This famous private museum is one of the main attractions of Malacca.

This museum illustrates how rich and affluent Chinese merchants came here and settled down. The first merchant married a local Malay girl and thus they became the first couple of this dynasty and so the name of this museum.

Baba = boy
Nyonya = girl

At the entrance

Housed in 3 two-storied adjacent buildings, it has treasured & portrayed their lives through generations, their life-styles, clothings, vessels, rooms and the stories.
It has minutest of details such as how & where children used to play, on which bed the bridal couple used to sleep, how they kept track of who is at the gate and so on.

Most of the inlay work is in mother of pearl, on teak wood and black wood with birds, lion heads or paws. The walls are decorated with wall hangings with golden/ silver threads used for embroidery on silks. All have Chinese inscriptions.

What we found was, some of the things are very similar to what we have in villages in India. The type of kitchen, position of clay stove there or the courtyard in the middle of the house.

Had to content with capturing it from outside

This museum also has a small gift shop and a small coffee shop.
Photography is strictly prohibited inside the museum and beyond the first hall, the shoes are also not allowed.

Our guide in modern Chinese dress

A guided tour for just RM 8 per adult. Well worth the money. It adheres to it’s timing of twice a day. So be on time before heading towards it.

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