Baba House

Last updated
Baba House
BabaHouselogo.jpg
Baba House
Established4 September 2008;13 years ago (2008-09-04)
Location157 Neil Road
( 1°16′37″N103°50′14.32″E / 1.27694°N 103.8373111°E / 1.27694; 103.8373111 )
Singapore 088883
Type Peranakan Heritage
DirectorMrs Christine Khor
CuratorFoo Su Ling
Peter Lee
Public transit access EW16  NE3  TE17  Outram Park
( 1°16′50″N103°50′22″E / 1.28056°N 103.83944°E / 1.28056; 103.83944 )
Singapore

Baba House (also referred to as NUS Baba House) is a museum in Singapore, showcasing Peranakan history, architecture and heritage. It is a traditional Peranakan pre-war terrace-house which was formerly owned by the family of a 19th-century shipping tycoon Wee Bin who settled in Singapore, after arriving from the southern Chinese province of Fujian. The Baba House is also an outpost of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Museum and co-managed by the NUS Centre for the Arts. [1]

Contents

History

Built in the 1890s, 157 Neil Road is a residential terrace house located in the Residential Historic District of Blair Plain. The house and the surrounding area was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore, in 1991. [2]

In April 2005, a S$4 million donation was made to the National University of Singapore (NUS) by Ms Agnes Tan, the last surviving daughter of the founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock. This donation was given to the university to acquire the Wee family's traditional Peranakan house along Neil Road.

The house came into the Wee Family in 1910 when a matriarch of the family bought the house for her grandson, Wee Eng Cheng.

The house was last owned and managed by Mr Wee Lin, the sixth-generation descendant of Wee Bin. [1] [3]
Another donation of S$1.5 million was made to the university, for acquisition of two other shophouses along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Malacca. These acquired houses will be restored and used for educating younger generations about Peranakan history, culture and architecture, while the two houses in Malacca to be used for study on conservation techniques of historical buildings. In gesture of appreciation for the donation, the university named the Singapore house as the Tan Cheng Lock Baba House. [4]

The House was officially opened by President of Singapore Mr S R Nathan on September 4, 2008, as the Baba House, and opened to the public on September 15, 2008. Staff and students from NUS' School of Design and Architecture and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' South-east Asia Studies Programme were involved in the restoration, which has elaborate and intricately carved wooden windows, doors and partition screens. About 70 per cent of the furniture in the House belonged to the Wee estate, while the rest of the items were acquired from Peranakan families in Singapore and Malacca. The first two storeys of the House showcase the Peranakan domestic interior, while artists showcase modern interpretations of Peranakan culture through the exhibition gallery on the third storey. At the same time, the House will also be a venue for Peranakan culinary and craft workshops to be organized by the NUS Museum. [1]

Display

In contrast to the Peranakan Museum, the Baba House enables visitors to experience more intimately how typical Peranakan homes looked and functioned in the 1920s, the Golden Era of Peranakan culture in Singapore. It is a showcase of lavishly carved antique furniture and items used by Chinese Peranakans of that time.

The venue may be booked for culturally relevant events as part of the experience-making process. [5]

The House can be visited by appointment only and bookings to join the weekly guided tours (limited to 14 people per tour) can be made through the NUS Museum.

See also

Related Research Articles

Peranakans Chinese-descended ethnic group of Southeast Asia

The Peranakans, sometimes referred to as the Straits Chinese or Straits–born Chinese, are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang, namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian Archipelago as well as Singapore. Peranakan culture, especially in the dominant Peranakan centres of Malacca, Singapore, Penang and Medan, is characterized by its unique hybridization of ancient Chinese culture with the local cultures of the Nusantara region, the result of a centuries-long history of transculturation and interracial marriage.

The Chitty, also known as the Chetty or Chetti Melaka, are a distinctive group of Tamil people found mainly in Melaka in Malaysia and Singapore, who are also known as the "Indian Peranakans" and have adopted Malay (mostly) and Chinese cultural practices whilst also retaining their Hindu faith and heritage. In the 21st century, their population stands at 2,000. The Chitty/Chetti community or Chettiar community, is from South India and are devout Hindus.

Tan Cheng Lock Malaysian politician,1st President of the Malaysian Chinese Association

Tun Dato' Sir Tan Cheng Lock was a Malaysian Peranakan businessman and a key public figure who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and the social welfare of the Chinese community in Malaya. Tan was also the founder and the first president of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), which advocated his cause for the Malayan Chinese population.

Tan Siew Sin Malaysian politician, Former Minister of Finance and Commerce and Industry

Tun Tan Siew Sin was a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Minister of Finance, and 3rd President of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a major component party of Alliance and later Barisan Nasional (BN) coalitions. In his term as the Minister of Finance, a new Malaysian currency, Malaysian Ringgit was introduced. He is the longest-serving Minister of Finance by serving in the position for 15 years.

Tan Si Chong Su Chinese temple in Singapore


Tan Si Chong Su, or Ancestral Hall of the Tan Clan, is a Chinese temple in Singapore. It is located on Magazine Road in the Singapore River Planning Area within Singapore's central business district. It was constructed between 1876 and 1878 as the ancestral temple for those with the same Tan surname, based on the premise that Chinese people with the same surname would share a common ancestry and therefore belong to the same clan. The Temple also dedicated to Kai Zhang Sheng Wang (開漳聖王),the Patron Deity and founder of Zhangzhou City in China.

Tan Kim Seng, was a prominent Peranakan merchant and philanthropist in Singapore in the 18th century.

Emerald Hill, Singapore

Emerald Hill is a neighbourhood and a conservation area located in the planning areas of Newton and Orchard in Singapore. Former home to many members of the city-state's wealthy Peranakan community, it is located near Orchard Road. Many of its homes feature Chinese Baroque architecture. Emerald Hill also the setting for some of the short stories by the late Singaporean author Goh Sin Tub. Many of the homes were designed by Mr R T Rajoo an architect/contractor of those days who died in 1929 at his home in Tank Road, Singapore.

Keong Saik Road

Keong Saik Road is a one-way road located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The road links New Bridge Road to Neil Road, and is intersected by Kreta Ayer Road.

Gan Eng Seng was a Chinese businessman and philanthropist who was one of the early pioneers of Singapore. He is known for his generosity to many charitable causes in Malaya and Singapore during the British colonial era. Some of his most recognised contributions were the setting up of Gan Eng Seng School, the Thong Chai Medical Institution, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and the Ee Hoe Hean Club.

Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum Museum in Melaka Tengah, Malacca, Malaysia

Baba Nyonya House Museum, also known as the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia that showcases the local history of ethnic Chinese-Malays called Baba-Nyonya or Peranakan in the state. The museum was established in 1986 by Chan Kim Lay, the fourth generation of his family to reside in the large house built by his great-grandfather in 1896 in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a street also known as "Millionaire's Row" for its luxurious houses. The museum is known for its elaborate woodwork, furniture, and porcelain.

Peranakan Museum Museum in Singapore

The Peranakan Museum is a museum and gallery in the Museum district of Singapore that specialises in the country's Peranakan culture. It is the sister museum of the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Malacca State of Malaysia

Malacca is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.

The NUS Museum is the oldest university museum in Singapore. It is located within the main campus of the National University of Singapore in southwest Singapore at Kent Ridge. The collections include Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian materials, consisting of traditional sculptures and paintings, bronzes, jades, ceramics, textiles, and modern and contemporary art. Since 2006, Ahmad Mashadi has been the head of the museum.

Chinatown, Kuala Terengganu

Kampung Cina, is a Chinatown located in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia. Kampung Cina is located along Jalan Bandar, in Kuala Terengganu city centre at the river mouth of Terengganu River that empties into the South China Sea. Kampung Cina literally means Chinese Village; it is also called Teng Lang Po or KT's Chinatown by local people. It is one of Southeast Asia's early Chinese settlements and contains stately ancestral homes, temples, townhouses, and business establishments. The town is small but has colourful shophouses along both sides of the road that carries traditional flavour.

Sino-Portuguese architecture Asian hybrid architecture style

Sino-Portuguese architecture, also known as Chinese Baroque,Straits eclectic architecture or Peranakan architecture is an Asian hybrid style incorporating Chinese and Portuguese architectural styles. It is common in urban centers where Chinese settlers lived in southern China and the Peranakans of the Malay Peninsula, with examples found across present day Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Macau, Vietnam and Hainan.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

The Pinang Peranakan Mansion in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, is a museum dedicated to Penang's Peranakan heritage. The museum itself is housed within a distinctive green-hued mansion at Church Street, George Town, which once served as the residence and office of a 19th-century Chinese tycoon, Chung Keng Quee.

Chua Jim Neo, was a Singaporean chef and cookbook writer best known for Mrs. Lee's Cookbook, which preserves the recipes of Peranakan cuisine. Chua was also the mother of Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore.

Peranakan Place

Peranakan Place, formerly known as Peranakan Corner, is a row of six two-storey shophouses facing Orchard Road, built around 1902 at the intersection of Emerald Hill Road and Orchard Road in the planning area of Newton in Singapore. It forms part of the Emerald Hill Conservation Area within the Orchard district in central Singapore.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tay, Suan Chiang (2008-09-03). "Peranakan Pride". Straits Times.
  2. "URA-NUS demonstration project : No. 157 Neil Road - The richness of Straits-Chinese architecture restored". Urban Redevelopment Authority. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  3. Yusof, Helmi (18 September 2015). "The gift of space". The Business Times. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. Davie, Sandra (2005-10-08). "Daughter of late businessman wants the young to learn the legacy". Singapore: Straits Times.
  5. Shetty, Deepika (2008-09-04). "Telling Baba story differently". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16.