Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum

The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum is a private museum in the Chinatown area of Melaka. The museum is housed in a classic nineteenth century Chinese shophouse, restored to the state it was in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Tours of the house are guided, so you get lots of information about every little detail of the lives of the old Straits Chinese.

The museum takes its name from "Baba", the word for males, usually from China, and "Nyonya", the word for women, usually local natives. It was the common Chinese practice for merchant traders to marry into local families to strengthen ties. The family that still owns the house were spice traders, so such a marriage would help them gain access to local farmers.

In a traditional Chinese shophouse, business was done in the front half of the lower floor, while the back half and all the upper floor were living spaces. Since the owners of this house had three shophouses, the front of the lower floor of one was used to conduct business, while the same space in the adjoining lot was used to receive social visitors. Rooms are generally delineated by richly carved panels of teak or rosewood, with patterned glass panes that let through light but don't provide a clear view of what's going on in the other room.

Like most all of these long narrow buildings, the Baba Nyonya shophouses are pierced by two courtyards which provide light and air circulation. Cooking was done in a large open kitchen at the back of the house.

The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum is open daily 10:00 am to 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Admission is RM 8.00 (1.63 USD), which includes the guided tour.