Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum — Attraction in Malacca

This is my first time in a Living Museum. Due to COVID-19 precautions, they have disabled all curated tours with guides and replaced them with self-guided tour using booklets instead. There’s only so much that a booklet can tell you so I’ll be back for a guided tour once they are available.

The museum is a bit on the ‘smaller side’ but does offer a tremendously immersive experience for guests and enthusiasts alike. Its easily spotted from its trademark soft pink colors and white-tiled façade.

Once you step inside, you are warmly welcomed by the curators who will guide you through a (very) brief history and some rules. Photographs are allowed but no flash. The booklet is very clear on the flow of the tour but I found some rooms on the property not open for public. The artifacts are rarely enclosed in glass or ropes so there is ample opportunity to look closely at the items (but not to touch!). There are many ornamental chairs around the house but regrettably none are reserved for guests. Except for one under the stairs.

Certain areas have very dim lighting such as the front bedroom on the second floor where the bridal garments and decorations were showcased. Other rooms towards the back are not air conditioned and some of the collections are kept behind cabinets with intricate patterns making some artifacts a bit hard to look at. Perhaps the curators have kept these in order to maintain the ambience as realistic as possible.

In terms of visitors experience, I enjoyed how the information was organized. As you transverse from room to room, the theme also changes. The booklet was very kind to provide details on this. We are first introduced to the history of the home followed by ‘Baba’ & ‘Nyonya’ culture. I wished they had included the current manifestation of these cultural elements and how they are adapted for modern use.

I would highly recommended this for both Solo travelers and families. I would allocate a good 2 hours to allow enough time to appreciate the entire collection. There’s really not so much to ‘read’ but there is a whole lot to ‘see’—if you know what I mean. Admission fee is RM 20 which is arguably a bit on the high side but still worth every penny.

I ended my visit feeling very satisfied and more informed then I initially expected to be. I never thought learning about the origins of the Peranakan culture and its assimilation into Malay society could be...

The hostess AT the counter exactly look like mak gemuk. Ticket is worth it.

Some folklores suggest that Peranakan roots in Malaya began with a princess from China who married a local prince. Historically however the term Peranakan was used to refer to a number of different ethnic and cultural groups in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The root word for Peranakan comes from the Malay and Indonesian word ‘anak’, or child, referring to locally born descendants.

Besides the Straits Chinese Peranakans, there are also the Peranakan Jawi, Peranakan Dutch, Peranakan Serani and Peranakan Chitty.

The beginnings of the Peranakan-Chinese in South East Asia date back to the 12th Century. Many Southern Chinese merchants had actively engaged in trade more than 2000 years ago, but the first permanent settlements in cities on the isle of Java and the Malay Peninsula were not established until the 13th Century.

This identity within the Chinese community began to form when Chinese traders intermarried with local women and adopted South East Asian social practices and the local language. The Peranakan Chinese have picked up many nicknames over the years: from being honored as ‘the Kings Chinese’ during colonial times, to more recent times being called orang cina bukan cina (Chinese people who are not Chinese), they have indeed garnered quite...

I visited this museum on 26.02.2020. When I arrived at the museum, the signs indicated that only self-guided tours were available, but after walking in, I was told that in fact there was a english guided tour at 12pm. The gentleman who gave the tour was just about the least interested in giving the tour as I could imagine. Right from the start, I got the impression he wanted the tour to end as quickly as possible and his style was to rush through every room with minimal explanation. His spoken english wasn’t that great either. He even told me to go google it when I asked him about one of the paintings.

After the guided tour ended, I went back to the front, grabbed the handbook for the self guided tour and went through that, which made it a much more enjoyable experience. More importantly, I actually learnt something about the house and the family. I thought the house was beautiful with some exquisite woodwork and embroidery. The upstairs master/wedding bedroom has some two amazing wedding gowns and other wedding items.

Based on my experience, I’d say do yourself a favour and visit on a self-guided tour. It’s not worth the extra amount for the guided tour. If I had paid less for a self-guided tour, I’d have given this...