Khoo Kongsi

Just so everyone know,
I'm a Penangnite,
and I'm also part of the Khoo clan.
(tho it sounds suspiciously like the Ku Klux Klan, I swear we're not)

So tomorrow,
me, peepee, mama and keith will take airasia back to our hometown.

We have to attend some prayers ancestral worshipping thingy on
saturday and sunday.

Let's have some insight in our glorious Khoo history.

The Khoo Kongsi is a clan association of the Leong San Tong (Dragon Mountain Hall) clan, whose forefathers came from Sin Kang clan village in Hokkien province. The Khoos were among the wealthy Straits Chinese traders of 17th century Malacca and early Penang. In the 19th century, the clan complex resembled a miniature clan village, with its own self-government as well as educational, financial, welfare and social organisations. The clan temple was built in 1906 when the Khoo clan was at the height of wealth and eminence in Penang society.

The forefathers of the Khoo family who emigrated from South China built it as a clanhouse for members of the Khoo family in 1851. It was burnt down in 1894, allegedly struck by lightning, and the Chinese believed that it was due to its resemblance to the Emperor's palace, which provoked the gods. A scaled-down version was later built in 1902 and completed in 1906. Even so, the complex boasts a magnificent hall embellished with intricate carvings and richly ornamented beams of the finest wood bearing the mark of master craftsmen from China. The clan temple is dedicated to the clan's patron deities and also houses a collection of ancestral tablets. Chinese operas are still staged at the theatre during the seventh lunar month. They are a wonderful cultural experience worth witnessing.

Oh how proud of my clan, I am.

Originally the Chinese character of Khoo had simpler strokes. During the Qing Dynasty, the emperor ordered those having the surname of Khoo ( Qiu) to add the radical to become as a mark of respect for the sage Confucius whose personal name was .

Hence I'm the indirectly the decendant of Confucius himself!

I AM GREAT! AND FAMOUS!

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Ps: Btw, did everyone know I am the Great-Granddaughter of a famous pre-war drug lord?

X

courtesy of google, khoo kongsi online and wonderful photographers.