1 CONTENTS A. TEOH SI CHENG HOE TONG PENANG 4 Bincheng Zhangshi Qinghe Tang 260-B, Lebuh Carnarvon, 10100 Pulau Pinang. B. CHEW SI KEE SAN TONG 6 Bincheng Zhoushi Qishan Tang 33, Lebuh Kimberley, 10100 Pulau Pinang. C. PERSATUAN ZHUANG & YAN PULAU PINANG 8 Binzhou Zhuangyan Tongzonghui 26, Lebuh Kimberley,10100 Pulau Pinang. D. LAM YEONG TONG YAP TEMPLE 10 Bincheng Nanyang Tang Yeshi Zongci 71, Lebuh Armenian, 10200 Pulau Pinang. E. LEONG SAN TONG KHOO KONGSI 12 Longshan Tang Qiu Gongsi 18, Medan Cannon, 10200 Pulau Pinang. F. SEH TEK TONG CHEAH KONGSI 16 Shide Tang Xie Gongsi 8, Lebuh Armenian, 10200 Pulau Pinang. G. ENG CHUAN TONG TAN KONGSI 20 Yingchuan Tang Chen Kongsi 28, Seh Tan Court, Lebuh Pantai, 10300 Pulau Pinang. H. BOON SAN TONG KHOO KONGSI 22 Wenshan Tang Qiu Gongsi 117A, Lebuh Victoria, 10300 Pulau Pinang. MAP 26 I. HAR YANG SIT TEIK TONG YEOH KONGSI 28 Bincheng Xiayang Zhide Tang Yang Gongsi 3, Gat Lebuh Chulia, 10300 Pulau Pinang. 2 J. KEW LEONG TONG LIM KONGSI 32 Bincheng Jiulong Tang Lin Gongsi 234, Lebuh Pantai, 10300 Pulau Pinang. K. KOO SAING WOOI PENANG 36 Bincheng Liu Guan Zhang Zhao Guchenghui 67, Lebuh King, 10200 Pulau Pinang. L. CHIN SI TOONG SOO 38 Bineng Chenshi Zongci 64, Lebuh King, 10200 Pulau Pinang. M. NG SEE KAH MIEW 40 Wushi Jiamiao 40, Lebuh King, 10200 Pulau Pinang. N. LEE SIH CHONG SOO, PENANG 42 Bincheng Lishi Zongci 39, Lebuh King, 10200 Pulau Pinang. O. TAY KOON OH KONGSI | TENG BEE OH TOON BOK TONG | SEH FOO KONGSI ANN TENG TONG 44 Dijun Hu Gongsi 70, Lebuh Penang, 10200 Pulau Pinang. P. MOEY SHE TEMPLE PENANG 46 Bincheng Meishi Jiamiao 31, Lebuh Penang, 10200 Pulau Pinang. Q. KOONG HAR TONG SOCIETY 48 Jiangxia Tang Huangshi Zongci 39, Lebuh Penang, 10200 Pulau Pinang. Spelling List of Chinese Surnames 50 Reminders & Acknowledgements 51 3 CHINESE SURNAMES (XINGSHI) All Chinese people have surnames that originate from somewhere in China, and these have a long history and tradition. Prior to the Qin Dynasty, the two monosyllables xing and shi referred to two discrete types of name, but today the combined term xingshi refers to surnames, which are combined with given names (with the surname in front) to address a person. Through surnames, we are able to understand our origins and trace the history of our ancestors. In the nineteenth century a large number of Chinese migrated southwards to the Nanyang with the hope of making a better life for themselves. In George Town they formed associations based on social, religious, regional, or clan associations as they realised the importance of unity in order to overcome the challenges of surviving in an unfamiliar environment. Chinese clan associations in George Town are organisations that emphasise the importance of blood ties. The ancestral temples of clan associations serve as places for worshipping clan ancestors and deities. Clan meetings in which clan regulations are decided also take place here, along with weddings, funerals, and birthday celebrations and so on. In the early days, the clan associations also acted as places where clan members could seek help and refuge. The associations helped to organise lodging and jobs for new migrants, care for the poor and sick, and assist with funeral rituals for those who had no-one else to rely on to do so. The clan associations’ leaders believed that knowledge was the key to improving one’s life; they funded the building of schools and established education and university funds for their members’ children. Although the above functions have now been taken on by the government or other commercial enterprises, the clan associations played an important role in the lives of the early pioneers, and we should acknowledge and thank them for these contributions. The ancestral temples situated along the streets of George Town will always be home to all clan members – whether they are based in Penang or not – and they hold precious sources of information about clan history for the future generations of Penang Chinese. 44 A. TEOH SI CHENG HOE TONG PENANG A. TEOH SI CHENG HOE TONG PENANG (Bincheng Zhangshi Qinghe Tang) The building with combined architecture of East and West. Lantern. Knocker. A. TEOH SI CHENG HOE TONG PENANG 5 The blazing pearl glass globe. Members of the Teoh clan have settled in Penang since at least 1841. In 1895, the clansman Cheong Fatt Tze bought the present site of Teoh Si Cheng Hoe Tong from an Englishman and donated it to the ancestral temple of Teoh Si Cheng Hoe Tong Chee Tong Tay Koon on 26 June, 1896. He donated an adjacent plot of land on 4 June, 1898 as the location of Cheng Hoe (Teoh Si) School. When the ancestral hall was established is not recorded, but it was officially registered on 20 August 1891. In 1931, clan members decided to refurbish the ancestral clan temple which had been in a state of disrepair for some time. The arch gate at the main entrance was completed on 22 December 1967. Clan members organise worship ceremonies during Chinese New Year and the festival of the Winter Solstice. In April 1975, the first education aid award was presented, and in 1983, the first scholarships were presented to members’ children who obtained excellent academic results. Teoh Si Cheng Hoe Tong underwent interior renovation in 2010. A year later, the Teoh clan members travelled from near and far to celebrate its 120th anniversary. TEOH SI CHENG HOE TONG PENANG 260-B, Lebuh Carnarvon, 10100 Pulau Pinang. 66 B. CHEW SI KEE SAN TONG, PENANG B. CHEW SI KEE SAN TONG (Bincheng Zhoushi Qishan Tang) The exterior. B. CHEW SI KEE SAN TONG, PENANG 7 Patron saint San Gong Zi Ye. The ancestral memorial tablets. The Chew Si Kee San Tong is open to members from any dialect group as long as they bear the surname Chew. According to historical records, the first four Chew clan members arrived in the Malay Peninsula as early as 1821. One of them was Chew Chye Yee who donated a plot of land in Sungai Dua in Penang to the Chew Si Kee San Tong before his return to China. The association Chew Si Chong Soo was registered in 1891. In 1915, during the annual general meeting of the Chew Si Chong Soo, its members resolved to form Chew Si Kee San Tong and raised funds to purchase a bungalow in Lebuh Kimberley as their clan house. In July 1989, the Registrar of Societies approved the amendments to the rules and regulations of Chew Si Kee San Tong. In the 1990s, the board of directors decided to build a modern building on the present location to accommodate the association’s increased membership. On 16 September 1996, the Chew clan members celebrated the completion of the new building which coincided with the 80th anniversary of the Chew Si Kee San Tong. CHEW SI KEE SAN TONG, PENANG 33, Lebuh Kimberley, 10100 Pulau Pinang. 8 C. PERSATUAN ZHUANG AND YAN PULAU PINANG C. Persatuan ZHUANG & YAN PULAU PINANG (Binzhou Zhuangyan Tongzonghui) The exterior. C. PERSATUAN ZHUANG AND YAN PULAU PINANG 9 The ancestral hall. Altar of the ancestral memorial tablets. In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, members of the Ch‘ng clan from Tong’an in Fujian sailed across the ocean to seek new livelihoods. Clan members who had been successful decided to establish Ch’ng Si Soo Bee Tong in 1920, to look after the rights and welfare of their fellow clan members and to provide a means for clan members to consolidate relationships with one another. Originally, Ch’ng Si Soo Bee Tong was located in Lorong Carnarvon, but in 1955, was shifted to its permanent location in Lebuh Kimberley. Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the members of Ch’ng Si Soo Bee Tong conduct a ceremony to celebrate the birthday of Da Wang Gong During the 2004 annual general meeting of Ch’ng Si Soo Bee Tong, the association was renamed Persatuan Zhuang & Yan Pulau Pinang and officially registered as such under the Registrar of Societies. This was because during the Han Dynasty, Emperor Ming’s personal name was Liu Zhuang, and the Zhuang clan members had changed their surname to Yan to avoid the taboo character for Zhuang. Persatuan ZHUANG AND YAN PULAU PINANG 26, Lebuh Kimberley, 10100 Pulau Pinang. 10 D. LAM YEONG TONG YAP TEMPLE D. LAM YEONG TONG YAP TEMPLE (Bincheng Nanyang Tang Yeshi Zongci) The exterior of Yap Temple. Wood carving depicting an Altar. immortal riding on a phoenix. D. LAM YEONG TONG YAP TEMPLE 11 Established at the end of the nineteenth century, the Tong Yeong Seah Seh Yap Kongsi was the earliest organisation established by members of the Yap clan. It was followed in 1910, by a second association called the Hui Tek Chun Ong Seh Yap Kongsi. In 1924, both organisations were merged to form the Lam Yeong Tong Yap Temple. Initially, the temple only had a few dozen members, but this number has since increased to more than 700 members today. The temple serves as a platform to connect and unite Yap members of the Yap clan throughout Penang state. Its assets and funds have grown gradually but steadily and a variety of activities are held there annually. In 1920, members of the Yap clan began to build the Yap Temple on its present site in Lebuh Armenian and construction was completed in 1924. After the Japanese invasion in 1941, temple activities were halted and resumed only after the end of the war under the leadership of Yeap Chor Ee.