14 Leith St, George Town, Penang
Cheong Fatt Tze 1840-1916, left his home in China aged 16 and travelled to Java, where he worked at every menial job he could find until one day he met and wooed the daughter of a rich merchant. He married her and his father in law, who had observed how careful and hard working his son in law was, decided to fund him as a trader. Cheong Fatt Tze observyed the Dutch traders, for Java was a dutch colony at that time and followed in their footsteps. He soon became rich, acquired property and more wives, each one of whom benefitted his business. After several years he decided to try his luck in British colony of Malayia. He moved to Penang, where he bought a piece of swamp land in Georgetown, the capital of Penang.
He was a Chinese Mandarin of the highest order, Consul General of the Ching Government, Special Trade Commissioner for South East Asia and director of China's first modern bank and first railway.
He cleverly incorporated European techniques into his typical Chinese Courtyard house, with 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows. The windows are art nouveau stained glass with Venetian shutters, the timberwork is Gothic, the cast ironwork Victorian and the latticework covered with gold leaf. The roofs, gables and verandahs are decorated with Chinese ceramic shard mosaics. Fatt Tze imported artesans to carry out the work and the whole house was built according to Feng Shui principles. He designed it to impress the British and to provide an ideal environment to brin gp his sons. 5 shop houses opposite formed the original domestic annex for the mansion.
He had the outside of the house painted indigo blue, a beutiful calming colour and he made sure that everything in the house was beautiful, harmonious and representative of nature, abundance, peace and tranquility.
Leith st was once a beautiful avenue, lined with tall palm trees, with great houses sheilded from the street by walled gardens. Now most of these mansions have been destroyed. One or two have become hotels and restaurants.
A shop house in Old Penang
Art Nouveau Building in Georgetown, old Penang
Cheong Fatt Tze 1840-1916, left his home in China aged 16 and travelled to Java, where he worked at every menial job he could find until one day he met and wooed the daughter of a rich merchant. He married her and his father in law, who had observed how careful and hard working his son in law was, decided to fund him as a trader. Cheong Fatt Tze observyed the Dutch traders, for Java was a dutch colony at that time and followed in their footsteps. He soon became rich, acquired property and more wives, each one of whom benefitted his business. After several years he decided to try his luck in British colony of Malayia. He moved to Penang, where he bought a piece of swamp land in Georgetown, the capital of Penang.
He was a Chinese Mandarin of the highest order, Consul General of the Ching Government, Special Trade Commissioner for South East Asia and director of China's first modern bank and first railway.
He cleverly incorporated European techniques into his typical Chinese Courtyard house, with 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows. The windows are art nouveau stained glass with Venetian shutters, the timberwork is Gothic, the cast ironwork Victorian and the latticework covered with gold leaf. The roofs, gables and verandahs are decorated with Chinese ceramic shard mosaics. Fatt Tze imported artesans to carry out the work and the whole house was built according to Feng Shui principles. He designed it to impress the British and to provide an ideal environment to brin gp his sons. 5 shop houses opposite formed the original domestic annex for the mansion.
He had the outside of the house painted indigo blue, a beutiful calming colour and he made sure that everything in the house was beautiful, harmonious and representative of nature, abundance, peace and tranquility.
Leith st was once a beautiful avenue, lined with tall palm trees, with great houses sheilded from the street by walled gardens. Now most of these mansions have been destroyed. One or two have become hotels and restaurants.
A shop house in Old Penang
Art Nouveau Building in Georgetown, old Penang
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