Title
A Chinese temple belonging to a clan association
Year/Period
Late 19th century
Region
Kuala Lumpur
Dimension
Image size: L14.1cm X W9cm
Accession No.
1991-00465
Collection of
It was not uncommon to see Chinese temples named after a particular clan in Malaysia during the 19th century, as exemplified by Chans' Temple in this postcard. Temples were often treated as clan associations besides being a religious ground. In many cases, temples also acted as educational institutions and community centres for the Chinese, where clan leaders contributed to scholarship funds and the welfare of fellow clan members, in addition to their donations for building the temples in the first place.
