
Ticket: 20 MYR for adults, about 31 RMB, very cost-effective, including Chinese and English explanations.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 9:30-17:00.
Nearby attractions: The old town of George Town where the Peranakan Museum is located has many ancient sites and graffiti murals all over the street. Within 1 kilometer, there are Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Upside Down Museum, Love Lane, street murals and the Penang Clan Jetties included in the World Cultural Heritage Protection Category, suitable for arranging half a day to 1 day to stroll around.
This is a place that you can understand more about Peranakan culture. This historic mansion is located at Penang Georgetown. Once you step into the mansion, you will feel the vibes that how Peranakan people live in Malaysia long long time ago. The museum entrance fees RM25 including tour both in Mandarin or English. The guide will tour you around the house and tell you the history of Baba and Nyonya. Highly recommended you are in Georgetown!Never forget that the Singapore drama - Little Nyonya (also the latest China version) scene are took from this mansion!
The Peranakans, also known as the Babas and Nyonyas, was a prominent community of acculturated Chinese unique to this part of the world, especially in the Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca and Singapore) hence its other name, the Straits Chinese. Adopting selected ways of the local Malays and later, the colonial British, the Peranakans had created a unique lifestyle and customs which had not only left behind a rich legacy of antiques but its cultural influences like cuisine and language are still evident in Penang today.
A cultural heritage of the Peranakans in Penang, well preserved that housed most of the relics.
amazing place to learn about the local peranakan culture and the guide is quite good
The Pinang Peranakan Mansion is a musuem located in 29, Church Street, George Town, Penang. It was the typical home of a rich Baba of a century ago, and recreated to offer a glimpse of their opulent lifestyle and of their many customs and traditions. With over 1,000 pieces of antiques and collectibles of the era on display.Opening hours: open daily from 9.30am - 5pm. Admission fee: RM25 (aldult), RM12 (children below 12yr.)
I highly recommend it to those traveling to Georgetown. You should never miss this attraction.Entrance fee is affordable at RM20 per adult and totally worth the price. We visited at 10am during a public holiday and just in time for a mandarin tour at 10.30am which is very informative.The mansion is so large that it is hardly noticeable from the outside, and I might have missed some areas without a guided tour. In addition, there are many antiques that are meticulously displayed.