Tjong A Fie Mansion
I finally got the chance to see what’s in ‘the’ mansion… the Tjong A Fie Mansion at Kesawan Square… also known the old days as the Wall Street of Medan… I love old things… when I saw the banner that the place is open to the public… and with the name often being mentioned.. and that no one can exactly tell me the exact past of this great man… I was readily there with my camera…
Being too eager… I told my driver to drive straight to the mansion back door… I sort of forgot about the front door … so when we got in… the door to the building was locked… in fact.. the place looked like its closed.. no one was there and I was ready to tell my driver to drive back home… and me being me.. I was getting a bit nerve up, grumbling to myself..… ‘advertise that its opened and its closed.. what is this’… … then as I was getting into the car… another car entered the gate and the work man nearby informed me that the person in that car will be able to help me….
little did I know that she is the granddaughter of Tjong A Fie, who has been living in the great beautiful mansion since she was born.. she then politely informed me that… the entrance is supposedly to be from the front door… only then did it hit me that I was being a brat with the know-too-much attitude…totally B*&^%… (I do hate myself at times, well its more of most of the time lately)…
anyway… I guessed when I spoke to her in my very out-of-tone Hokkien… she sort of figure it out that I am not a local… she then brought me in through the back door and introduced me to a young guide who does not speak English… taking me round the mansion and explained the history in very little English and me trying very hard to fill in the blank… as I was nearing the end of the tour… the granddaughter, a lady of about late 50’s was kind enough to take me round again.. and this time.. she gave me a detailed info and we sort of chat and the history that she told me was really amazing… her life in the mansion when she was young, the stories of her grandfather, the extended family members… the thick bonding must be there since she and her brother couldn’t part with the mansion…
its well worth a trip… cost Rp 35000 per person… the mansion is opened to public till mid August and this is the first time that the family do so…
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medankota on July 14th 2009 in medan history
novia responded on 08 Nov 2009 at 12:03 pm #
Your post reminds me on my childhood year. The mansion was not open to the public at that time. So, I was luckly to be able to get inside because I took music tuition in Tjong A Fe granddaughter’s music school..
The mansion is adorable. I hope I will have the chance to go there soon. =)
And.. I love you blog.
Christine responded on 25 Dec 2011 at 10:17 am #
I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour of my great grandfather’s house. It was my mom whom you met.
Mariette responded on 21 Jan 2012 at 6:57 am #
My parents were Born in Indonesia and so was I. My father was born in Langsa (Aceh) in 1912 and my mother in Medan in 1921. My father’s parents knew Tjong À Fie well. When I vistited Medan in 1983 I met à daughter of Tjong A Fie who came to see me at the friend where I was staying at the time. They must have been in their 70’s at the time. I was staying with à friend of my parents, her father was the Tjie Pesangan, from Aceh, who was à friend of my grandfather. Am traveling to Medan in september 2012 and would love to meet relatives of the Tjong À Fie family and of Doris Alamsyah.