Cheong Fatt Tze

History

Background

Building Layout

Structure details

Porcelain mosaic

Furnitures

Chinese & Western style

Feng Shui

Roofwork

Timberworks

Gold Gilding Works

Stained Glass Works

Decorative Mosaic Porcelain Works

Restoration

Thank You

Cheong Fatt Tze

The Blue Mansion

Chronology of Events

1880s

Construction begins

The Blue Mansion

Cheong Fatt Tze

1900s

Served as house and office

1916

• Cheong Fatt Tze died, mansion was left for the family
• mansion gradually falls into disrepair.

- Businessman, financier, tycoon, diplomat,

politician,philanthropist and minister

- 1840-1916

- Migrated to South-east Asia due to

Second Opium War (1856–1862)

- Trading, banking made him wealthier

- Died of pneumonia in Indonesia

- Had 8 wives & many residences

- Penang is the base for raised his 6 childrens

1989

• Death of the last son, the mansion goes on the market.
• Penang conservationists purchases the house to restore

• Built in 1886
• 14 Leith Street, George Town
• Two level :

38 rooms, 5 courtyards,

7 staircases & 220 windows

• Hoped to house nine generations of his descendants
• Consulted by Feng Shui masters

1991

Restoration works begin.

1995

• Restoration completed.
• Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion opens for viewing and homestay.
• Honored PAM Architecture Award for conservation.

2000

• Honoured UNESCO 'Most Excellent' Heritage Conservation Award

Before restoration

Replacement with new roof tiles

New tile roof

Traditional roofing technique

Renovation of Roof

Roofing process

Timber ceilings before restoration

Wooden door

Wood carvings

Wooden window

Wooden staircase

use of dilute acid

Cleaning process

Original gold in its brilliance

After gilding

After gilding

Stained glass

Hand-made glass sheets

from the united States and Germany

After replacement

The process of pasting porcelain

specially produced rice-bowl from Fujian,China

Before replacement

Process of cutting the bowl using pliers

Building Location

Architecture

Off the dragon's back

Courtyard

Drainage system

The material - 5 elements

Carving

Divide into 2 parts :

Courtyard

Dining hall

Room

Mainhall

Building Location

Room

Courtyard

Room

Scottish cast-iron elements

Art norveau stained glass

The Wings

Gothic louvered windows

Geometric floor tiles

Courtyard

Pa kua

to find the best orientation

and location of each sector

to energize the owner's life

Kitchen & Dining area

Living room

rooms

courtyard in middle

Entrance

Courtyard in Cheong Fatt Tze

Chinese house design

Cheong Fatt Tze building layout

Si he Yuan in China

Courtyard in shophouses

Courtyard in chinese farmhouse

Ventilation opening

Tiles roof with decoration at the roof end

Door Opening

Fence door

Porcelain on roof

Phoenix porcelain

Porcelain on Wall

Room

The Wings

Dining table

Single seat Wooden sofa

Wooden sofa

Trishaw

Room

Hills at the back

Building layout

Mainhall

Courtyard

Back

Front hall

Hills at the back

Sub courtyard

Bedroom

Back

Earlier time

Pa Kua on the door opening

Urban area

Facing Southeast

'Off the dragon's back':

Master room

Entrance

Dining Hall

Front Hall

Courtyard

Align to the street

- South is warm &sunny

- Should be a low

‘footstool’ hill or a low

land & river or road.

Front

Hills

High Rise

- West is Autumn

- The tiger

represents Yin

Slightly slope towards the front,

the back are elevated 7 inches higher than front

So...

Right

Left

Entrance

Right

Balance

Left

Balance

Right

Left

Balance

Why ?

Balance

Reason : Southeast are best alignment for

Cheong Fatt Tze, base on Kua number

calculation using Cheong’s birth year

Balance

Second floor

Ground floor

- East is where the

sun rises

- Spring season

- The dragon

symbolise Yang

Road/ low land

River/ low land

- North is cold and dark

- Should protect by hills,

trees, or higher

buildings.

Back

Front

Low in front

Road / Low / Heading to sea

Carving & Mosaic Porcelain

Courtyard

reveals scenes of Gods and myths and natures ,to give scence of loveliness and grace

Originating from the Ming Dynasty Wanli period (circa 1600), jian nian is the art of cutting shards of coloured porcelain and piecing them together to form a picture.

5 elements

• accumulate energy
• increase the property

Drainage

The materials

Red

Summer

South

• Courtyard well was straits by two channels
• The water pipes were hidden in the wall

and allow draining towards the front part of

the house.

Water Drainage = the channel leads to wealth

Improper design – cause lost of property

Proper design – Accumulate property

The mansion is built with

a mindfulness of the five elemental principles of geomancy :

Green

Spring

East

Si He Yuan

Shophouse

Yellow/Brown

Every season

Centre

Drainage opening of Mansion

Flora Fauna plasterwork on column

Procelain of Myths

Porcelain of Heaven

Phoenix procelain works

Wood

Metal

Water

Earth

Fire

White/Gold

Autumn

West

Dark Blue/Back

Winter

North

Porcelain on roof

Carving with golden paint

Phoenix porcelain works