Tanjong Tokong Tua Pek Kong Temple
Tanjong Tokong, Penang

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The Tanjong Tokong Tua Pek Kong Temple is the "tokong" (Chinese temple) that gave its name to the cape on the northeast side of Penang Island. (Note: Tanjong Tokong is spelled Tanjung Tokong according to standard Malay spelling, but AsiaExplorers and its associated site, Penang Travel Tips, prefers to retain the spelling of place names in their original forms.)

The Tua Pek Kong Temple of Tanjong Tokong is the most important Tua Pek Kong temple in Penang. It is also believed to be original Tua Pek Kong temple that eventually sprouts the worship of this deity throughout West Malaysia, Singapore and East Malaysia. Tua Pek Kong himself is the deified form of a person by the name of Zhang Li (or Chang Lee), a mid-18th century scholar of Hakka descent who left a troubled China. Enroute to Sumatra, his boat was blown to Penang instead, where he settled. This happened in the mid-18th century, around 40 years before Francis Light established George Town. He was said to have arrived here with his two brothers, and three were buried in burial mounts beside the Tanjong Tokong Temple.

Fifty years after the death of Zhang Li, local Chinese began to worship him as a god of prosperity, giving him the honorific title of Tua Pek Kong, meaning Great-Grand Uncle. As the worship of Tua Pek Kong is directly related to the accummulation of wealth, management of Tua Pek Kong temples is often fought over between Chinese communities, especially the Hokkien and the Hakka. To ensure a place of worship for their respective community in George Town, the Hokkiens, under the Hock Teik Cheng Sin society, built the Hokkien Tua Pek Kong Temple at its premises at Armenian Street. It is managed by the Poh Hock Seah, a society that came into being after the Khian Teik secret society was outlawed by the British authorities in 1890. The Hakka and their Cantonese brethren erected the Cantonese Tua Pek Kong Temple at King Street. Every year, the two communities held processions from their respective town temples to the Tanjong Tokong Tua Pek Kong Temple.

The Tanjong Tokong Tua Pek Kong Temple is noted for its annual flame watching ritual, called Chneah Hoay. This takes place on the 14th night of the Chinese New Year. In this ceremony, embers in a ceremonial urn are fanned until the flames leaped up. The coming year's fortune is divined in the conflagration.

Facing the temple is an abandoned lookout with sitting area. These were sponsored by Aw Boon Haw of Tiger Balm fame. Nearby is an open-air restaurant famous for its seafood. The retaining wall along the coast was badly damaged in the 2004 tsunami, but has since been repaired. The rocks and seaside pavilions are a favourite spot for anglers.