Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi (or Khoo Kongsi for short) is one of the most well-known and richest Chinese clan associations in Malaysia. Their ancestral origins can be traced back some 650 years ago.
The entire Khoo Kongsi complex is like a clan village comprising the clan house Leong San Tong, an administrative building with a meeting hall and offices, an opera stage, and 62 units of terrace houses and shophouses.
There are three entrances to Khoo Kongsi. This is the main entrance at Cannon Street. The second one faces Beach Street and the last one leads to Armenian Street.
Walking in from the main entrance, you’d see the ticketing office.
Entry fees are as follows
- Adults: RM10/pax
- Children (under 12yrs old): RM1/pax
- Children (under 5yrs old): FREE
Administrative Building
The administrative building is where the clansmen hold meetings and settle clan affairs.
Leong San Tong
The most significant building, Leong San Tong, is somewhat hidden among all that terrace houses and shophouses and is located right on this granite square. Looks really grand and majestic.
Leong San Tong was actually established in the 19th century (1850s) but it was destroyed by a fire in 1901. The clan house was then reconstructed from scratch. What we see standing today is the same one that was completed in 1906.
Timberwork
The most important architectural expression of Leong San Tong lies in the timberwork on the roof truss. The truss structure is of ting tang style, a kind of roof truss which is uplifted by four principal columns and left exposed.
Wood Carving
Refined wood carvings that varied in style and technique, fill up the timberwork of Leong San Tong. Truly making it a masterpiece.
Murals and Drawings
A picture paints a thousand words. Indeed. All these murals and drawings that fill up the walls depict moral values, ethics and ideals. Very interesting.
Stone Carving
High quality stone materials that were imported from Amoy, Fujian Province were used to construct Leong San Tong. You can see a lot of delicate decorative carvings on the walls, columns, door frames and so on.
Stone lions too.
Travel back to the past and see how life was like in the olden days.
End your visit with a tour of the museum where you can get to see more exhibits on display.
Final Thoughts
Our tour of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi merely took under an hour. We skipped quite a few exhibits at the museum near the end due to information overload. I actually preferred the outdoor aspect of this historic attraction as I like ornate architecture as well as art i.e. the murals that tell stories. Not so much of a ‘see museum exhibits and read information labels’ kind of person.
All in all, it was still a worthwhile visit as we had time to spare. Plus we needed all that extra walking and moving around to aid digestion before we headed to our next food stop, lol. Entry fee isn’t expensive too so yep, if you need a time filler, definitely can consider coming here.