Seh Tek Tong Cheah Kongsi (known as Cheah Kongsi for short) is one of the grandest and most impressive of the Chinese clanhouses in Penang. When mercantile families from southern China began immigrating to Penang in the 17th and 18th centuries, they organized into clans that provided both protection and financial support.
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| a Chinese clanhouse in Penang |
Today the clans still exist as loose family organizations that maintain family temples and shrines, organize social events, and provide scholarships. To be honest, I don't know much about how the Penang clans work, but it was very interesting to visit one of the coolest and most historic clanhouses on the island.
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| a mural outside of the clanhouse |
After paying the entrance fee for a ticket, we got to explore the historic mansion. The bottom floor held the old family rooms, now converted into a museum displaying artifacts of life from the past. One room held items from the colonial period, another held statues to the family guardians.
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| a room representing the colonial days in Penang |
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| a room with two of the family guardians |
One room, the ancestral hall, was a memorial to those from the family who have passed. Every family member for the past seven hundred years is memorialized there. In Taoism and traditional Chinese religion, ancestor worship is a big deal.
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| the ancestral hall |
Part of the clanhouse served as a sort of bank, and had long counters for doing deals and exchanging money. The clanhouse was also part financial institution, and issued loans to its members in order to further their business dealings in their new country.
Other rooms were for recreation and relaxation, like this game room, complete with majhong and chess sets, and a record player.
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| a mahjong set |
The most impressive area, and the most important as well, was the family temple. The entire second floor of the clanhouse was a beautiful Chinese-style temple.
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| the interior of the family temple |
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