Lim Chin Tsong's Palace

Interesting and hidden landmark, partially falling apart. Currently holding the college of fine arts in Yangon. Stange architecture mix between colonial and Chinese, plus a small pond in front. Admission was free, entrance is difficult to find as it is literally u der the highway immediately after a crossing

The eclectic architecture of Yangon reflects the city’s history as a trading hub and colonial capital. One overgrown mansion in the city’s Bahan township is an amalgamation of styles from the area’s multicultural past. Lim Chin Tsong was a merchant from Burma’s Hokkien Chinese community who turned his family’s rice business into a commodities fortune. Between 1917 and 1919, Tsong spent over two million rupees constructing an ornate villa blending Chinese and European architectural styles, with Burmese teak and Italian marble side by side. But in 1921, Tsong’s business suffered a major setback when the government banned the export of rice. He died just a few years later in 1924, and his estate was declared insolvent. The palace was home to the All Burma Broadcasting Station while the country was under Japanese control beteen 1941 and 1945, and after Burmese independence, it became the Kanbawza Yeiktha hotel in 1951. Myanmar’s Ministry of Culture took over the top floors in the 1950s and has maintained an art school there since, but maintenance has been neglected; the palace is just too big and frequent rain has abraded the old building. The building features the grand staircases, foyers, and columns of a European mansion alongside dougongs (interlocking brackets common in Chinese temples) and murals of the Great Wall by English painters Dod and Ernest Procter. The pagoda-like octagonal five-story tower, rising incongruously above a nearby highway overpass, provides a 360-degree view of the city’s rapidly rising skyline. A local rumor holds that secret tunnels connect the mansion to the nearby lake. The Ministry of Culture is currently renovating the building as a cultural center and it's set to open in 2018.

Built by Chinese merchant like a palace tower around 1950 there is a history fact that in the japanese colonialization, this palace has used as a radio tower to cscout the spy. I recommend to visit there. Now it is renovation and watched by Myanmar National Art Yangon. Thus why if you visit there you will also can experience the traditional art of painting, Dancing and etc. At the ancient time that place is full with water and if you want to go there you have to go there by boat. Later the water dried off. Thus why if you visit there you will see the water cannel to the entrance of Myanmar National Art.

You have to se the ancien palace with his wonderful art gallery

It's a nice place for someone likes studying history. Under remodeling, but still open for tourists.

One of the magnificent colonial heritage buildings of the great chinese tycoon Lim Chin Tsong of Yangon, which has the combination of eastern and western architectural style.

Although Chinese palace style mansions are common in Malaysia and Singapore, in Burma it is rare. I don't know why, need more research. But Lim's palace is special, and has Burmese elements never seen in other countries.

One of the few old buildings in Yangon that is not in the downtown area. Check out the wiki article for a more detailed history of this place. The building itself is in a state of disrepair. It is being used as an art gallery. It is also attached to the Yangon School of Arts. For now, it is free to visit, although that may change in the future. The only original parts of the building remaining, are the parts too big for successive owners to carry away. Which basically means the walls, the stairs, and the structure itself. However, there is enough there to keep a person busy for several hours. To find this building, look for a small arched entrance just under the Kabar Aye Rd flyover. The first thing you will see is a pond, and some old buildings, but look above on the hill and you will see the palace itself. The locals working there are very friendly, and happy to let you wander around the building freely.