2 unique places to visit in Malaysia but which of Penang’s Blue and Green Mansions is best? We compare tours, price and overall experience
- Both majestic tourist heritage sites on Penang island, the Blue and Green Mansions are fine representatives of Peranakan culture, and one is a hotel
- Blue has an elegant Zen aesthetic and echoes of traditional Chinese houses, while Green offers great visual stimulation and a two-in-one sightseeing experience
Other than the distinctive hues that colour their exteriors, there is one major difference between the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (the Blue Mansion) and the Pinang Peranakan Mansion (the Green Mansion) in Georgetown, Penang: you can spend the night only in the former, which is now a boutique heritage hotel. Both mansions, however, belong on must-see lists for visitors to the Malaysian island capital. But if you must choose, which one should you visit?
Built around the same time (the late 1890s) and little more than a kilometre apart, both mansions are representative of Peranakan culture – that belonging to descendants of Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, and intermarried with local Malays.
In reality, neither Chung Keng Quee, who commissioned the Green Mansion, nor Cheong Fatt Tze, who commissioned the Blue Mansion, were “real” Babas (as Peranakan males are known).
Both grew up extremely poor in southern China and tried to make their own luck in Southeast Asia. Although Chung joined a triad and hence appears to have become rich from ill-gotten gain, some consider his a true “rags-to-riches” story, whereas Cheong married into a rich Indonesian family.
Both men, who knew each other and collaborated on philanthropic projects, built their extravagant mansions with high-quality materials, not only from China but also from Europe, such as English floor tiles and Scottish ironworks.
