YEOH KONGSI, PENANG

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.

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.

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 18^th day of the 6^th 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. 

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.