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Resources > Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, Malaysia

By Jordi Baltà Portolés

31 Oct 2015

Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, Malaysia

Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum - exterior 2 Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum - inside The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum is located in Melaka, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The house is a combination of three terrace lots that were acquired by the Chan family in 1861. Four generations lived in the house before it was opened as a museum in March 1985. The name of the museum is derived from the terms 'Baba', an honorific manner of addressing a Straits-born gentleman, and 'Nyonya', which addresses a Straits-born lady. The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum presents a journey into late 19th-century and early 20th-century Malaya. Visitors will be able to meander through the home of Baba Chan Cheng Siew (1865-1919), whose eclectic taste offers a glimpse into the richness of the culture and the opulence that was fashionable in many pre-World War II Peranakan homes. Permanent collections: architecture of the house includes furniture and fittings which date back to late 1800s and early 1900s.

View all Asia-Europe Museum Network (ASEMUS) members in Malaysia