History of Tjong A Fie Mansion
Thursday, 02 January 2025
Tjong A Fie, Majoor der Chinezen (1860–1921), or Tjong Yiauw Hian, birth name Zhang Hongnan, was a Hakka Chinese businessman, banker and kapitan (Chinese major) who built a large plantation business in Sumatra, Indonesia. Tjong A Fie built his business that employed more than 10,000 labor workers.Because of his great success, he maintained a good relationship with the ruler of Deli, including the ninth Sultan of Deli, Sultan Ma'mun Al Rashid Perkasa Alamyah and Dutch authorities.
In 1911, Tjong A Fie was appointed as a Kapitan Cina (Majoor der Chineezen) or major of the Chinese community in Medan, replacing his deceased brother Tjong Yong Hian. As a leader of the community, he was well thought of and respected by people, because he was linked with economy and political systems of the city. His enterprises were invested in his palm oil and sugar cane plantations, as well as banks and railroads.
He came from a poor family. With his brother, Tjong Yong Hian, Tjong left school and helped in running his father's shop. Although he only had a brief education, Tjong knew the ways of trading and made his family's business successful.
Tjong decided to travel to Indonesia to seek a better life. At 1875, Tjong A Fie came to Medan and decided to settle down. He was only 18 years old at that time. With little money, he decided to follow his brother, Tjong Yong Hian, who stayed in Medan for five years. At that time, his brother was already a notable leader in Medan.
Tjong's long-time residence is located at Kesawan Street, Medan. The mansion is an architectural mix of Malay, European, and Tionghoa styles and contains forty rooms, each lined with hand-painted floor tiles from Italy and the walls depicting life in China with great detail.
The Tjong A Fie Mansion consists of two floors with each floor having its own designation. The first floor consists of several important rooms, including the right side of the house reserved for ethnically Chinese guests only, while the left side of the house has a room reserved for the Sultan of Deli and his family or guests. The middle room on the ground floor is a reception room for guests—the room has a door ten meters tall and has a Chinese-style wooden door handle. On the back of the ground floor, there are spaces for ancestral worship, private rooms, and Tjong's family room. The top floor of the building is used as a ball room or meeting room; there is also an altar facing the meeting room used as a means of worship by Tjong and his family.
The mansion has two doors, the entrance of which is facing the Ahmad Yani Street in Kesawan and the exit of which is facing the Red Cross Street. The mansion spatially segregated men and women where the right part of building was intended for men and the left for women. This division was not limited to Tjong and his family, but also to guests and workers who settled in the mansion.
Construction of the mansion was completed circa 1900. In 2000, it was included in the list of cultural heritage landmarks protected by legislation in the city of Medan. The mansion has been open to public since 18 June 2009 to commemorate Tjong A Fie's 150th birthday and has been a popular tourist spot.
Source : Wikipedia
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