PHT Site Visit: Kee's Estate, Sungai Bakap

Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen giving a briefing to the guests from Penang Heritage Trust about the background of Kee Estate and its founder

Kee Estate PHT September Site Visit Sunday, 30 November, 2007 Report by Timothy Tye The September PHT Site Visit was held at the little town of Sungai Bakap, on the southern part of mainland Penang. There, we visited Kee Estate, the biggest Chinese mansion in Sungai Bakap. Participants were given clear directions on how to go there, and a good thirty or so members showed up. We were given a slideshow presentation by Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen, who is one of the descendants of the founder of the mansion. Kee Estate, or in full, Kee Poh Huat Kongsi, is a sprawling Chinese ancestral temple and residence in Sungai Bakap. It was built by the founder of Sungai Bakap, Kee Lai Huat, it the late 19th century. Presently the mansion is being restored by trustees of the Kee Clan Association. Kee Lai Huat was one of the Chinese immigrants to arrived in Penang in the mid 19th century. He came ashore at Batu Kawan, Penang, in the year 1853, at the age of 19, leaving behind his hometown of Teng Hai. Unlike indenture labourers, Kee, who was educated, travelled first class. He came into contact with Khaw Loh Hup, a Teochew who arrived earlier, and had already made a fortune for himself. Working for Khaw, Kee eventually established himself in his own right, as a wealthy sugar-cane planter in the area. In the 19th century, the family of Khaw Loh Hup was the most powerful in Sungai Bakap. They owned thousands of hectares of sugar cane plantation. Recognizing the potential in the young Kee Lai Huat, Khaw Loh Hup employed him as his accounts clerk. The relationship blossomed and resulted in Kee marrying into the Khow family. After the slide presentation, we were treated to tea, as is customary in Penang Heritage Trust site visits. After that, we were taken on a tour of the mansion. We began at the ancestral temple. As with the rest of the complex, it has just undergone restoration. A row of townhouses form a line behind the temple. These were built to house Kee's sons. Each got a house, while his two daughters had their homes at both ends of Sungai Bakap. As we explored the houses that once belonged to Kee's son, we can imagine how it was like in the late 19th and early 20th century, when the houses were full of occupants, when scores of labourers were employed to tend Kee's vast plantations. We saw the site where the stables were. Bearing in mind most of the houses were built when motorcars were not yet prevalent, the use of horses as the main form of transport necessitate space to house them. The Penang Heritage Trust held a site visit to the Kee Poh Huat Kongsi on 30 September 2007. At that time, the ancestral hall was still undergoing restoration. We were given a briefing on the background of the heritage building by Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen, who is one of the many descendents of Kee Lai Huat, followed by a tour of the premises. Read more about Kee Lai Huat and his mansion in AsiaExplorers Kee Estate Photo Gallery The front of Kee Estate along the main road of Sungai Bakap. The Kee ancestral temple. Ancestral tablets on display. The terrace houses Kee built for his sons are now undergoing restoration. The kitchen in one of those houses look very much the same as it was a hundred years ago. A forlorn cabinet in an otherwise empty room makes an interesting study of still life. Fascinated members of PHT trooped through the houses, curious at what lies ahead to be discovered.