Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang

Cheong Fatt Tze (1840–1916) was a Chinese businessman and politician born in Dabu, Guangdong Province in South China. Migrating to South-East Asia to seek his fortune, he first made base in Jakarta, then expanded his business to Medan and subsequently George Town in Penang.

Through the course of his life, Cheong Fatt Tze frequently travelled throughout the region as he pursued his business interests, building mansions in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and China. By all accounts though, his favourite mansion was the one he built in Leith Street, George Town, Penang.

Cheong Fatt Tze's Mansion in Penang began construction at the end of the 19th century. Known as the "Blue Mansion" today for its modern day painted facade, the mansion was not originally blue in colour during Cheong Fatt Tze's time.

Built in the traditional Chinese Courtyard Home style by artisans brought in from China, the materials used in the construction of the mansion was also imported from around the world, even as far away as Scotland. 

The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion has three 1-hour guided tours daily, at 11am, 1:30pm and 3pm. Tickets are RM12 for adults and RM6 for children under 12. Be advised that tickets cannot be booked in advance and places are limited; so be early in order to avoid disappointment - as the tours are pretty popular. For the 3pm tour, you can choose to have tea in the courtyard of the mansion for an additional fee.

Alternatively, you can also choose to stay at the mansion in one of the 16 rooms. Prices range from RM420 onwards.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

Address: 14 Leith Street,10200 Penang, Malaysia
Tel : +604 262 0006
Fax: +604 262 5289

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre, Penang

Gurney Drive is one of Penang's famous waterfront promenades, the other being the Esplanade at Padang Kota Lama ("Old City Green"). Named after Sir Henry Gurney, the British High Commissioner to Malaya from 1948 to 1951, who was tragically assassinated by the communists during the Malayan Emergency on the road to Fraser's Hill in Pahang, Gurney Drive is nearly 2km long from end to end.

At the northern Bagan Jermal end of the Drive is the Gurney Roundabout. Adjacent to the roundabout is the famed Gurney Drive Hawker Centre. Open only in the late evening and up to about 10pm at night, the Hawker Centre is a motley collection of hawker stalls in an open air setting. Sitting on plastic chairs and tables you order the penang specialties on show at the adjacent stalls and tuck in.

Penang-ites are known to be proud of their food and some locals may scorn Gurney Drive as being too touristy with better cheaper fare able to be found elsewhere; but the fact remains that the Hawker Centre is packed every night and most of those eating there are locals.

 

Among some of the penang street food on offer include Assam Laksa, Char Kueh Teow, Lok-Lok, Sotong Kangkung, Satay, Prawn Mee and much much more.

For us, a visit to Gurney Drive is not complete without trying the Penang Rojak, which is a fruit salad of pineapples, cucumber, bean sprouts, puffy deep fried tofu, rose apples (jambu air), young green mangoes and other ingredients covered in a spicy sweet black sauce made of shrimp paste (belacan), sugar, chilli, lime juice and tamarind; and dusted in ground/chopped peanuts.

Tan Swee Hoe's version of Rojak.

Ah Chye's version of Rojak

Grilled seafood is also available in the hawker centre. One of the dishes you can try is the Grilled Stingray, which comes to you wrapped in a banana leaf.

Another favourite is the sotong bakar, or dried roasted squid, which has been flattened and served with a dipping sauce.

Many other Penang delicacies are to be found here in Gurney Drive, and no matter what the locals say, it is still a good place to visit, touristy or no.