Founded around 1800 by George Town’s Cantonese and Hokkien communities, this is the oldest Chinese temple in Penang and carries the formal name Kong Hock Keong. It was first dedicated to Mazu, protector of seafarers, and shifted its devotion to Kuan Yin as the community moved away from the sea. The temple sits on a low knoll read in feng shui terms as a dragon, with two wells in the forecourt as its eyes, and was substantially restored in 2012 and 2013. Entry is free and the courtyard is thick with incense smoke and joss-stick sellers. It stands on the Street of Harmony, alongside mosques and Hindu and Anglican places of worship.
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