Ong Si Thye Guan Tong is a clan temple along busy Penang Road, in the middle of George Town belonging to the Seh Ong Kongsi, the clan association of the Min Hokkien bearing the Ong surname. The original Min Hokkien Ong ancestral temple was established in 1891 and was built by the sea in Jelutong, with an extension into the Kin Jiu Pah (banana grove, or banana jungle). The present site, the Seh Ong Kongsi, is located on a 30,827 sq ft plot at 436 Penang Road. It was purchased in 1894, and today is located right in the heart of George Town facing Komtar.
View of Ong Kongsi at Penang Road, Penang.
The clan temple was built through the donation from three brothers, Han Teng, Han Chong and Han Siew, who spent $41,000 to build it. The building was completed in 1900 and was named the Min Hokkien Ong Kongsi, or Kai Meng Ong Beow. It is dedicated to the pioneer king, who led the Chinese across the sea to settle in the Nanyang, or Southern Seas, during the late Tang Dynasty, thus becoming the first ruler, or ong, of the Hokkien State.
The Ong Kongsi registered itself in 1904 as the Thye Guan Tong Ong Kongsi and the Ong Si Thye Guan Tong. A pair of granite lions for the entrance were donated by Ong Chin Teik in 1905. An extension was built on the left, at a cost of $18,000, in 1916 while in 1918, a wall was built on the right.
The clan association received donations for several properties including 14 acres of land in Kedah from Ong Ah leong in 1917, and 3 houses also in Kedah from Ong Chin Poh in 1921. These were sold off, and the proceeds used to purchase 4 houses, costing $43,500 which are behind the temple. These are rented out in addition to another 4 purchased in 1988 for $430,000 in Goh Teow Lor, otherwise known as Lebuh Macallum.
Restoration and renovation work were carried out on the Ong Kongsi clan temple in 1951, 1964 and 1991, in conjunction with Ong Kongsi's centenary celebrations. The Kongsi retains its benefactorial role with the establishment of a scholarship fund in 1971, followed in 1985 by a loan scheme for Ong clansmen to attend local universities. A Welfare Committee & Youth Section also ensure the relevance of this association in keeping with the times.
The Thye Guan Tong Ong Kongsi in Penang Road, Penang.
(left) Ornate roof decoration using chien nien cut-and-paste porcelain work. (below) Details of the chien nien figurines.
(right) Chien Nien is also used in creating the dragon. (below) One of the two guardian lions.
(left) Inscriptions on the lintel of the clan temple
(below) Front façade of the Ong Kongsi
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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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