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Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi

Most Exquisite Ancestral Hall

The Khoo Kongsi is a clan ancestral hall founded by the Khoo clan in Penang, Malaysia in 1835. The Leong San Tong, as seen today, was built in 1902 and is covered with exquisite mural paintings, stone and wood carvings everywhere inside and outside the hall, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008.

Located in the middle of shophouse clusters in George Town, Penang, the entrance to Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi is humble and is easy to miss if passers-by do not look closely.

It was founded by the Khoo clan who came to Penang from Xinjiang, Fujian Province, China in the 18th century and was one of the earliest Chinese groups in the area. The establishment of Khoo Kongsi was started in 1835 by the Khoo clan in Penang, it was later expanded several times after a few fire accidents to Today's Leong San Tong.

Manywhere Trivia:
The word Kongsi 公司 in this context refers to a guild or fellowship. The Khoo clan is the first of the five major Penang Hokkien surname family groups, along with Cheah Kongsi 谢公司, Lim Kongsi 林公司, Yeoh Kongsi 杨公司 and Tan Kongsi 陈公司.

The central main hall of Leong San Tong is called Cheng Soon Keong 正顺宫, and is dedicated to Ong Soon Yah (the Great Duke) and Tua Sai Yah (the Noble) who are the patron saints of the Khoos, who were brought from their hometown of Xiamen, Fujian. On the left and right side of the Cheng Soon Keong there are two halls as Hock Teik Soo 福德祠 and Ee Kok Tong 诒谷堂.

The Khoo Kongsi is a famous Chinese ancestral hall in Penang, partly because of the talents of the Khoo clan, but also because of its elaborate architecture and decorative art. From the stone pillars and windows, to the Hanging-fish barrels and wooden arches, Stone and Wood Carvings are found in every corner of the hall. The exquisite Mural Painting is another major attraction of Leong San Tong, and the 36 Heavenly Generals on the wall of Cheng Soon Keong can be considered as the masterpiece of it. Leong San Tong was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008.

Dragon Ridge Decoration Made by Gluing Technique

Manywhere Trivia:
The movie “Anna and the King” starring Chow Yun-Fat and Jodie Foster is about the King of Thailand, but Thailand thought the movie was degrading to the royal family’s image, so the crew went to Penang, Malaysia, and Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi was one of the important locations for the movie scenes.

On the ground floor of Leong San Tong is a Khoo Kongsi Heritage Hall, which introduces the origins of the Khoo clan in Penang and the historical changes of Leong San Tong.

The Delicacy Hall (Kitchen) 馐馔所, the theatre, the Clan Meeting Hall and dozens of row houses adjacent to Leong San Tong are all owned by the Khoo Kongsi. These century-old cultural monuments not only record the hardships and efforts of generations of Khoo clansmen, but also allow Chinese civilization to blossom and flourish in a foreign land far away from the sea.