Antique inn

In the olden days, an inn was a gathering place for all types of martial art masters. It was not only a place to put up a night, a place to dine, but also a place for kungfu contests. The inn was meant for the knights to eat and stay, to get to know friends, to spy and snoop, to obtain contact signals or even develop a relationship.

The remarkable legend of the Dragon Inn remains very much cherished by people up to this day.

In Malaysia, there indeed is an inn that is reminiscent of the Dragon Inn. The 1881 Chong Tian Hotel in Ropewalk, Penang is the oldest inn in the country. The emergence of the new 1881 spreading over three shoplots in town could have spelled the resurgence of the inn culture in this part of the world. The inn offers 11 rooms, plus a relic hall, a meeting room, activity room, library and mezzanine bar.

Owner of the inn, Xie Guo Xing has intended to revive the styles of the Dragon Inn with a great deal of antiques on display throughout the inn. To Xie, 1881 is more than an inn, but also a chic Chinese boutique hotel.

Modern people who enjoy good food will see the inn as a fine hotel serving the best of Chinese and Western fares while backpackers willing to spend to enjoy the fine culture will most definitely not miss this opportunity to put up for a night at the inn.

There is a refined antique wooden bed at the rear hall with a pillow and teapot on top of it. It might look like a set up in a wealthy local family during the olden days, but was in actual fact an opium bed that allowed people to indulge in the process of inhaling and exhaling the drugs and slowly drift into sleep.

There are also a few chairs placed in front of the wooden bed for the people to indulge in their addiction in the company of some friends.

There is a pair of golden dragon and phoenix hung on the wall of the dining hall. These two auspicious creatures symbolise eternity and happiness apart from being an accessory used during traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies.

During the mid-autumn festival, another set of the golden shimmering accessories will be hung opposite the dragon and phoenix to ring in the festive season while announcing to the public that moon cakes are now available for sale at the hotel.

Looking around the furnishings and decorations, there are wooden ladders, bamboos at the patio and water tank with duckweeds that really arouse the nostalgic feelings of the guests. Above the patio are windows of the rooms with elaborate ceramic tile paintings adorning the walls below.