YEOH
KONGSI – THATS MY ANCESTOR
I
come from the second generation Malaysian-born Chinese.
I
used to think 'who' am I; what is my forefather's talent or skill;
what kind of a livelihood my past ancestors live in.
It
is just like going back to the past to know more about myself -
connecting myself with my Hokkien roots.
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| FROM LEFT - ANDY YEOH, DIANA YEOH AND GARY YEOH AT YEOH KONGSI |
Frankly,
most Malaysian Chinese till date, have lost their true identity –
as they have been mixing with other races and have formed a Chinese
breed of themselves.
As
Hokkiens, I do speak a mixture of language comprising of Hokkien,
Malay and English. There is no purity in the Malaysian type of
Hokkien language – it is as good as 'rojak'.
 |
| YEOH KONGSI |
However,
a visit to the clans which carries your own sir name is a good eye
opener and educational where one can learn more about - who you
really are?
For
me, I had visited several times to my clan house named Yeoh Kong Si
House located at 3, Chulia Street, Penang.
From
here, I get to know more about my ancestors' livelihood and history.
 |
| YEOH SI ASSOCIATION |
BACKGROUND
Yeoh
Kongsi, or Har Yang Sit Teik Tong Yeoh, is the clan association of
Hokkien clansmen bearing the Yeoh surname.
The
association has its office and clan temple on a plot of land at the
corner of Chulia Street and Victoria Street.
Yeoh
Kongsi is one of the five major Hokkien clan associations in Penang,
within the same league as Cheah Kongsi, Khoo Kongsi, Lim Kongsi and
Tan Kongsi.
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| YEOH SI ASSOCIATION |
The
Yeoh ancestral home town is the village of Sam Tor Eh Yeoh Seah, in
Fujian Province, China. Their common ancestor was a person named Yeoh
Yew Kheng @ Yeoh Teik Kheng. He was born on the 18th
day of the 6th
lunar month in AD 1312, during the reign of Renzong of the Yuan
Dynasty.
The
Yeoh Clan Association was founded in 1836 in order for Yeoh clansmen
to have a place for the worship of their patron deities, Sye Thow
Kong and Poe Seng Tai Tay. Its secondary purpose was to look after
the welfare of the newly arrived Yeoh clansmen. The clan temple dates
back to 1841. At the time it was built, the temple was located on the
waterfront.
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| YEOH KONGSI |
The
Yeoh Kongsi clan temple is a two-storey building. On the roof are
porcelain and chien nien (broken pottery) ornamentation. The
ornamentation depicts of dragons and scenes from the Chinese classic
“The Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. On the upper floor are altar
chambers for worship of Yeoh ancestors, the patron deities, and the
God of Prosperity.
The
Yeoh ancestral hall is called the Hall of Four Knows, commemorates an
illustrious Yeoh, who was promoted to be a Mandarin in the imperial
court. The ground floor contains storage rooms and meeting rooms.
In
the courtyard of Yeoh Kongsi are bushes of oleander, which produces a
profusion of beautiful but poisonous pink flowers.
