Sampoerna museum a spark of inspiration
Omar Prihandono, Contributor, Surabaya
Smoking is good for you.
While the title of the book by Dr. William T. Whitby will surely raise the shackles of antismoking activists, the board of directors of cigarette giant HM Sampoerna seem to be validating the statement by having themselves photographed at their desks, puffing away.
Pictures of them, as well as Whitby's provocative book, are among hundreds of tobacco-related products and memorabilia from the company's years in business that are displayed at the House of Sampoerna, a two-story modern museum that would be heaven on earth for the world's increasingly harried smokers.
Tucked amid a rather dense residential area in Surabaya, East Java, the House of Sampoerna was originally an old colonial mansion, built in 1858 and later owned by Liem Seeng Tee, founder of the cigarette company. He was known in the neighborhood for his generosity, inviting the community to celebrate Chinese New Year or Javanese traditional festivities in the mansion's spacious front yard.
After his death, the left wing of the mansion became the residence of his children, but the center part was renovated in 2003 by the third generation and turned into arguably the most luxurious museum in the country (also on site are an art gallery and a cafe).
Forget those dusty and deserted museums you visited back in school, and sadly remain so today.
The moment you open the front door of House of Sampoerna -- after passing under four huge doric columns that are plastered to resemble Sampoerna's popular Dji Sam Soe cigarettes -- you are greeted by the sweet scent of cloves and tobacco, not to mention a small fountain with its soothing sound of splattering water. Gone is museum-phobia, replaced by the curiosity to roam through the free-of-charge museum in its entirety.
Check out an item in front part of House of Sampoerna and you will get a clear message that the family museum tries to showcase everything that has made them among the big players in the cigarette business in Asia. A replica of a small, humble bamboo hut, complete with sacks of various crops and traditional snacks in small containers, tells visitors that Seeng Tee started as a traditional vendor selling daily commodities before entering the cigarette business in 1913.
At the side of the hut is an old bicycle that Seeng Tee used to sell his cigarettes, in addition to offering the hand-rolled cigarettes to train passengers setting off from Surabaya to Jakarta.
A few meters is a black cigarette-paper printing machine that must have been a new fangled gadget at the beginning of the 20th century. Next to it is an antique wooden cupboard full of cigarette brands, exclusively produced for the foreign market by Sampoerna.
Design-wise, House of Sampoerna is obviously meant to be visitor-friendly, despite being in an old house located behind a prison. The museum's designer -- an American who is a long-time favorite of the family -- provides much light to highlight the collections, and maximizes the use of walls to hang items ranging from samples of tobacco, Sampoerna's colorful print ads to pictures of public figures, including Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who daily fill their lungs with the smoke of their favorite Sampoerna products.
All are there for visitors to admire and observe at no expense.
The second floor is home to the core of the 500m2 museum. A huge glass-window provides a spectacular view of around 100 female workers hand-rolling cigarettes at the back of the museum which functions as a cigarette factory. Each week, a worker with the most perfect rolling will be promoted upstairs to demonstrate her skills.
However, bear in mind that since this is a family museum, chances are that you will bump into some very personal items and memorabilia that may leave you frowning. These include granny's kebaya encim (Chinese-style traditional blouse), daddy's old cabinet or a series of faded black and white pictures of a family vacation in Switzerland in 1952.
Still, they do not detract from the overall pleasure of visiting the museum. Looking at the collection of the House of Sampoerna is actually like looking at how hard-working people toiled their way to success in the past.
It's a tale told with attention to detail, as related by Savitri, a 32-year-old visitor.
"At first I didn't want to go to the toilet because I fear it'll be smelly," she said, apparently remembering experiences from previous museum visits. "You know what? It's damn clean!".
--------------------- House of Sampoerna Jl. Taman Sampoerna No. 6 Surabaya, East Java Museum open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; cafe and art gallery 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 9 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday. To see factory workers, arrive before 2:30 p.m. Tel. 031-353-9000 -----------------------------