Kuala Lumpur is set to welcome a new cultural institution in September with the opening of the Peranakan and Straits Chinese Museum on Jalan Ampang, which is already attracting the attention of passersby as renovation works near completion.
The project involves the adaptive reuse of the historic Teo Chew Association building, transforming it into a museum space.
The upcoming opening follows the recent launch of the Downtown Kuala Lumpur Grants Programme 2026 by Think City, where several artefacts from the museum's collection were showcased.
These included an original Henri Marseille roof tile design manufactured by Sacoman Freres and recovered from the building's attic and a rare Peranakan publication in Baba Malay, Khien Loong Koon Yew Kong Lam, published in 1931.
Museum director and chief curator Oliver Lee, 44, said the artefacts were uncovered during the restoration process, noting that the building had been vacant for more than a decade.
"The Straits Eclectic-style building comprises approximately 1,300 sq m of built-up space across three storeys. It was built in 1911 by Choo Kia Peng, a prominent businessman and political figure during the British colonial era, as a private villa for entertaining distinguished guests while also serving as his residence. In 1928, it hosted the grand wedding reception of his daughter, one of the most significant events in the building's early history," says Lee in a recent interview.
"In 1929, Kia Peng sold the property to the Teo Chew Association, which established its headquarters there. The building subsequently served as a venue for community activities and housed a free school and charitable medical clinic for the wider public," he adds.
The Melaka-born Lee, an avid antiques collector and dealer, was awarded the 2024 Kreatif KL Grants Programme under the Space Rejuvenation category for the project.
“For many years, I dreamed of establishing a museum that would serve not only as a repository of beautiful artefacts, but also as a centre for research, education and the revival of the living traditions of the Peranakan community. When the opportunity arose to lease this historic heritage building, I knew it was the ideal place to realise that vision.” he says.
Since then, Lee has assembled a multidisciplinary team of heritage architects, conservators, museologists, researchers and members of the Peranakan community to restore the building and develop the museum. The team includes heritage conservation architect Steven Thang, Chia Siang Khim and Baba Wong Mun Yee, who oversee research and historical interpretation, and Stella Cheong, who leads the museum's aesthetic direction and curatorial presentation.
"The galleries will feature finely crafted furniture, porcelain, rare publications, embroidered textiles, jewellery, beadwork, ceremonial objects, ancestral and domestic shrine paraphernalia, photographs and other heirlooms that illustrate the artistic achievements and cultural identity of the Peranakan community,” says Lee.
Beyond its permanent galleries, the museum is partnering with the Persatuan Peranakan Baba Nyonya Kuala Lumpur & Selangor, alongside master artisans specialising in kasut manek (beaded shoes), kebaya-making, beadwork, embroidery and other traditional crafts, to present workshops, demonstrations and cultural programmes.
“While each locality has developed its own distinctive customs, aesthetics and traditions, Peranakan culture has always been fluid and evolving, shaped by migration, commerce and centuries of cultural exchange. From an academic perspective, it is therefore difficult to attribute the culture's origins to a single place or community," says Lee.
“Being situated in Kuala Lumpur also presents a unique opportunity. As Malaysia's capital and a meeting point of diverse cultures, the city is an ideal setting in which to tell a more comprehensive story of the Peranakan experience while making it accessible to both local and international audiences,” concludes Lee.
