Kong Hock Keong Temple

MALAYSIA, Penang, George Town

Kong Hock Keong means the Temple of the Cantonese and Fujianese Communities. It is also known as Kuan Yin Teng (Avalokitesvara Pavilion). The temple was built in 1800 and is the oldest Chinese temple in Penang. It is recorded that people from the two communities donated generously for the expansion of the temple in 1824, when another structure and monastic living quarters were added. The temple is still a spiritual center among local people.
The layout of the temple and its revered images are a blend of Buddhist, Daoist, and Chinese folk beliefs. The three-bay wide temple has two parallel gable roofs. In each case, a central roof section, which does not extend to the eaves, is superimposed on the larger roof, so that the roof has three sections. The ridges are curved and at the ends of both ridges are dragons facing inwards towards a central pearl. A statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is enshrined at the center of the temple and is surrounded by images of Dharma protectors and other deities. These images are painted on white ceramic tiles, as is common in Fujian, China.