Eng Chuan Tong Tan Kongsi

Eng Chuan Tong Tan Kongsi is a Hokkien clan house at Beach Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It was founded in the early 19th century by a Tan family from the Fujian province of Zhangzhou in China.[1] The building is a place of worship devoted to Kai Zhang Sheng Wang (開漳聖王) or Chen Yuanguang (陳元光), the founder of Zhangzhou, and his two deputies, Generals Fushun and Fusheng. It was also the ancestral temple of Tan clansmen for the purposes of cultural integration. Members of the Tan family worship their ancestor, Tan Guan Kong.[2]

Reception and administration area.
Eng Chuan Tong
Location in George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site (purple)
General information
TypeHokkien clan house
Architectural styleChinese
AddressSeh Tan Court, Beach Street,
10300 George Town,
Penang, Malaysia
Town or cityGeorge Town, Penang
CountryMalaysia
Coordinates5.413184°N 100.336338°E / 5.413184; 100.336338
Current tenantsTan Kongsi
Completed1878 (1878)
Cost$35,000
OwnerTan Kongsi
TypeCultural
Criteriaii, iii, iv
Designated2008 (32nd session)
Reference no.1223
RegionAsia-Pacific

This Kongsi represents what locals consider to be one of the ‘Big Five' clan surnames in Penang.[3] Founded under the name Tan Seng Ong Kongsi, it is claimed by its owners to be the oldest clan house in Penang. The clan house and its associated residences form a culturally embedded Seh Tan Court.

In 1941, from the start of the Japanese Occupation, many historic relics vanished, and activities were suspended except for Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In recent years, clan members have attended two annual ceremonies of ancestral worship.[4]

In the early 1900s, a Tan Si School was established, which was later renamed Eng Chuan School. It was one of several schools in Penang which taught Confucian classics as a main part of the curriculum.[5]

The main structure was erected in 1878, then renovated in the late 1940s, and again in the 1990s. The building is located at number 28 Seh Tan Court, George Town (off Beach Street).

References
  1. Cavina Lim (2012-08-11). "Get to know the Tan Kongsi - Community | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  2. Ching-Hwang, Y. (1981). Early Chinese Clan Organizations in Singapore and Malaya, 1819–1911. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 12(1), 62-91. doi:10.1017/S0022463400004999
  3. 福庇众生. Areca Books. 2007. pp. 55–. ISBN 978-983-43661-2-4.
  4. "A Guide to Selected Chinese Clan Houses in the George Town World Heritage Site" (PDF). Gtwhi.com.my. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  5. Lecturer Department of History Ching-Hwang Yen (13 September 2013). Ethnic Chinese Business in Asia: History, Culture and Business Enterprise. World Scientific. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-981-4578-44-8.
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