Thia Besar Before 1950s, most Peranakan families lived as an extended famiy under one roof. In the trditional layout of a Peranakan house, the first room after passing through the front was the thia besar or ‘big hall’, the formal living room. The thia besar often housed the altar of the guardian deity of the house which was placed against the wall facing the front door. In some homes, the ancestral altar was also placed in this room, usually to the right of the deity altar.
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