When you go to Singkawang, West Kalimantan you will be able to feel the atmosphere of ancient Chinese cultures. It will feel even more when you visit an ancient building called Tjhia Family House which has been built since 1902 by the Xie Shou Sin or better known as Tjhia Siu Si. The structure is located at Jl. Budi Utomo no. 35 Condong, West Singkawang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The Tjhia family house has been designated by the Singkawang City Government as a cultural heritage. This building was built by Thjia Siu Si after his success as a commodity exporter and building a reputation in Singkawang.
Because of the big name Tjhia at that time, the Dutch Colonial, which was the ruler, was willing to grant large tracts of land to be used as buildings. From then on, Xie began to build a stately home with an East (Si He Yuan building style)-West interior. The house is still standing strong today.
Now, this house is inhabited by the sixth generation of the Tjhia family. On the left side there is a 2-storey house painted white and green with a semicircular niche with latticed windows, the reminiscent of a Dutch colonial home.
front view 
side view 
Tjhiah worker 
Choi Pan 
Selling Choi Pan since 1979
Photo : Detik.com, pastikesingkawang.id, local guides connect
Visitors can come to Tjhia Family House to enjoy one of the Chinese traditional food called as “Choi Pan” by the local people made by the Tjhia family. The place is almost always filled with visitors who want to relax while enjoying the Choi Pan. If you are going to eat, just choose a seat and order the Choi Pan. Some contain chives, yam, and bamboo shoots. The taste is warm and savory, you can get it for Rp 1,500/piece. Usually, visitors always order a minimum of 30 Choi Pans to eat together, because one won’t make you satisfied.
There are also several legendary Choi Pan sellers in the city of Singkawang. But at the Tjhia Family House, you can see cultural heritage that is more than a century old. These halal snacks are always crowded by buyers, from 8 am to 6 pm.
