"Coming through the narrow entrance, you will get a pleasant surprise. The Cheah Kongsi is a splendid double-storey Chinese temple with an open balcony and sweeping roof. It is decorated with British lionheads."
Introduction Like the other clan houses, the Cheah Kongsi clan house is an impressive building whose facade resembles the great temples and palaces in China. The sweeping roof of this double-storey porched bungalow is decorated with stylised sculptures of sirens, dogs, lions of stucco and shards of both Chinese and Dutch porcelain crockery.
This mid-19th century clan house tastefully blends the double-storey, porched bungalow plan with a distinctly Chinese courtyard layout, including an open balcony and a charming front lawn. The clan's office building is located within the compounds of the clan house and while the upper floor houses the main worship hall.
Other major Hokkien clans that can be found in Penang are the Khoo Kongsi, Yeah Kongsi, Lim Kongsi and Tan Kongsi.
History Just as the Indian immigrants have their different groups, the Chinese immigrants to Penang also have distinct differentiation, based on their province and even village of origin.
This clan house was founded in 1880's by Cheah Yam. Members of the Cheah Kongsi (Cheah Si Hock Haw Kong Kongsi) clan house originally came from a village called Sek Tong in the Hokkien province. Cheah Kongsi was the first of the five great Hokkien clans to be established in Penang, with possessions which includes a large group of early 19th century rentable properties.
For more information, please contact: Penang Tourism Action Council 56th Floor, KOMTAR 10000 Penang Tel : 604-262 0202 Fax : 604-2631020 Email : enquiry@tourismpenang.gov.my
Last viewed - May 23, 2008
Getting there
By Bus
Express buses ply the route from Penang to / from Kuala Lumpur and major cities in the country. Please visit (http://www.plusliner.com/) for more info. The main bus terminal in Penang is located next to the Ferry Terminal.
By Taxi
To get to Penang Island, long distance taxi service can be hired at Weld Quay, Penang. Tel: +604-2625721.
By Plane
Daily flights via Malaysia Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com, tel:1 300 88 3000 ) and AirAsia (www.airasia.com, tel: 1-300-88 9933) to / from Penang to major cities in Malaysia. Penang's Bayan lepas International Airport is roughly 20km (45-minnute drive) from the Georgetown city centre.
By Rail
You can take the train from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, where it stops at the Penang Railway Station, close to the ferry terminal. For more information, visit www.ktmb.com.my or call their call centre at +603-22671200.
By Boat
Ferries can be boarded at Butterworth, in the mainland portion of Penang. Among Ferry Services available are:
Langkawi Ferry Services (Tel: +604-2643088
Ekspress Bahagia (Tel: +604-2636255)
From the Ferry Terminal you can easily get a taxi ride into Georgetown city centre.
Located at Lebuh Armenian in Georgetown City, this Kongsi is easily accessible via Lebuh Pantai and Pengkalan Weld. You can take a taxi to get here, but remember to negotiate for a reasonable rate.
A trishaw ride is also an ideal way to negotiate Georgetown's streets, and it costs around RM1.50 per kilometre.
To drive to Penang, from Kuala Lumpur, get onto the North-South Expressway heading north. Get onto the Penang Bridge (Tol is RM7 for cars), then head for Georgetown.
User recommendation
"The atmosphere in front of the entrance door in Cheah's Kongsi Temple is absolutely fantastic, I personally been there 3 times for taking some shots, I believe this temple to deserved to awarded in Malaysia." by VINX
"Good conservation effort made. However there are room for improvement. It should be more prominently feature in selling Penang tourism to both local and foreign tourists. " by BH Chan
