Welcome back to my writing, and thank you for being willing to read my article. Today I want to tell you about my trip. Two days ago, I visited Tjong A Fie's house. He was a merchant who was very rich when the Dutch controlled Indonesian territory. Yes, in the past the Dutch colonized Indonesia.
When I entered Tjong A Fie's house, I was quite amazed by the design of this house. Tjong A Fie's house was designed in Chinese, European, Malay, and art-deco architectural styles. This place has become a historical tourist attraction in the city of Medan. In this house, visitors can find out about the history of Tjong A Fie's life through photographs, paintings, and furniture used by his family and learn about Malay-Chinese culture.
The wall on the right appears to be filled with photos of Tjong A Fie from the past. I keep looking at photos of Tjong A Fie with his three wives and children. There is also a photo of Tjong A Fie with the Dutch rulers. Every room I visit, I keep listening to every photo on the wall. There is even furniture that has been neatly arranged. In the middle of the open space, we can see the second floor and the backside of the house. My guide said that the back of the house was still inhabited by Tjong A Fie's grandson, so I couldn't see that part.
As I climbed the stairs to the second floor, I found a large room, in which Tjong A Fie used to have parties, including dances with Dutch people. All rooms here are neat and well maintained. There are four guest rooms on this second floor, the first guest room is a special guest room to receive the Sultan of Deli (at that time the city of Medan was named the Sultanate of Deli), the second guest room is devoted to Dutch guests, the third is a special guest room for Chinese guests, and the last one is the living room for the public.
From the history I have heard, Tjong A Fie is a multicultural figure who comes from China and can embrace all circles. From the Malay, Arab, Indian and Dutch circles, Tjong A Fie is also known as a very generous person. He also contributed a third of the cost of building the Medan Grand Mosque and also a mosque in Gang Bengkok. Apart from having a good relationship with the Dutch, Tjong A Fie is also close to the sultan of the deli.
The city of Medan continued to experience growth and progress in line with the progress of Tjong A Fie until in 1913, he founded Bank Kesawan. The more he became rich, the figure of Tjong A Fie was also more and more generous. He often sponsors children from any circle regardless of race, religion, and ethnicity. Almost every week Tjong A Fie assists the poor. The most interesting thing about Tjong A Fie's will before he died, he advised his descendants to carry out these principles and continue to do good without seeing any differences. Among them, by continuing to support poor children. Many stories can be taken when I visited Tjong A Fie's house. I'll see you on my next travel blog. Thank you.
