Brigitte Daniel - 2011 USA Eisenhower Fellow

The Blue Mansion http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com/

I ended up staying at the historical Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, otherwise known as the Blue Mansion located in Georgetown, Penang.  Built in the 1880s, the magnificent 38-room, 220-window Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion was commissioned by Cheong Fatt Tze, a local merchant trader who left China as a penniless teenager and ended up as ‘the Rockefeller of the East’. The mansion blends Eastern and Western designs, with louvred windows, art nouveau stained glass and beautiful floor tiles, and is a rare surviving example of the eclectic architectural style preferred by wealthy Straits Chinese of the time. The house sits on the ‘dragon’s throne’, meaning that there is a mountain (Penang Hill) behind and water (the channel) in front – the site was chosen for its excellent feng shui. 

This was one of the highlights of my trip to Penang. To reside at a such an iconic location such as this, surrounded by all of the history, spirits, beauty, and mystery of this house was amazing. Loved it.