Introduction of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi Penang
Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, or Khoo Kongsi for short, is one of the most distinctive Chinese clan associations in Malaysia. It is well known worldwide for its extensive lineage that can be traced back 650 years, as well as its closely-knit and defensive congregation of buildings and a magnificent clanhouse. Read More »
Origin of The Khoo Clan in Sin Kang
Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi and its subclans, Boon San Tong Khoo Kongsi and Khoo Si Toon Keng Tong Khoo Kongsi, do not represent every Chinese with the surname of Khoo. Instead, only those whose ancestral origin is from Sin Kang Seah, Sin Aun Village, Sam Toh District, Hai Teng County, Chiang Chew Prefecture, Hokkien Province, China are accepted as clansmen. Read More »
Sin Kang (Sin Aun) Village, China
Sin Kang Village is surrounded by Chuan Chiam Boey Mountain in the south, a bay in the north, Khor Chu Village in the east, and Hui Chor Village (also a clan village of the surname Khoo) in the west. It developed as a clan village for 600 years, forming various small communities (Kak) within the clan. Clusters of houses with red-tiled roofs scatter among the labyrinthine alleys, and westward, in the near mid-west of the village, the main street runs from north to south. In the middle part of it stands the marketplace. Read More »
Emigration
According to The Genealogy of the Sin Kang Khoo and Chan Clans, the first Sin Kang emigrant was Khoo Se Phai, an 8th generation descendant of the Khoo clan, who travelled to Borneo and died there on the 20th day of the 6th Moon in the 6th year of the Jia Jing reign (1527). When the Western colonisers came to South East Asia to scramble for the spice trade in the 16th century, the emigration of the Sin Kang clansman had already begun. Read More »
The Clan Structure of Khoo Kongsi
The See Tua Kak or the Four Sectional Groups were formed by descendants of the Khoos from the fourth to the eighth generations. Each group is made up of different branches (pang), and there are altogether 13 branches. The See Tua Kak are : 1. Gim Pang, Chan Pang & Cheng Pang; 2. Mooi Pang & Soo Pang; 3. Goh Pang, Thay Pang & Chneh Pang; 4. Hai Teoh, Hai Jee, Hai Sar, Hai See & Hai Goh (They are also known as Hai Kee Kak). Read More »
The Origin and Establishment
On the 5th day of the 5th Moon in the 2nd year of Dao Guang’s reign (1835), when the Khoos gathered to celebrate the birthday of the Patron Saint Tua Sai Yah, they realised the need to establish a clanhouse to unite and look after the welfare of the clansmen as well as to worship their ancestors. Therefore, on the 8th day of the same month, 102 clansmen congregated and decided to set up the Ee Kok Tong. A sum of 528 Dollars was collected during the meeting and it was put into investments for more than ten years. Read More »
The Evolution of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi
For the past 200 years, from the emigration from Sin Kang Village in China to the formation of Khoo Kongsi in Penang, the Khoo clan has gone through some phases of social changes. From the late 18th century to 1850, the Khoos migrated from Sin Kang Village in China to Penang and involved themselves in trades and other careers. They formed a closely-knit community, took care of each other and gathered on the 5th day of the 5th Moon every year to celebrate the birthday of Tua Sai Yah. Read More »
The Origin of Cannon Street
Secret society wars known as the Penang Riots occured in 1867 when the alliance of Tua Pek Kong Hoey (Kean Teik Tong) and the Red Flag Gang fought against the alliance of the Ghee Hin Kongsi and the White Flag Gang for ten days in George Town. The Tua Pek Kong Hoey, led by Khoo Thean Teik consisted mainly of the Hokkien; the Ghee Hin Kongsi was Cantonese-based; while the Red Flag and the White Flag Gangs comprised of the Malays and the Indians. Read More »
Chronology of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi
1816 – 120 Dollars were donated in the name of the “Penang Tua Sai Yah Public Fund” to the home village in China for the restoration of the Cheng Soon Keong. 1835 – 528 Dollars were collected among the 102 clansmen to establish the Ee Kok Tong. 1850 – Purchased the present premise. 1851 – Converted the local bungalow into the clanhouse and named it as Leong San Tong. 1860~1867 – Khoo Thean Teik became the leader of Kean Teik Tong. Read More »