Ho Ann Kiong Temple, Kuala Terengganu瓜拉丁加奴和安宫

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Malaysia · Terengganu state · Kuala Terengganu · Jalan Kampung Cina (Chinatown), near the mouth of the Ganmawan River

First built

c. 1801 · Generally dated to 1801, making it the oldest Chinese temple in Terengganu; the exact year is disputed

Overview

Ho Ann Kiong is located in the Chinese quarter of Kuala Terengganu (Kampung Cina), and is generally believed to have been built around 1801, making it the oldest Chinese temple in the state of Terengganu. It was founded by early Hokkien immigrants and is dedicated primarily to the Heavenly Holy Mother (Mazu), with Guandi, Fude Zhengshen (the God of Earth and Wealth), and Guanyin worshipped alongside her. The Chinese community on Terengganu's east coast is far smaller than that of the west coast, and has long lived intermixed with Malay society, producing a distinctively localized character — local Chinese there mostly speak the Terengganu Malay dialect, and the temple's architecture is simpler than that of Penang or Malacca, built mainly in Hokkien-style timber construction with less chien-nien (cut-porcelain) ornament on the roof ridges. The temple has been repaired many times, and after a major restoration in the 2000s it was returned to its earlier appearance; it is now the central node of Kuala Terengganu's Chinatown heritage trail. It is a Chinese folk-religion temple. There are other accounts of the founding date current in popular tradition; this entry follows the most widely accepted one and notes the discrepancy.

Highlights

• The oldest Chinese temple in the state of Terengganu (c. 1801)
• Dedicated primarily to the Heavenly Holy Mother, with Guandi, Fude Zhengshen, and Guanyin worshipped alongside her
• An example of the high degree of localization among the Chinese community on the east coast
• Built mainly in Hokkien-style timber construction, simpler in form than temples on the west coast
• The central node of the Kuala Terengganu Chinatown heritage trail