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History's Riches presents
14th September 2022
Melaka's Gem
Shining diamonds of the lost centuries
Newsletter #1 :
Introduction
Heeren Street, the long road once inhabited by the riches of Melaka. Originally named “Kampung Belanda” (Dutch Village), The street’s name is one of the remnants of the Dutch colonialisation in the past. “Heeren”, derived from the Dutch word “heer”, means “lord” or “master” and was used to address high class gentlemen.
Located at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, the narrow streets consist of houses decorated with tiles and ornaments of Chinese influences. This can be tied to the fact that the street was once populated by the Straits Chinese peranakans, which are an ethic group of people of Chinese and local Malay descent.
History Overview
Who are "peranakans"?
During the British colonial ruling, significant numbers of South Chinese immigrants arrived in the region of Southeast Asia and became maritime settlers. In their time spent in Malaya, namely Melaka, these South Chinese settlers found opportunities for business and would marry local women. These Strait Chinese peranakans would be known as ‘baba’ for the men and ‘nyonya’ for the women.
Many early settlers became involved in the business side of the industry, such as trading and shop keeping. There were also many that were invested in real estate, banking and shipping business. As most baba and nyonyas were well educated in English, many were appointed by the British authorities to be community leaders.
“Millionaire’s Row”
These days, many people crowd the streets of Jonker Street as it is filled with Melaka souvenirs, knick-knacks and local eateries. What many are not aware of is the street just parallel to it, Which is Heeren Street. It is held as one of the Unesco World Heritage Sites and is rich with history of the affluent people of the past.
Back in the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, this street was home to the once most prosperous baba and nyonya. Many of these affluent folks competed to build the most flamboyant of houses, most of which still stand to this day thanks to building restorations and renovations over the years.
Some of these wealthy babas included Tan Kim Seng, also known as Baba Kim Seng, a successful merchant and philanthropist of the 19th century. He was also responsible for being one of the pioneers of developing Singapore.
Tun Tan Cheng Lock, the person who was named after the streets today, was also a resident of the street itself. Born at house number 111 and the co-founder of political party Malay-Chinese Association (MCA), the family home was regularly used by the First Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Tan Cheng Lock to hold discussions before Malaya’s independence.
Chee Mansion
One would not be able to talk about Heeren Street without mentioning Chee Mansion. Built by tycoon and philanthropist Chee Swee Cheng, Chee Mansion stands tall to this day and is the grandest, most eye-catching building of the entire street. The Chee Mansion, also known as the Chee Yam Chuan Temple, is used as the family’s ancestral home.
Chee Swee Cheng was also the first chairman of Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) and the bank was run almost entirely by babas back in the day. This fact was well-known by the people back in the day and OCBC was jokingly referred to as “Orang Cina Bukan Cina”, referencing the origins of the people of baba and nyonya.
References
melakatour. (2013, August 27). MELAKA MILLIONAIRES' ROW. MALAYSIA WORLD HERITAGE TRAVEL SITE. https://www.worldheritage.com.my/blog/2013/08/28/melaka-millionaires-row/
Sze, L. (2017, December 10). Heeren Street, Malacca Photobook. Issuu. https://issuu.com/lisze/docs/chloeteh-asian-architecture-photobo#:%7E:text=Heeren%20Street%2C%20or%20Jalan%20Tun,the%20Dutch%20colonisation%20of%20Malacca.
Peranakan (Straits Chinese) community | Infopedia. (2013, August 30). Singapore Infopedia. https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2013-08-30_181745.html