Chinese clan houses
The Khoo Kongsi in Cannon Square is the grandest clan complex in Malaysia and is Penang's greatest historic attraction.
In the early 19th century, many Chinese immigrants came to Malaysia from the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian as indentured labourers or simply to seek their fortune. Arriving on unfamiliar territory, they were drawn to fellow countrymen who shared a common background or who came from the same ancestral village. Out of their need for support grew the clan associations known locally as kongsi, derived from two Chinese words meaning 'to share' or 'a shared company'.
- Information in the full article includes
- A support system
- The kongsi enclave in Penang
- Kongsi architecture
- Other kongsi