Chew Museum Downsized Amidst Covid-19 Environment

A diner viewing the downsized Chew Museum display

Chew Museum which showcased the life of Chew Boon Juan and his descendants from the time when he first landed in Malaya till now has been downsized drastically.

Hardly surprising as the year 2020 will go down in history in which the pandemic Covid-19 changed the lives of everything and everyone so much that we now live in a new normal.

Ignatius grandparents (1st pic) Chew Boon Juan (2nd pic) Lim Siew Tong and Yeoh Khuan Joo 

Ignatius Chew (seated 2nd from left) in a group photo with Yeoh-Lim-Chew clan in the museum 

The Chew Museum too wasn’t spared. The museum is still standing but has been downsized to a much smaller display and is located behind the museum as compared to when it occupied the main building.

A restaurant serving contemporary fusion cuisine, Morel has taken up the space vacated by the museum.  Another outlet Master Stick Restaurant offering barbequed skewered delicacies or prepared to one’s own choice took up the space next to Morel.

Restaurant Morel now occupies Chew museum ....

..and Restaurant Master Stick adjacent to Morel

Both of these diners have livened up this corner of town that was for the most part quiet after the sun went down. 

The museum within the premises of Ban Hoe Seng was started by Ignatius Chew Eng Lin since 2012.

It showcased the history of his grandfather Chew Boon Juan from the time of his arrival in Malaya in 1892, his early years, the wealth he derived from his tin-mining days, the setting up of Ban Hoe Seng in 1910 till the present time of this pandemic.

Photo taken in 1950. (Seated 6th from right) Chew Boon Juan 

Photo taken in 2018. The Museum traced 5 generations of Chews

The museum traced 5 generations of Chews and their descendants.

Ignatius explained that in this pandemic environment combined with the stringent SOP requirements he saw no point in maintaining the museum.

‘Nobody would come and it would be a risk for me being in the high risk group having to open and attend to viewers.

I decided that it was better to make productive use of the land and properties while the museum could still be displayed with diners viewing before their meals arrive’. 

Regarding the future of the museum Ignatius said other members of the family have mentioned an interest but that still has to be explored.

JAG