[PLACE] 20141224 The Mandarin House 郑家大屋 @ Macau

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The Mandarin House 郑家大屋, or the Zheng's House is the home of the well known Chinese philosopher and philanthropist, Zheng Guanying 郑观应 (1842 - 1921). Among all, his materpiece i.e. 《盛世危言》 (translate: Golden Age Prophecy) which was first published on 1893 has influenced many country leader in their decision making as the prophecy has provided various transformation ideas and concepts to China back in those days.

The Mandarin House was constructed by Mr Zheng's father, Zheng Wenrui as early as in the 1869, thou history mentioned it was built in 1881. The whole courtyard sits on a 4,000m² land in the Peninsular of Macau with two main court. The uniqueness about the mandarin house is the combination of both east and west architectural design. While the exterior of the house may looked like any other Canton house, the interior is the one that blends in the western culture with the main living hall located at the first floor as opposed to ground floor in conventional Chinese houses.

The house was long abandoned and vandalized in the 90's after a developer purchased the land. After long negotiation, the Macau government successfully regained control of the Mandarin house with the proposed land swap in 2001 and refurbish work was started.

However, the restoration process was not easy with majority of the house were severely vandalised and the government has tried to recover the house to its original look as much as possible. The Mandarin House was finally opened to public in 2010.

10 Travessa de Antonio da Silva, Macau
澳門龍頭左巷10號
Telephone: (+853) 2896 8820
Opening Hours: 10:00am until 06:00pm (Entrance closed at 05:30pm)
Closed every Wednesday except for Public Holiday.

TO GO


The Mandarin House is located along the R. da Barra and R. do Padre Antonio roads with many other attractions along the road like cathedrals, cafes etc. I would suggest those who are able to travel on foot to take this route from Senado Square and stop at each attractions along the way. Clear road signs are available to guide you accordingly.

Alternatively, you may take public bus 18 or 28B to stop at the junction near the Mandarin House.



ATTRACTION



The government has did a very good job in promoting tourism industry with clear road signs and signboards available to guide tourists and visitors accordingly, making it a very seamless experience. The entrance to the Mandarin House is free of charge and there's not many tourists to be seen here despite Christmas Eve (or maybe due to Christmas Eve?).


Brief description of each attraction is also available. You may also find a rubber stamp to mark your visit at every popular destinations.


Two cute Mandarin tortoises located at the entrance of the Mandarin House.


The entrance will lead you the side corridor of the Mandarin House. The entrance is actually at the middle of the picture above. The left is actually a small garden and the right is the building.


Some rooms are equipped with video and audio presentation to explain the history of the Mandarin House.


The traditional style of Chinese house 四合院 which means four sides with building (typically according to NSEW) with a courtyard in the middle.


The main hall entrance of the Mandarin House.


Carved wood window panel with the air well in the middle.


Notice the ceiling design that is different from conventional Chinese houses?


Filmy stairway leading up to the first floor. The design of the stairways is leaning towards western culture.


The main living hall at the first floor, as opposed to conventional ground floor. Even thou the ground are tiled, the whole floor is actually unstable due to the wood frame structure.


The study room where Mr Zheng completed most of his work.

There are a lot more pictures to share but basically these are the highlights of the Mandarin House. The government has did a lot to restore the Mandarin House to reassemble back to its original look. The combination of the east and west interior design and architecture is also one of the main highlight of this place, along with the significant historical presence.

SUMMARY


It's a good detour when you are on the way to Barra temple. Spend some time around to understand the history and to zoom into the details of the house.

Attraction
☆☆☆☆
Interesting architecture and very informative 
Cleanliness
☆☆☆☆☆

Entrance Fee
Free
Opening Hours
10:00am until 06:00pm (Daily)
Entrance closed at 05:30pm
Closed every Wednesday
Wifi
Limited
Parking
Nil
Website
Macau Tourism Website

GPS: 22.188450, 113.534652

farscope

Malaysian lad, engineer by background, banker by profession whom passionate in photography, food and travelling.

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