Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi — Attraction in George Town

As a descended of the Khoo Kongsi/ Khoo Clan myself, this is a brief explanation for the Khoo Clan story. “Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, or Khoo Kongsi for short, is one of the most distinctive Chinese clan association in Malaysia. It is well known worldwide for its extensive lineage that can be traced back 650 years ago, as well as its closely-knit and defensive congregation of buildings and a magnificent clanhouse” Renowned as the grandest clan house in Malaysia, the iconic Khoo Kongsi is nestled in Cannon Square, right in the heart of Penang's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Completed in 1906 and last restored in 2001, this majestic temple is a testament to the enduring legacy of the Chinese community in Malaysia.

This building in Georgetown was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008. Beside the rows of old Chinese shophouses, there are both local and colonial historical buildings. I visited some of them and will need a second visit to complete the list. There are more than 1,700 historic buildings within 110 hectares core area of George Town representing various ethnicities.

Here are just some: Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi - a Hokkien clan village built by the Khoo family in the late 19th century. Entry is via a narrow passageway into an extensive courtyard that surrounds a main temple, a temple stage and several rows of houses. The temple roof is simply magnificent and elaborate. Within the main temple are hallways line with intricate carvings and ornately decorated facade, timber beams and roof trusses. The Central Hall houses Chinese deities and side altar contains the ancestral tablets and plaques recognising the Khoo clan members including our Khoo Teck Puat. A pair of Sikh soldier statues guard the entrance of the temple. The ground floor of the main temple is a museum showcasing murals and interpretive panels on the history of Khoo Kongsi and Chinese community in Penang. Entrance payment is free for those surname 'Khoo' but non Khoo surname are require to pay an entrance fee for the association to maintain the...

Many mansions in Penang have been forced to be transformed into luxury houses, some of which have become museums and some have been developed into boutique hotels. However, the Temple of Leongsantong, khoo Kongsi Penang, hidden in the alleys of the old city. The descendants of the Qiu family are now shining around the world, and their college degree certificates and industry achievements are full of several rooms.

Surprisingly this magnificent ancient chinese building is rarely known to locals and most of them are overseas photography enthusiasts. Leongsan Hall has an amazing sense of structure, an extremely symmetrical layout and exquisite carving and pottery craftsmanship, which is simply a dream place for architectural fans.

Leongsan Hall will turn on lights on the last Saturday and specific festivals of each month. From 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., admission is free of charge. If you want to visit on other days need to pay RM10.

Leongsan tong khoo Company is one of the most unique Chinese surname ancestral temple organizations in Malaysia. The Qiu clan is one of the "five surnames" of Fujian people in Penang. Together with Xie, Yang, Lin and Chen, they constituted an important blessing force in the early society.

In the mid-19th century, the five surnames established a company settlement on Chulia Street George Town.Each company is centered on the ancestral temple, surrounded by the street houses belonging to the company on three or four sides. This kind of adjacent, close and defensive coname settlement is very rare in immigrant societies.

18, Cannon Square, George Town, 10450 George Town, Pulau...

We visited quite a few temples around George Town during our last holiday there and found Khoo Kongsi to be our favourite. This is a highly decorative temple well worth the entrance fee. It is located just off Lebuh Cannon and is open from 9am-5pm daily.

The Khoo Kongsi temple was originally established in 1835 by the Khoo Clan. However, the elaborate temple that you see today was built in 1906 and restored as late as 2001. The exterior of Khoo Kongsi is perhaps the most attractive of all of the temples in George Town, an elaborate representation of Chinese architecture and design.

The porch in particular is beautiful with stone carved pillars and facade, decorative gilded wooden pillars, nicely painted planks, murals and traditional Chinese lanterns. It makes up a most lovely scene, worth a few minutes to explore and photograph. The roof is eccentric and worth spending a few minutes to look over as well.

The interior of Khoo Kongsi is equally attractive. The main hall features an expected altar with shrines. Make sure to look over the carved wood pillars and planks. They are quite detailed. There are attractive wall murals on both sides of the hall as well as the small hallway behind the altar.

In the end, we very much enjoyed visiting Khoo Kongsi during our time in George Town. There are quite a few examples of fine craftsmanship here and plenty of nice photography opportunities. We felt this temple was well worth the entry fee and we would happily revisit next time we...