The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion - The Blue Mansion, Penang
40 images Created 10 Jun 2023
The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, usually called The Blue Mansion, was built by a merchant called Cheong Fatt Tze at the end of the 19th century. It has 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 louvre windows.It was Cheong's private residence and the headquarters of his business activities in Penang.
it is in the Chinese architectural style of the Imperial Period. It features Stoke-on-Trent floor tiles made of encaustic clay in geometric pieces all shaped to fit to a perfect square, Glasgow cast iron works by MacFarlane's & Co. and Art Nouveau stained glass windows.
The construction follows the principles of Feng Shui. The blue colour is achieved by mixing lime with natural blue dye made from the indigo plant. The blue was very popular in the colonial period. Indigo dye was imported from India by the British. The lime-wash was very effective in a tropical weather as it absorbed moisture and cooled the house.
The mansion was bought from Cheong Fatt Tze's descendants in 1989 by a group of local Penang individuals to save it from encroaching development and possible demolition.
It is now a hotel with 18 rooms. In 2016 a restaurant called 'Indigo' was opened on the first floor.
It has been used in films including the 1993 Oscar-winning French film Indochine starring Catherine Deneuve, The Red Kebaya, Road to Dawn, 3rd Generation and The Blue Mansion in 2009 by Singapore director Glen Goei.
The mansion also featured in Crazy Rich Asians.
it is in the Chinese architectural style of the Imperial Period. It features Stoke-on-Trent floor tiles made of encaustic clay in geometric pieces all shaped to fit to a perfect square, Glasgow cast iron works by MacFarlane's & Co. and Art Nouveau stained glass windows.
The construction follows the principles of Feng Shui. The blue colour is achieved by mixing lime with natural blue dye made from the indigo plant. The blue was very popular in the colonial period. Indigo dye was imported from India by the British. The lime-wash was very effective in a tropical weather as it absorbed moisture and cooled the house.
The mansion was bought from Cheong Fatt Tze's descendants in 1989 by a group of local Penang individuals to save it from encroaching development and possible demolition.
It is now a hotel with 18 rooms. In 2016 a restaurant called 'Indigo' was opened on the first floor.
It has been used in films including the 1993 Oscar-winning French film Indochine starring Catherine Deneuve, The Red Kebaya, Road to Dawn, 3rd Generation and The Blue Mansion in 2009 by Singapore director Glen Goei.
The mansion also featured in Crazy Rich Asians.
