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| Museum's chief caretaker Mr Tan Kok Siew briefing the Taiping Heritage Society members |
About 40 heritage lovers joined in the
Taiping Heritage Society’s visit to the Old House Museum, located at Market
Square recently. The facility is along Jalan Taming Sari near the old Taiping
wet market, where the town’s iconic clock tower stands.
The museum,
the latest tourist and history buff attraction in town, was ‘adapted’ in 2013
into a 130-year-old three-storey heritage shophouse belonging to the late Lim
Zi You. The house-museum opened its doors during Chinese New Year this year. It
records and recollects the history of the Lim family dynasty after their move
to Malaya from China over a century ago. Lim started business making charcoal
stoves and later alcoholic drinks for the immigrant population in old Taiping.
Former Perak
Heritage Society president, Law Siak Hong, who was in the group, said that the
museum is Taiping’s pride. “It’s a unique icon, as old stuff from the original
owner are still kept intact in the house”, he said.
The house has
all the trimmings of a bygone era like turn-of-the-century furniture and
fittings, a large dining room, ancestral hall, sitting area, large bedrooms
with a Qing dynasty bed and old toilet baths, all built from old construction
materials, joints, techniques and carved wood. Many impressive antiques and
rare objects are displayed for the appreciation of keen history
enthusiasts.
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| Inside the museum |
Taiping
Heritage Society’s honorary secretary, P. Kesavan, said that there is an urgent
need for the preservation and protection of old buildings and shophouses in
Taiping. “I believe Taiping’s heritage status is merely a declaration, which
has no protection status. What is really needed is to gazette the old parts of
the town to be totally protected under the law, like is done in Penang and
Malacca.”
Kesavan added
that there had to be a permanent solution to protecting Taiping’s heritage,
which was fast disappearing, and a proper mechanism to stop the cutting of old
trees in the town, which were symbiotic with its heritage feel.
The house
museum’s chief caretaker, Tan Kok Siew or Kapitan, as he is fondly called, said
that most of the original fittings and designs are well preserved and he took
the liberty of adding his own collection of antiques and artifacts for display.
“By housing a
museum in this old building, I can help to preserve the antiquity of the entire
structure and at the same time open it for public viewing to inculcate a
passion for saving things of the past. These buildings have great value for
everyone to appreciate,” he said.
Tan hoped the
museum would encourage the conservation of heritage buildings and icons in
Taiping and stop them from being destroyed forever.
Nirmal Ariyapala
