Goddess of Mercy — Attraction in George Town

Kuan Yin See, or Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, is a Taoist temple along Jalan Burma. This is a different temple from the Kuan Im Teng, also translated as the Goddess of Mercy Temple, of Pitt Street.

The Kuan Yin See was founded in 1922 by Ben Zhong, the second abbot of Kek Lok Si Temple who was also the one who built the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas. At the entrance to the temple is a name plaque and on either sides are pillar couplets, with calligraphy written by Chen Baochen, an official in the former Qing imperial court.

The Temple of the Goddess of Mercy has become associated with the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, so much so that many people thought this is the Nine Emperor Gods Temple of Penang, which is a different temple located in Macallum Street. Nonetheless, the Kuan Yin See is the busiest during this festival, with stalls erected at the front selling vegetarian meals and...

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival for this year will be celebrated from 16/10/2020 to 25/10/2020 (For 9 consecutive days) but this place currently under Recovery Movement Control Order (RCMO) valid until 31/12/2020 (the expiry date is subject to further extension by Malaysia Prime Minister). The members of the public are still allow to enter the temple to perform prayers but have to observe the strict standard operating procedure (SOP) during RMCO. There are only 2 stalls selling vegetarian meals operating from 8.00 am to 1.30 am throughout the 9 days celebration near the temple...

Today, upon the recommendation of a friend from Malaysia, I visited Goddess of Mercy. Since I was on my period and it wasn’t appropriate to hold incense, I used my hands to pray instead. I found the temple’s exterior beautiful, so I took some photos. However, just as I was about to leave, an elderly woman selling incense inside started scolding me and my friend loudly, accusing us of being disrespectful. She yelled in front of other worshippers, which was completely baffling and made me feel very disrespected. I won’t be...