Kee Poh Huat Kongsi
Kee Lai Huat Ancestral Hall, Main Street, Sungai Bakap, Penang
Main altar in the Kee Poh Huat Ancestral Hall
Kee Poh Huat Kongsi is a sprawling Chinese ancestral temple and residence in Sungai Bakap. It was built by the founder of Sungai Bakap, Kee Lai Huat, it the late 19th century, and is presently being restored by trustees of the Kee Clan Association.
Kee Lai Huat arrived in Penang in the year 1853, at the age of 19, leaving behind his hometown of Teng Hai. Unlike the indenture labourers who travelled free in return for a year or two of coolies that were arriving at that time, Kee was educated, an only son to one Kee Choe Im, and had travelled first class on the boat that brought him. He came ashore at Batu Kawan, and made his way to Bukit Tambun. There he came into contact with Khaw Loh Hup, a Teochew who arrived earlier, in the 1810's, penniless but worked his way up, and had since established himself as a wealthy sugar-cane planter in the area.
The Khaw family was the most powerful in the area, owning thousands of hectares of sugar cane plantation. Loh Hup recognised the potential in the young Kee Lai Huat, and employed him as his accounts clerk. The relationship blossomed, and led to Kee married into the family, to Khaw's only daughter, Khaw Bee Gaik. The union produced six sons and two daughters.
Khaw Loh Hup's son, Khaw Boo Aun, was the most prominent member of the Khaw clan. He was leader of the Ghee Hin Society and had acted as financier to Raja Abdullah. Khaw Boo Aun was involved in the 3rd Larut War (1871-1873) and was later made a member of the Perak State Council, in 1886. Khaw Boo Aun had 2400 hectares of sugar cane plantation which was left to Kee Lai Huat to run.
Although he was now integrated into the powerful Khaw family, Kee Lai Huat was eager to establish himself in his own right. Through a Frenchman in Singapore, he acquired 1000 acres of swampland between Tambun and Nibong Tebal. The swampland was called Val d'Or, which means Valley of Gold. The Val d'Or swampland was drained, and on it, Kee Lai Huat established his sugar-cane estate, called Valdor. Although the sugar cane plantation is no longer around, the village of Valdor lives on today in its place.
Along the main road that runs from Tambun to Nibong Tebal, Kee Lai Huat and his two friends Lau Kuang Mia and Tan Ah Pow founded a new township, called Sungai Bakap - today famous for its "chye koay", a local delicacy.
In the middle of Sungai Bakap, Kee Lai Huat built his ancentral hall, the Kee Poh Huat Kongsi. It comprises the ancestral temple, accessed through a gateway and a courtyard, and residence for his six sons. At the two ends of Sungai Bakap, he built a home for each of his two daughters. His younger daughter's home to the north and his elder daughter's home to the south. The homes of his sons and daughters follow a similar Straits Ecletic townhouse style.
Kee Lai Huat's success and philanthrophy did not escape the attention of the Imperial Chinese Manchu Government. They conferred on him the title of Mandarin Second Rank, and retrospectively made his wife, father and mother Mandarin Third Rank. Their paintings in all the Mandarin finery graces the main chamber of the ancestral hall.
The Penang Heritage Trust held a site visit to the Kee Poh Huat Kongsi on 30 September 2007. At that time, the ancestral hall was still undergoing restoration. We were given a briefing on the background of the heritage building by Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen, who is one of the many descendents of Kee Lai Huat, followed by a tour of the premises.
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