The Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi of Penang - often known simply as Khoo Kongsi - is the finest Chinese clan house in Malaysia, or for that matter, anywhere outside of China. AsiaExplorers takes you behind the exquisite façade of this the famous clan temple, to offer you a glimpse at one of the oldest clan associations in Penang.
Khoo Kongsi was founded in 1835, on the 8th day of the 5th moon of the Chinese calendar, when 102 members of the Khoo clan gathered to form an association to look after the welfare of Khoo clansmen in the Nanyang. It was to be similar to another Khoo association in China, the Ee Kok Tong. One of the functions of the association was to keep records of the clan ancestors and descendents. The result of this meticulous exercise is that the Khoos have one of the most complete genealogical charts of all the clans in Penang.
Tale of the Dragon Mountain Hall
The ancestors of the Khoos can be traced to a common progenitor, one Chan Chian Eng who ironically was given away to a Khoo family of another village, and hence took on his adopted surname. Chian Eng had a son who settled in the village of Sin Kang in the Chuan Chew state in Fujian Province, China. The Khoos of Khoo Kongsi can trace their ancestry back to the Sin Kang clan village.
The Khoo Kongsi is in fact a miniature clan village set into the city of George Town. Many of the town houses surrounding the Khoo Kongsi clan temple bear the sign "Sin Kang", as do the gateways leading into Khoo Kongsi. Unfortunately, since the previous renovation of the temple complex, two of the passageways have been sealed off. These are the ones from Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai) and Armenian Street (Lebuh Armenia), leaving only one single entranceway into Khoo Kongsi, and that's the main passageway from Cannon Square (Medan Cannon). Since the last renovation, a clan museum has also been installed on the ground floor of the clan temple, and entrance fees charged to visitors for the general upkeep.
The land to built Khoo Kongsi was acquired in 1851. It measures 97,035 sq feet. There was a bungalow on the site, and this was converted into a clan temple for ancestor worship. This temple was named Leong San Tong, in honour of their progenitor's village of Leong San in China. The name "Leong San" means "Dragon Mountain".
Over the years since the acquisition of the land in 1851, the Khoos propered and established themselves in Penang. In 1894, an idea was mooted to construct a new clan temple to replace the existing structure. It was a highly ostentatious project to showcase their new-found wealth, and the grand new temple took eight years to complete. Strangely, just 29 days after its completion, on the eve of the Sin Chui Year, a fire broke up, destroying the whole temple. The only items salvaged from the inferno was a pair of carved bamboo couplets known as "teik lean". These are still on display today in the Tua Pek Kong Hall, to the right of the main hall of Khoo Kongsi.
The fire was explained as the wrath of the gods over a temple regarded too exquisite for ancestor worship. A few years after the first temple was destroyed, plans were afoot to built it again. In order to please the gods, the new temple is a scaled-down version of the original. Nevertheless materials were shipped from China, and master craftsmen, artists, artisans and sculptors were also brought in from China to complete the new temple, another masterpice. It was finally completed in 1906, at the cost of a hundred thousand Straits dollars.
Then came the Second World War. Bombings by the Japanese partially destroyed the roofing along with about 20 of the townhouses around its courtyard. The restoration effort took four years and costs sixty thousand Straits dollars.
The splendour of Khoo Kongsi lies in its highly detailed wood carvings, wall frescoes and roof decorations. The entire roof structure is said to weigh 25 to 50 tons, and is the best example of the cut-and-paste chien nien technique, where shards of ceramic bowls are used to form patterns, beasts and beings.
Layout of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi
The clan temple consists of two floors, the ground floor and the top floor. The ground floor was previously occupied by the Toon Boon Tong, or the Parentage Society. Nowadays, it is used as the Khoo Kongsi Clan Museum. To the left of the museum is the giftshop.
The top floor is accessible by the grand staircase. Flanking the staircase are the Two Monks. The one on the right is the Crying Monk. On the other side is the Laughing Monk. Now why is the monk laughing? Look under him, and you will find that there is a small copper coin embedded beneath the handrail. The Laughing Monk is laughing because he is sitting on money!
There are three main halls on the top. They are the central hall, the ancestral hall, and the hall to the god of prosperity. The central hall is the most ornate. The ancestral hall and the hall to the god of prosperity carry plaques commemorating the awards and achievements by noted members of the Khoo clan.
And now, without further ado, let's take a photographic tour of the clan temple now.
When the Chinese immigrated to Penang in the mid 19th to the mid 20th century, they built ornate clan temples that are today heritage sites in Penang. Explore them with AsiaExplorers.
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AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Reasonable care is taken to check and verify the accuracy of the content. AsiaExplorers disclaims responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the tips and advice provided directly or indirectly by this website. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may use the information on this website on your blog or website so long as you place a dofollow link back to the page in AsiaExplorers where it appears. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses. To contact Tim, write to the following email address:
