Inside the ancestral home of MCA founder Tan Cheng Lock

History is everywhere in Melaka, from centuries-old temples and churches to heritage buildings that tell stories of its colourful past.

But tucked amidst the bustle of the city is a place whose significance many may not know. It is the ancestral home of Tan Cheng Lock, the statesman and nation builder who founded MCA and became a leading voice for Malaya’s Chinese community.

A firm believer in a united, multiracial Malaya, Cheng Lock championed equal citizenship and cooperation among the country’s different communities, helping lay the foundations for the nation that would emerge.

Located on 111 Jalan Tan Cheng Lock, formerly Heeren Street, the house remains in the care of his descendants, who continue to preserve it as an important part of the family’s heritage.

According to Cheng Lock’s granddaughter, Tan Siok Choo, the house dates back to 1799 and was purchased by her great-great-grandfather, Tan Choon Bock, for use as the family home in 1875.

Cheng Lock lived there, while Siok Choo grew up in nearby Klebang Besar and visited about once a week. She did not enjoy these visits much as a child, as getting there meant a 45-minute journey along winding roads crowded with bullock carts.

“We also never really got to see my grandparents very much. I only gained more appreciation for the house later in life, when I was writing a book on it,” Siok Choo, 73, told FMT Lifestyle.

From the outside, the home resembles a traditional Melaka shophouse. Above its main gate hang two paper lanterns emblazoned with the Tan family name, which Siok Choo noted also carry a message about the importance of education.

“The lanterns say, ‘If you don’t educate your son, you have a donkey. If you don’t educate your daughter, you have a pig’,” she said.

“I was very impressed by how enlightened the person who created these lanterns was, especially in placing such importance on educating women, which was certainly not the norm at the time.”

The message appears very much in keeping with the late Cheng Lock’s progressive views on women’s equality.

One of the most striking things about the house is its sheer length, stretching across three courtyards. At the heart of the central courtyard stands a towering tree which, according to Siok Choo, was planted during her grandfather’s time and continues to flourish today.

According to Siok Choo, the house also played a part in the country’s political history, with Tunku Abdul Rahman holding meetings there with Chinese educationists to discuss the future direction of education in Malaya.

Her favourite part of the house is the first hall. Taking pride of place is an ornate altar dedicated to Guan Yu, beneath a sign bearing the Chinese characters for “Spirit of Righteousness”. Also displayed there are several statues of Guan Yu, as well as Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy.

“In the altar, we have enshrined the family values of righteousness, loyalty and integrity, mercy and compassion,” Siok Choo said.

Its walls are also adorned with reproductions of essays written by the noted Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo, known for building the famous “Pavilion of Timely Rain” in China.

The house’s second hall, known as the Hall of Filial Remembrance, contains another altar where Siok Choo conducts Confucian ancestor-remembrance rituals. She also offers fruit and Peranakan food at the altar.

“A lot of Chinese don’t have ancestral homes any more, so I think the ancestral remembrance ceremonies are slowly dying out. That’s quite a pity,” she said.

The rooms of the house are filled with photographs, documents and personal mementoes chronicling generations of the Tan family.

Hanging in the study where Cheng Lock once wrote his speeches, for example, is a rare photograph of Sultan Ibrahim Al-Masyhur of Johor with his last wife and daughter. The photograph is inscribed with Cheng Lock’s name and was personally sent to him.

The house’s upper floor contains the bridal chamber, as well as a bedroom where former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman would stay whenever he visited Cheng Lock.

Siok Choo also pointed out a four-poster bed which, according to Tunku Abdul Rahman’s memoirs, was rather uncomfortable to sleep in.

Tunku, however, was apparently too kind-hearted to ever tell her grandfather about it.

Maintaining the family home over the years has been a challenging and resource-intensive task. Siok Choo recalled that during the pandemic, the house went largely unattended for three years, resulting in the deterioration of many items within.

Despite these challenges, she remains deeply attached to her family’s ancestral home and hopes it will be preserved for future generations.

“It’s more than just a house; it really shaped my grandfather and the rest of my relatives by instilling in them values that influenced their views on life and family.

“I think that’s important, and I hope it will one day be passed down to my nephews and niece.”

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