Malaysia: Penang – Khoo Kongsi

One of the places we had been recommended to visit was the Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, or Khoo Kongsi for short, which we found tucked away behind a very understated gate.

When the Hokkien Chinese emigrated to Penang in the early 19th century they created clan associations to help their fellow clansmen who came to Penang to settle. The members of these clans share a common surname and ancestors. Although the clans were initially set up for the sake of offering help, by the second half of the 19th century, intense rivalry manifested itself as one clan tried to outdo the other. Nevertheless, the Hokkien clans remained close-knit against peoples of other dialect groups, such as the Hakka and the Cantonese.

The wealthiest of the Hokkien clans is the Khoo, which built the most extravagant clan temple, Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, at Cannon Square. It is not the only Khoo clan temple in Penang. A short distance away is the quieter, less visited Boon San Tong Khoo Kongsi, also another clan temple belonging to a subset of the main Khoo clan. Within Penang, five Hokkien clan associations are regarded as the backbone of the Penang Hokkien clan associations. They are the Khoo, the Tan, the Lim, the Cheah and the Yeoh, and they each have a clan temple somewhere in George Town. Whilst the temple is the centre of the community around it the members of the clan lived and conducted their daily business, creating a clan village within the city.

The Khoo Kongsi temple or clan house is indeed very impressive. It sits high on a pedestal, with steps on either side that you must climb on each side to reach the temple itself. The temple itself was commissioned in 1894 and took a team of craftsmen from Southern Fujian eight years to complete. Mysteriously the temple caught fire that same year and new work had to be commissioned to repair the clan house. During World War II the clan house was damaged by Japanese bombing, and it was not until 1958 that another major reconstruction project got underway. Today, you can see the efforts of these craftsmen over the decades. The carving, stone masonry and guilding work were exquisite. We particularly loved the intricate design work on the ceilings.

There are seven murals in the rear corridor of the clan house, three of them large and four of them small. They have survived the test of time for almost a century, since the completion of Leong San Tong. Their perfect condition makes them some of the most important heritage paintings in Malaysia.
In front of the clan house is a large square with an opera stage opposite the main building where performances would have been put on for the clan members.

We descended the stair of the clan house and entered the door on the right-hand at ground level. In here we found a fascinating museum that explained the history of the clan house and the clan system.