Visit to Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion 张弼士故居 (The Blue Mansion), Han Jiang Ancestral Temple 韩江家庙 and hunting for Penang Street Art (101 Lost Kittens)

This fine holiday 爸爸 is with us, so he's bringing us around Penang. No overseas trip this year for us.

Since being asked by tourists about the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion and not even knowing where it is, it's time to pay a visit. This heritage building is at 14, Leith Street, cannot be missed for the blue exterior.


Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion at 14, Leith Street.

The Mansion is too huge for camera lens, have to split to left and right view.

Visitors can only gain access to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (or The Blue Mansion) via the 1-hour guided tour. It's only available for 11am, 1:30pm and 3pm. We've enquired and got information that we should be there about 10 minutes before the tour. There's already a queue when we reach the gate, public holiday you know but most visitors look like foreigners. Entrance fee is RM12 per adult, and RM6 per child. The Blue Mansion is also now a bed-and-breakfast, and available for rental for events :) There are areas at The Blue Mansion which is accessible only to guests of the bed-and-breakfast.

Top left is at the main gate, bottom right is at the living hall.

The guided tour in English is led by a lady called Ms Pat. The street is called 莲花河路 (or Lotus Flower Street in Mandarin) in the olden days as it was a swamp back then, but Cheong Fatt Tze bought the site as he liked the presence of lotus flower here. We were informed the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion has blue exterior as it is believed blue will bring harmony. She told us when the current owners take over, nothing was left inside the mansion except for the gold gild here. So the furnishings and ornaments were added by the current owners. And of course, the Blue Mansion is build following the principles of feng shui. We heard even the tiles were placed accordingly to feng shui, and the children immediately took off their shoes to "feel the feng shui qi" :)

This is the original gold gild that still remains.

I also don't know when the children took these photos with 爸爸 as I was busy listening to the history of the Blue Mansion.

After a brief introduction, we were taken to the center courtyard. Visitors are not allowed to roam as the guide stated it's a "private property". We're only "allowed" at certain locations throughout the mansion under supervision of our guide.

This is around the center courtyard

Then we were introduced to "Chien Nien" (I think it's 剪黏), the decorative mosaic porcelain works seen around the Blue Mansion and most prominently from the first floor balcony. It's basically cutting the porcelain bowls and pasting them to form intricate craft works.

Some of the decorative "Chien Nien" works, and I love the English stained glass that were restored.

Then we were shown the ying yang windows of the mansion and a display room on the first floor.

On the first floor of Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. The top right shows the old servant quarters, now turned into a shop.
The bottom right photo shows the intricate Scottish ironworks.

Some display rooms around the Mansion, one on the first floor and one on the ground floor.

The yin yang windows, and one of the wooden timber stairs. Poor 弟弟 slipped and fell here near the yin yang window :P 

Then we were shown the side wing courtyard. It's really beautiful and 写意 here.

Side wing courtyard

Then we're ushered to the souvenir shop. We only stayed awhile as we're afraid the children might break something delicate here. We went outside for more photo-taking. It's really such a beautiful place. That's the end of the guided tour, and it's already 1pm.

Outside the souvenir shop

These trishaws are props from a movie.

That's how they are trying to absorb some "feng shui qi" again after borrowing the toilet.

Anyway, the photos don't do any justice to the real place. You just have to see it with your own eyes!

Since it's past 1pm after the photo rounds, we took a lunch break at New World Park's Starview. No photo of food as it's the usual fare for us. But there's a bunch of cute life size cutouts from Cherita Lebuh Chulia (part of the Cherita Moments from George Town Festival 2013). It tells the various stories of Lebuh Chulia.

Cherita Lebuh Chulia #1 Delivery Man, #2 Operation Duty Free

Cherita Lebuh Chulia #3 Come To The Parade, #4 On The Move

Cherita Lebuh Chulia #3 Come To The Parade (姐姐 didn't want to stand for the moustache guy :P)

But then she forgot after a while and just wanted to be goofy.
Cherita Lebuh Chulia #5 More Than A Ride #6 Memory Keepers.

Cherita Lebuh Chulia #7 Go Fly Kite

Cherita Lebuh Chulia #9 The Notorious Area

Cherita Lebuh Chulia #10 Healing Power

After lunch it's more heritage - the Han Jiang Ancestral Temple where the Penang Teochew Association is also housed. We're lucky to get a parking spot right outside. Most visitors seem to be walking.

Teochew boy and Teochew girl in front of the Teochew Temple :)

This is the site of the old school

The main door

The grounds inside

This probably goes to the Penang Teochew Association where the old school used to be. 弟弟 trying to peep and 姐姐 trying to stop him.



The magnificent prayer hall of Han Jiang Ancestral Temple. Too bad the sun direction/camera angle is not right thus the over flash. 爸爸! Please improve your skills with sun direction, you know how much I love the blue sky.



See the intricate work on the roofs?



The front of Han Jiang Ancestral Temple (from across the street)

Iron wall caricature opposite Han Jiang Ancestral Temple @ Chulia Street

Since we're at the George Town Heritage Site, we went looking for the 101 Lost Kitten series and the rest of the street art that we didn't find previously. We parked right at the row opposite Yap Temple. I think the street art concept is meant for able-bodied people, as the area is not suitable even to push a baby stroller around. Remember to be very careful not to fall into the drain when you go to the back alleys for photos :) But the treasure-hunting concept is quite fun for us, as our children can walk with us since they are no longer toddlers now.

First a visit to the heritage temple that we didn't manage to last round. Of course, when we come to any temples, it's paying respects at the temple first. Like most of the heritage buildings around George Town, the entrance is small but inside it's spacious. Inside the temple, there's a little secret passageway which is now sealed, it was for the members to escape? :)

Hock Teck Cheng Sin Temple on Armenian Street. Loved the blue sky!

Around Hock Teck Cheng Sin Temple. 姐姐 suddenly look so grown-up in the photo on the right.

Right after that we went to look for the Minion bollard at Lorong Soo Hong :D Really don't understand the craze :P

Minion bollard at Lorong Soo Hong. Did you see the combined cartoon here - Cars, Hello Kitty, Angry Birds and Minions hehe...

This picture of doggie from 101 Lost Kittens series is behind Edelweiss Kafe so it doesn't seem as popular. I think people were wondering what we were doing at the back alley but no one asked. 

Nasi Kandar iron wall caricature at Ah Quee Street

Ah Quee Street iron wall caricature

Ah, why do they have to do paintings in the back alleys? Of course the texture is more interesting but..... sigh.

Mr Bruce Lee with the 101 Lost Kittens. Loved the little kitten right at the bottom right.  

This 101 Lost Kitten mural is inside Cheah Kongsi, have to go inside Cheah Kongsi to get this close.

Another angle of Skippy vs mouse. The children and mouse look like they are satu gang :D

Mama Cat from the 101 Lost Kitten series. This is China House entrance from Victoria Street.

101 Lost Kittens series - Bomba, right along the walls of the fire station at Beach Street.

Petting a kitten stencil :)

The kitten stencil goes all the way back to China House walkway

Fireman @ Chulia Street Ghaut. 弟弟 is busy checking out the "gun" of the caricature.

Yeoh Kongsi @ Chulia Street Ghaut.

After so much walking around, it's time for tea and a break at China House!

The children are often inspired by what we bring them to do. This time it's the street art series.

It rained when we are just about to go out, so 爸爸 brought the car to fetch us. As we're about to go the sun came out again and we decided to find the last 2 street art by our local artist that we didn't find. It's a little lane right after the old Kwong Wah Yit Poh building (one on the same side as the building, one opposite). It's very hard to find "Children on Swing" so they get a shot each. Long queue too as everyone wanted to sit on the swing and it takes time to do that pose.

弟弟 with "Children on Swing"

姐姐 with "Children on Swing"

The "Children Playing Basketball" at another back alley across the street.

We drove past this 101 Lost Kittens series on Victoria Street. It's after CF café, no one wanted to walk by now :P

101 Lost Kittens (umbrella). Too bad the umbrella handle broke (they just pretend to hold the handle in the photo) and the umbrella is also faded! A few months back when we saw it the colour is still vibrant. If lagi wait, I think the umbrella might just rot in the sun and rain :P

It's dinnertime, so we're out trying out a Vietnamese restaurant at Jalan Jelutong. It's called Que Huong Toi Vietnamese Restaurant 越南小食馆. Their food is quite good and prices are reasonable. Actually many friends recommended this place.

They loved the Vietnamese coffee, the spring rolls (I like the sauces!) and BBQ meat rice!

We still missed out a few 101 Lost Kittens street art. This was taken after our Disney Planes cartoon movie outing.

101 Lost Kitten - bath tub. This is at the end of the back alley where the cute big Ginger's mouse is found. Walk right up to the end :)

101 Lost Kittens Denda. This one is right beside CF cafe at the junction, and we always missed it as people park right beside it.

There are actually a couple more similar looking rubber kittens with different display setting, but we didn't find them, I think the one beside the umbrella was missing as we didn't see it anymore.