Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

青雲亭

Malaysia’s oldest Chinese temple, founded in 1645. Its Hokkien-style roof ridges feature fine porcelain sculpture, it enshrines Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist deities together, and it won a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award in 2002.

Cheng Hoon Teng stands on Temple Street (Jalan Tokong). It was founded around 1645 by Cheng Fang-yang, a Chinese Kapitan of the late Ming period (some accounts name Li Weijing instead). It is the oldest surviving Chinese temple in Malaysia that is still in use, and it once also served as the highest arbitration body for Melaka’s Chinese community, where the Kapitan and the temple head settled community affairs. The architecture is typical of Hokkien style. The main hall enshrines Guanyin, and the side halls honor Guan Yu, Mazu and Confucius, uniting the three teachings. The porcelain-mosaic dragons, phoenixes, flowers and birds on the roof ridges, the carved wooden shrines and the stone column bases were all made with materials and craftsmen brought from China. In 1962, a wooden beam weighing several tons was brought from Fujian to serve as a roof beam. The 2002 restoration earned a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award. Temple Street also has the Kampung Kling Mosque, dating from 1748, which blends Malay, Sumatran and Chinese styles and has a hexagonal minaret, and the Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Temple, a Hindu temple dating from 1781. The three faiths stand side by side along one street, known as “Harmony Street.” Visiting tips: explore it together with Jonker Street. Entry is free, and volunteers at the gate can give explanations. Mornings bring more worshippers and the best atmosphere. Notes: remove your shoes before entering the main hall, do not use flash when photographing the deities, and keep noise down inside the temple.

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

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