After our Ho Yan Hor Museum visit, we just noticed that uniqueness of the building next door. We were wondering if this Han Chin Pet Soo can enter, because the main door was closed.
So co-incidentally the tour guide came out from the door and welcomed us. He guided us to make a tour booking thru the designated app. It was due to this Covid-19 pandemic season too.
We were invited in and the story of Han Chin Pet Soo or Han Chin Villa at No. 3 Jalan Bijeh Timah (Treacher Street), Ipoh have been revealed to us by the tour guide.
It starts on 5th May 1893 when mining Towkey Leong Fee formed the Han Chin Tin Miners’ Club in a double-storey shophouse where the Villa stands today.
The club membership was restricted to Hakka miners and it was a place where they could connect with their colleagues and friends from home, smoke opium, and entertain “dancing girls”.
They could also gamble legally, with approval from the District Magistrate, Kinta. Lodging house facilities were also available for make relatives and Hakka friends.
In 1927 the club bought the building from Leong’s son and in 1929 rebuilt it into the unique structure today. On the 5th May 1930, their 37th anniversary, they held a house-warming party to celebrate their new home.
At the back portion of the building at ground floor, there is a former bedroom has been converted into a cinema screening an 11 minute black and white documentary which produced in Hollywood in the 1930s called ‘Tin From the Malayan Jungle’. It explains the various methods of tin mining.
It displays some of the products of tins. Tin used to be a monetary system in the ancient time as the traders used to trade. And it came in different interesting forms and shapes according to different kingdoms and time.
Tins were used to produce some of other products and variety usage in the past even till now from decorative items to electronic components because it is a good isolator.
There is a huge mural paintings,life-sized mannequins, authentic tools and equipment that were used during that period.
At the back yard of the ground floor, there is a miniature of the livelihood of a miner during that time.
It give us some ideas or illustrations how were the days back in time as a miner’s life of those glory days.
We went up to the first floor of the building, where it was a place for the miners to smoke the opium and place for them to gamble at those time.
It seems as those time, being involved in the 4 evils namely opium, gambling, prostitution and the triads or secret societies were the things that the entertainments that they enjoy among the Hakka tin miners.
One very special rule over here is wives were not allowed inside the club, except for mistresses or concubines.
On the top floor of the building is a gallery dedicated to the history and background of the Hakkas and how they ended up in Malaysia. The Hakkas are described as ‘The Jews of Asia’ reflecting their migrations over the centuries from China.
There is a typical resting room at the top floor for the towkays and another room displays all the automobile history during that era.
Interestingly we saw a photo of the Sir William Kellie with his wife Agnes on an antique car of those photos.
On the way from the top floor down to the ground floor, the tour guide shown us an antique safe during those era with a real block of tin in the safe, which might costs about RM3,000 according to the market price now.
We were guided to the ground floor main hall again, where there is a huge and long dining table and dining chairs. It was told that all the miners were having dining here and chit-chatting at the same time. There is a photo of Hakka dishes on the wall.
There are a pair of infinite mirror on the both side of the wall which make the reflective surface of the two mirrors, make it an infinity never ending looks.
It was about a hour and a half tour in the Han Chin Pet Soo and it was an opportunity that we rare to have to go inside a well preserved heritage building in Malaysia that has faithfully retained its original look and purpose.
In 2013, due to a dwindling membership, the club was leased to ipohWorld who spent more than one year carefully restoring the building and fitting it out with a museum-quality exhibition.
Guests may visit the club and exhibition by appointment and there are up to four appointments available per day with a maximum number of 40 guests per appointment.
