Peranakan Mansion: Enchanting history revealed

CHUNG KENG KWEE Street is a street name familiar to many true-blooded Penangites, but who was the real Chung Keng Kwee? The answer can be found at the ornate Peranakan Mansion along Church Street. The Peranakan Mansion's unique marriage of European and Chinese influenced design, provides the perfect historical setting for the story of one of Penang's most colourful individuals.

Peter Soon, a passionate collector of all things of Peranakan, is the current owner who undertook the extensive restoration work on this magnificent heritage mansion. His love affair with Peranakan culture began some 30-years ago when he fell in love with two Peranakan pillows he saw on sale! His first Peranakan antique exhibition in Kuala Lumpur impressed many prominent collectors from all over the country and this spurred him on to enlarge his already immense collection.

When he first saw the Peranakan Mansion, he was left aghast at its terrible condition and sensed an urgency to rescue the dilapidated structure. He managed to buy the mansion from a descendant of the original owner none other than Chung Keng Kwee a once prominent Kapitan Cina. It took years before Soon eventually restored the building to its former glory.

Chung Keng Kwee was just a peasant boy from the famed Kwangtung Province when he arrived on Malayan shores at the age of 16, looking for his missing father and elder brother (taken by the British to mine tin ore). These newly arrived Chinese labourers, quickly formed secret societies called "kongsi's" to look after their members' welfare, and housing needs. Chung Keng Kwee eventually led the most notorious Hakka-dominated Hai San Secret Society (translated as "Sea Mountain" society). In those days, the only way to rise up the ranks of the secret societies often involved brutal and bloody violence.

The notorious Hai San leader later reinvented his bloodthirsty image by transforming himself into an Anglophile "philanthropist" and even found favour with the British! His business skills and acumen did not go unnoticed and Chung was conferred the imperial title, "Mandarin of the Second Rank" to be held for three generations by the Manchu Imperial Government. This was a highly regarded title in China.

In 1893, Chung acquired two adjacent properties along Church Street. On the first site he built his home and office, called Hai Kee Chan or "Sea Remembrance Store". Next to it, he built a temple and dedicated it exclusively to himself! Inside the temple stands a life-sized bronze statue of the late Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee fully attired in the Mandarin robe with a Manchu Mandarin cap.

The front hall of the unique Peranakan Mansion is all separated from the rest of the house by a filigree panel. This screen acts as a "spirit wall" to prevent evil spirits from entering the home as it is believed that these spirits can only move in straight lines. The panels also allowed the womenfolk to take a peek at guests while remaining unseen. In the 19th century, male guests were rarely allowed beyond the front hall of the Mansion. The gold gilded screens with their intricate carvings boast of Chung's notoriety during his Hai San heydays.

Behind the temple ground is a lost well, long forgotten until Peter Soon undertook the task of renovating the Peranakan Mansion. Legend has it that Chung disposed of the bodies of his rival Ghee Hin Secret Society enemies down the well.

The Mansion was home to glorious riches and no expense was spared in.the interior decor. The most exclusive materials were acquired from the four corners of the world - Glaswegian cast-iron columns, English floor tiles, Chinese wooden panels and even a Columbia Grafonola wind-up gramophone. "Such a beautiful culture must not be allowed to waste away," says Peter with passion.

Writings on pages can only capture a fragment of the Peranakan Mansion experience and simply do not do justice to this intricately crafted mansion. Bursting with beautiful Peranakan antiques and collectibles the Mansion is now a museum dedicated to showcasing the unique opulent lifestyle of these people, customs and traditions of the Peranakan if only the walls could talk! The Brunei Times