Medan railway yard

The railway yard in Medan has seen better days but it was charming nevertheless. One gets almost `transported' to the past just watching the trains in operation complete with manually-controlled signals and tracks.

Medan Post Office interior

This was the octagonal main hall I was referring to. Stained glass murals below the arches were abstracts of local sceneds. The architectural detailing was strong, almost fascist with bold vertical columns spanning the arches.

Medan Post Office

I thought this Dutch building was one of the most interesting buildings in the city. The main hall was an octagon with service counters located in 2 wings attached to the octagon.

Tjong A Fie Mansion airwell

This is the airwell in the Tjong A Fie Mansion. It follows exactly the same feng-shui configuration in Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang. Because there are no mountains or hills behind the house to block the outflow of wealth, a split-level was created after the airwell to simulate the hill/mountain. Airwells are important as they allow water (wealth) to flow into the house.

Tjong A Fie Mansion

Tjong A Fie Mansion in Medan, Sumatra. Tjong A Fie was a Hakka migrant who made good in Sumatra in the 19th century. By co-incidence, I found out that he was the cousin of Cheong Fatt Tze (The Blue Mansion) of Penang, another successful pioneer in South East Asia.