Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

Name: Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

Location: 25, Jalan Tokong, Kampung Dua, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia

Reason to Visit: one of the oldest Chinese traditional temples in Malaysia, awarded the Asia-Pacific Heritage awards for Culture Heritage Conservation by UNSECO

Opening Hours: 7:00-19:00

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is located in 25, Jalan Tokong, Kampung Dua, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia. It is one of the oldest Chinese traditional temples in Malaysia. Built in 1673, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple has a history of 350 years. It witness the contributions of Chinese in Malaysia did to the development of Malaysia and the construction of the culture. The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple was awarded by the UNESCO for outstanding architectural restoration. It is an important temple in Southeast Asia. It was built to memorize Zheng He, who made voyages to the West Ocean for 7 times. It is said that all of the materials and workers of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple are from China.

The History of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

Tourists can learn about the history of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple by visiting it. Cheng Hoon Teng Temple was founded in 1673 during the Qing Dynasty in China. During this period, Malaysian Chinese had made great contributions to the establishment and development to the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. Except for the function of a temple, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple was also the official administrative center and a court of justice.

In 1801, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple was rebuilt. It was endowed with more architectural beauty to the construction. It is famous among the Malaysian Chinese and tourists around the world because of its long history and the design of architectural aesthetics. To the locals, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is also known as God’s Garden.

Feel the Architectural Design of the Temple

The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is composed of main temple hall, outer prayer pavilion and auxiliary buildings. The buildings of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple shows the architecture art of China. Designed and built by Chinese immigrants, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple was awarded the Asia-Pacific Heritage awards for Culture Heritage Conservation by UNESCO in 2002.

We can see the talents and skills of the craftsmen from China by appreciating the construction of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. The immigrants were mainly from Guangdong and Fujian, who brought the culture and heritage to Malaysia. Visit the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple and you will find that the decorations of the temple are exquisite and beautiful.

Burn Incense and Worship

As an important traditional Chinese temple in Malaysia, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple plays an important role in the development of the Malaysian Buddhism. As a old temple with long history, visitors can burn incense and worship in the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. You can wish for peace, heath, study and career. Everyone wants a good result on the things he is experiencing or working on.

The prayers is held every day at 16:00. The monks and nuns concern about the needs of the believers and followers. They will answer the questions of the believers or followers about births, marriages, health and death. The temple is usually open from 7:00 to 19:00 every day. But it is 24 hours open on the Chinese New Year's Eve.

Travel Tips

To enter the main hall of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, you should dress appropriately. Long skirts(overknee) and long pants are requested for entry to show your respect to the temple and the culture. If you don’t wear long pants or skirts, you are not allowed to enter the main hall of the temple. But you can still visit the other parts of the temple.

Slippers, hats and sunglasses are not recommended when entering a temple, which are not respectful to the statues in the temples. And the light colors of the clothes are better than the dark colors. And the most important is to be devout to the statues or Buddhas in the temple because sincerity works miracles.