Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in George Town, Penang Island
Believed to have been constructed in accordance to perfect feng shui specifications, the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion with its elaborate pillars and beautiful inner courtyard is a Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Award 2000 recipient.
A geomancer’s dream, the 38-room mansion faces the rising sun with its entrances facing the sea and hills behind for “protection”.
With seven staircases, five granite-paved courtyards and 220 windows, it is massive by any standards. Bathed in a soothing blue hue, the mansion’s walls display 12 rare sculptures along the balcony outside the front room.
These sculptures on the wall depict stories from Chinese classics or mythology and were made from broken pieces of porcelain cups to create the intricate picture stories.
Comprising the domestic annexe and five terrace houses across the man building, the mansion sits on a jaw-dropping 56,000 sq. ft. land.
On rainy days, the floor of the courtyard is covered in a swirling pool of rainwater that flows down from rain gutters through two water outlets at the side of the courtyard. The gush of water from two opposite ends meet in the centre, causing the water to swirl and leaving visitors in awe of Malaysia’s most famous blue building.
Location of Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
14, Leith Street, George Town, Penang Island.
Website: http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com/
Source:
http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/heritage_blue_mansion.html