Georgetown pt 4, 2006 - the Big Five - photos of sightseeing in Penang on Worldisround

Georgetown pt 4, 2006 - the Big Five

This journal features the clan houses (kongsi) & temples of the five great Hokkien clans in Penang, namely Cheah, Khoo, Yeoh, Tan, and Lim clans. Their clan houses & temples are within a few blocks of each other. I have also included two other important temples on Armenian Street - the Yap Temple & the Tua Pek Kong Temple. (I featured the Khoo Kongsi separately in 2005 http://www.worldisround.com/articles/44618/index.html)

Armenian Street:

The Armenian trading community from India originally settled here, hence the ... (more)

"CHEAH Kongsi", Armenian Street
The Cheah Kongsi (clan house) was the first of the 5 great Hokkien...

Attractive eave decoration

The ornate roof decorations
feature sirens, dogs, lions, elephants, and shards of Chinese and Dutch...

The ever-popular dueling dragons

The usual door guardians

Eye-catching ceiling decorations

Delicately decorated column

Typical octagonal window
with bamboo design.

"YAP Kongsi" temple
is also on Armenian Street at the corner of Jl Kapitan Kling. This stunning...

Ornate roof ridge details

Dragon closeup

Amazing carved concrete dragon pillars
Seems the chicken thinks so too ;o)

The adjoining clan house,
a Straits eclectic building, dates back to 1924. The "Yap...

the view across the street

Fuan Wong Gallery, across the street

It's a glass-art gallery

Looking down Armenian Street
Note the yellow building on the corner. On its left, at no. 57, is the narrow...

Entrance to "TUA PEK KONG Temple"
on Armenian Street. The carefully-hidden temple was the base of the...

The temple is being restored

Some of the new work

"LIM Kongsi, Kew Leong Tong "
on Ah Quee Street (one block north of Armenian Street) dates back to...

close up of the roof ridge on the gate
The Lim Kongsi is the only local clan association with a female deity...

The sun shades are drawn on the temple

Roof ridge closeup

Gilded ancestor hall
Note the many ancestor tablets.

Colorful ceiling decorations

closeup

Attractive wall in the courtyard

another one

"YEOH Kongsi", view from the corner
of Lebuh Chulia & Lebuh Victoria. The Yeoh clan is another of the...

'Hall of Four Knows' on the upper floor
of the main hall. The hall is named in honor of a Yeoh mandarin of...

View of the central fire hall on Chulia

Ornate roof ridges

The entrance is off Lb Chulia
Another group of Yeoh from the same village in China emigrated at the...

at the Chulia entrance
That date on the unidentified old building says 1923.

The meeting hall (1929?)
The kongsi has an unusually large courtyard, likely because it faced...

"TAN Kongsi" (2005 photo)
Eng Chuan Tong Tan Kongsi is located at Seh Tan Court, a compound linked to...

"KHOO Kongsi" , theater stage
on Lb Cannon (2004 photo). My journal devoted to Khoo Kongsi can be...

article published 08/04/2006

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This is very interesting!
The clan houses and temples show southern Chinese influences - very ornate and detailed, which are in sharp contrast to the colonial structures....lovely.
— Ben Hsu, June 13, 2007

Not hard to tell that temples are one of your favorite subjects! These are awesome. And again your research and comments are so informative. You've done good, sis!
— Eva M, August 4, 2006

Fred:
I bought the excellent book "Streets of Georgetown Penang" by Khoo Su Nin last year which is a wonderful source of historical information, listed by street. It's a keeper ;o)
— Lorraine Brecht, August 4, 2006

Ye gods!
You have done an incredible amount of research for this journal, Lorraine. It certainly is a good cross-section of this part of Penang's culture, complete with interesting photos. Thanks for sharing with us.
— Fred Perry, August 4, 2006

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