Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum
Baba Nyonya House Museum (Malay: Muzium Warisan Baba Nyonya), also known as the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia that showcases the local history of descendants of ethnic Chinese-Malays called Baba-Nyonya or Peranakan in the state. The museum was established in 1986 by Chan Kim Lay, the fourth generation of his family to reside in the large house built by his great-grandfather in 1896 in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a street also known as "Millionaire's Row" for its luxurious houses. The museum is known for its elaborate woodwork, furniture, and porcelain.
The heritage house-museum’s highlight is quite possibly its staircase, leading from the chim che (airwell) to the private residential section upstairs. The only one of its kind in the city, and perhaps even in all of Malaysia, the staircase boasts a beautifully gilt railing with reliefs depicting the weapons of the Eight Immortals of Daoist mythology. But its real centerpiece is the lockable baby gate, a 19th-century recreation of a 9th-century Chinese invention. Not only does it prevent children from accidentally falling down the stairs, it could also shut out burglars as well as husbands who stayed out too late drinking and philandering.
Location: Banda Hilir (± 2.9 km from Grand Swiss-Belhotel Melaka or approximately 8 minutes driving)