Klenteng Hong Tiek Hian, Surabaya泗水福德轩（洪天轩）
- Type
- Overseas Daoist Temples
- Location
- Indonesia · East Java Province · Surabaya · Jalan Dukuh No.2, Nyamplungan, Pabean Cantian, Surabaya
- First built
- dates are disputed among sources · Temple and local-gazetteer tradition holds it was established during the Mongol Yuan expeditionary campaign against Java (1293); this account lacks reliable archaeological or documentary support, and the surviving building dates from much later
- Heritage status
- Listed as Cultural Heritage (Cagar Budaya) of SurabayaWayang potehi (glove-puppet theater) inscribed as Indonesian National Intangible Cultural Heritage
Overview
Klenteng Hong Tiek Hian is the oldest Chinese temple in Surabaya, located within Chinatown. Temple and local-gazetteer tradition traces it back to the period when the Mongol Yuan expeditionary army stationed itself in Java in 1293; this account is widely repeated, but lacks reliable archaeological or documentary support, and the surviving building dates from much later, so it should be treated with scholarly caution. The temple is dedicated mainly to Guanyin, with Mazu, Guandi, Fude Zhengshen, and other Buddhist and Daoist deities also worshipped there, making it a typical Tridharma temple. The temple's best-known feature is its year-round performances of wayang potehi puppet theater — the localized form taken by Southern Hokkien glove puppet theater (budaixi) after its introduction to Java, performing Chinese chapter novels in Indonesian or Javanese; it is one of Indonesia's national intangible cultural heritage items, having nearly died out under Suharto before being revived after 2000. The temple is now registered under Indonesian law within the Tridharma temple system.
Highlights
- The oldest Chinese temple in Surabaya
- The account tracing it to the Yuan army of 1293 is widely repeated but lacks supporting evidence and should be treated with caution
- Dedicated mainly to Guanyin, with Mazu, Guandi, and Fude Zhengshen also worshipped
- Year-round performances of wayang potehi puppet theater, an Indonesian intangible cultural heritage item
- The localized form taken in Java by Chaozhou–Hokkien glove puppet theater