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MPU3123: TAMADUN ISLAM DAN TAMADUN ASIA
GROUP NO 53 – Chinese Civilizations
SENARAI NAMA KUMPULAN
BIL NO. ID NAMA CATATAN
1 0322741 Lim Hong Wei
2 0326733 Lim Siew Ni
3 0322790 Lim Win Kee
4 0322180 Lim Woo Leon
5 0323214 Lim Xiu Qing
6 0323680 Loh Mun Tong
7 0323551 Loh Wen Jun
8 0321995 Loo Siah Mong
9 0322074 Loon Jing Wei
10 0323315 Low Wing Chun
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12
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15
PENILAIAN
ASPEK PENILAIAN MARKAH
PENGENALAN ( /3)
HASIL KAJIAN
 RELEVAN DAN TEPAT
 HURAIAN JELAS DAN TERSUSUN
 PERBINCANGAN DAN PERBAHASAN
 JURNAL PERJALANAN
( /4)
( /4)
( /10)
( /4)
KESIMPULAN ( /3)
BAHASA DAN FORMAT ( /2)
MARKAH KESELURUHAN ( /30)
PENILAIAN OLEH
NAMA : FADHILAH RAIHAN BINTI LOKMAN

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Acknowledgement
In performing our assignment, we had to take the help and guideline from some of the
respected person, who were deeply deserve our greatest gratitude. The completion of
this assignment gives us a lot of pleasure. Besides that, we would also like to show our
gratitude and thanks Ms. Fadhilah Raihan, our lecturer for giving us a good guideline for
the assignment which we had to choose a historical site based on a Chinese civilization.
We would also like to thanks our great leader for organizing and plan our trip on a time
where all of us are available. Since, some of us are from different course and are quite
busy with other works. It is not easy to plan a suitable time for all of us. After that, we
would also like to thank our leader for organizing the transportation to our destination.
Thus, we feel very grateful that all of us agree on the chosen site which was located
quite far from here, which was known as Cheng Hoon Teng temple located in Melaka.
Moreover, we also feel proud that we manage to divide our work and all of us had
contributed the work to complete this assignment. We still managed to gather
information and reference about the temple during our site visit. Last but not least, since
we were not from the same course and did not know each other well, we still managed
to communicate and interact among each other. Hence, this could actually get us to
know each other well.

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Table of Content
No. Title Page No.
1 Acknowledgement 2
2 Introduction 4
3 Location plan and site
context
5
4 Objectives of study 6
5 Research Findings
- History of Cheng Hoon Teng
Temple
- Architecture
- Materials used and restoration
- Temple layout structure
- On site activities
7-8
9
10
13
14-16
10 Travel Journal 17-22
11 Conclusion 23
12 Reference 24
13 Appendix 25-26

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INTRODUCTION
In this assignment, we are required to choose a historical site in Malaysia and discover a
civilization that exists in Malaysia with a group report. Chinese civilization is a culture
that comes from china. China was one of the cradles of human race, not only the most
populous but also one of the oldest in the world. Archaeological studies have revealed
that around 5,000 years ago the Chinese entered the stage of patriarchal society. Not
only did villages begin to appear but also the initial forms of cities began to become
evident.
First of all, the historical site that we chose was Chen Hoon Teng temple located at No
25 Jalan Tokong, Melaka is the oldest and finest Chinese temple in Malaysia and
Singapore. With a long illustrations history it is also the most well-known. The Abode of
Green (Merciful) Clouds is also known locally as Kwan Yin Teng, the main Deity revered
being Kwan Shih Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.
Besides, it is also a historical site that is dedicated to the vision of Cheng Hoon Teng’s
founders and the determination of its devotees to preserve their unique bastion of culture
and heritage. Throughout the site visit to Chen Hoon Teng temple, we know that the
temple was first built by the Chinese Kapitan Tay Kei Ki alias Tay Hong Yong in the
1600s. During the Portuguese/Dutch era to 1824, Kapitans China was appointed as
leader of the Chinese community in Malacca. Among the most prominent Kapitans
China were Kapitans Tay JKie Ki, Li Wei King, Chan Ki Lock and Chua Su Cheiong.
They were respectively responsible for the founding, extending, rebuilding of the temple
to its present appearance and also for the purchase and enlargement of the Bukit Cina.

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Location Plan and site context
Address:
25, Jalan Tokong, 75200 Melaka
Jonker Walk Masjid Kampung Kling
Xiang Lin Si Temple

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Objectives of Study
This study was conducted to examine the perceptions and views of students in terms of
strengthening the teaching and learning of Islamic Civilization and Asia Civilization
(TITAS) by
1. Identify and review the student's perception of aspects of the course, the content and
the layout of the syllabus, student workers, teaching methods and evaluation.
2. Instilling pride towards different cultures which had been shaped since our
forefathers that now became the identity of the civilization of Malaysia today.
3. To understand whether different races of civilization had different influences on each
other that is historically significant and meaningful.
4. To examine the context of a historical site to understand the different factors that
affects the rise and fall of a civilization in terms of politics, economy and social.
5. To examine the evolution of cultures of a civilization to able to identify the major
differences in terms of period and time.

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Research Findings
History of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
Cheng Hoon Teng is the oldest formal Chinese temple in South East Asia. “Cheng Hoon
Teng” means “Temple of Clear Clouds” in Chinese. It was founded by the Chinese
Kapitan Tay Kie Ki alias Tay Hong Yong in 1645 during the Dutch colonization of Melaka.
The Kapitan position was created by the Portuguese as a head administrator to the
locals.
Portrait of Kapitan Tay Kie Ki

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The temple served its purpose as the official administrative centre and a court of justice
for the Kapitans. It also served the community’s religious needs.
Besides Kapitan Tay, he was assisted by other prominent Kapitans who played an
important role in building the temple. They are Li Wei King, Chua Su Cheong and Chan
Lak Kua. In 1704s, Kapitan Chan Ki Lock began the construction of the main hall. In
1801, Kapitan Chua Su Cheong was responsible for rebuilding of the main hall while the
Kapitans and Teng Choos after him contributed towards the aesthetic and structural
additions of the building. “Teng Choo” is the title given to the head of the temple after the
British abolished the Kapitan system in 1824. Teng Choo assumed some of the
Kapitan’s responsibilities.
The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple marks a historical milestone on 28 September 1949. The
Parliament passed the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple Incorporation Ordinance 1949 which
meant that the temple was officially sanctioned by an Act of Parliament, guaranteeing
the temple’s future and its role as guardian of the community’s spiritual and cultural
heritage. A Board of Trustees was formed to preserve the temple. Tun Sir Tan Cheng
Lock, became one of the first trustees. The other trustees then were Poh Kim Tiong,
Chan Teck Chye, Loh Kim Swi, and Chee Guan Chiang.
The second historical milestone was in 1962. Seck Kim Seng ordained Houn Jiyu-
Kennett, the founder of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives and a Zen nun from
England in this temple. In 2003, the Temple was awarded a UNESCO award for the
outstanding architectural restoration.

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Architecture
When the Chinese migrated to the Malay Peninsula, they brought along their culture and
heritage. Cheng Hoon Teng's architecture reflects the skills of migrant builders and
craftsmen from China's southern provinces, mainly Fujian and Guandong.
The building conforms strictly to the principles of feng shui, incorporating the
fundamental belief that every aspect of life is closely related to attaining perfect harmony
with nature. According to granite tablets, the temple was carefully laid out to ensure a
view of the river and high ground on either side.
While the Cheng Hoon Teng is representative of the more peasant Southern temple
form
there are features that depart from the usual Southern temples found in Malaysia.
Its roof slope attempts to attain a steeper incline than the generally lower and
flatter Fujian form. The flag masts are of dramatic height, beckoning attention.
The temple has three bays rather than one found in most temples, whilst most of the
columns
are not circular and is in timber rising from stone bases. Here there is an extensive use
of lacquer. All these elements indicate the uniqueness of this architectural masterpiece.

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Material used and restoration
Materials
Cheng Hong Teng Temple, located in Malacca, is considered as the earliest Hokkian
temple architectural building in Malaysia. The temple is being constructed mainly by
brick, timber and terracotta roof tiles. Nevertheless, in 1997, restoration took place when
the condition of the temple was deteriorating. This is because one of the main beams in
one of the side bays collapsed. So, for more specialized work, artisans from both local
and China were involved throughout the restoration process.
One of the building materials which were used on the roof is timber. In the restoration of
the roof, about 75 percent of the timber had been replaced to so as to maintain the
stability of the structure. Furthermore, custom-made steel hoisting frame was used to
replace the damaged beams and pieces thus the replacement of the circular timber
purling which were hand-carved by the carpenters and the ends were capped with the
copper sleeves.
Restoration
Cheng Hoon Teng temple has 3 phases. The first phase is the outer prayer pavilion and
main prayer building. Next, the second phase is the auxiliary building and main entrance
gate and for the third phase is the opera theatre.
The last major work that were completed was in 1963 however time and the weather
aggravated the condition and the state of the building had become a matter of serious
concern and the Board of Trustees felt it was necessary to carry out a major restoration
to the temple. The collapse of a beam in 1997 underscored the urgency and a
restoration committee was set up to ensure the building’s successful restoration.
The restoration started off with the roof. As the temple has three different structural
wooden truss systems, these hint at the possibility of construction over the different time
periods. Proper assessment of roof structure damage was made after removing the tiles.
The extent of decay and insect infestation proved more serious than expected and the
termites appeared to be the main problem. Therefore, a temporary roof structure was

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erected over the whole of the main building to ensure work could be carried out without
interruption from weather. The sloping ridges of the main temple building cracked in
varying degrees due to timber deterioration and weathering. The ridges had to be lifted
to allow damaged purling to be removed, and new ones inserted. For this, a strong
hoisting structure of heavy duty steel hollow sections was customized for a confined site.
A careful study was carried out on the materials to ensure that they were of the
same character and quality.

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Moving on to the beam, before the new beams could be used, they had to be certified by
FRIM experts as being sufficiently dry and meeting standard timber specifications.
Bringing down decayed timber involved skill and extreme caution as it require a complex
operation that is made more difficult by the nature of the site. Most decay occurred at the
topside, mainly due to rain and moisture. Damaged parts were removed and the affected
areas are treated. Before installation, new beams were protected against termites,
especially at points of direct contact with other structure. Once all the beams and battens
had been replaced, reconstruction started on the valley area between the main temple
building and the prayer hall.
With the main temple fully restored, the auxiliary buildings and the main entrance under
phase 2 of the restoration works. Work commenced in April 2003 and was completed in
May 2004. The artisans scraped off layers of paint and plaster and discovered these old
frescoes underneath them. The frescoes were then skilfully restored. Damaged tiles
were carefully removed and replaced with new tiles.
Pictures of restoration parts
Lastly, the restoration of the opera theatre building was the last building to be
restored. The Standing Committee hopes to raise funds for this phase.

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Temple layout structure
1. Altar of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy
2. Altar of Ma Choe Poh, (Mazu), Guardian of Seamen.
3. Altar of Kwan Gong, the God of War and Bao Sheng Dadi, the devine physician
the statue of the God Tai Sui is also located at the altar.
4. Altar of Wen Chang the God of student, scholars and examinations.
5. Altar of Qielan Ye, the protector of the Dhamna.
6. Altar of Fu De Zheng Shen, God of Wealth and Prosperity.
7. Altar of the Tiger Gods and Dashi Ye
8.9. Ancestral Tablets
10. Altar for the Kapitans China and the Founders of the Temple and the statues of
Kapitan Chan Ki Lock and wife.
11. Altar containing the tablets of Past Resident Monks.
12. Ancestral tablets and the Deity Da Zhong Ye.
ST- Commemorative Stelae and stone tablets.

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On Site Activities
Cheng Hoon Teng temple is primarily dedicated to the adoration and worship of the
sacred Kwan Shih Yin Pusa, the Goddess of Mercy, the worship of who symbolises the
concept of infinite pity and compassion. Worshipping Kwan Shi Yin Pusa teaches
devotees the cardinal virtue of mercy and compassion in the relief of suffering in this
world.
Pictures of one of our members praying
The temple is also a centre for the propagation of San Chiao or the Three Doctrinal
Systems of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It is closely associated with the
religious and civil life of the Chinese community. Numerous traditional Chinese rites are
carried out by the religious order daily. Monks and nuns attend to the needs of devotees
who consult them on spiritual and other matters, ranging from births, marriages, and
health to death and the afterlife.

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Daily prayers are conducted at 4.00pm by the resident monks of the Temple and which
are open to devotees who wish to participate in the prayers. Chanting of mantras is
carried out devotees in the evenings of the new and full moon days of the lunar month.
(1st
and 15th
of the month)
Divination and fortune telling is a common practice in ordinary Chinese life. The system
of divination practised by the devotees in the Temple is by shaking out a bamboo stick
from bamboo container containing a set of individually marked sticks whilst kneeling
down in front of the main altar. The interpretation or prediction is found by referring the
markings on the stick to the corresponding section of the I Ching or Book of Changes.

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Besides, specific prayers are carried out in the temple on the birthdays and other
auspicious dates of the Gods and Deities as shown as the picture below.

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Travel Journal
Loo Siah Mong
Throughout the journal to Melaka with my fellow teammates, it has taught me that our
ancestor has created a culture and civilization for us to abide. Although this is not the
first time to visit site to complete an assignment, but there will always be something new
to discover and get to know new friends within the group mates. This trip is a little bit
different because we combined with 3 others group that also visiting around Malacca. I
found that Malacca is a place that is full of historical building that we can do research on.
Not only that, although it is important to finish an assignment on time, I also realize that
communication between the, participating and cooperate is also very important. Last but
not least, I’m glad that the team members are very efficient in the process of distributing
the task and finishing their part for the report. And below is the group photo we took.
Lim Xiu Qing
The feeling of entering a spiritual place is really hard to describe. I have the opportunity
to go with a group of friends to this particular Chinese temple. It is located at a tourist
area and in that area there is a temple that can bring peaceful mind to the soul and also
a place where you can seek for self-discovery and inner peace. I was fortunate enough
to be there on the 9th
day of the month in Chinese calendar to witness their prayer and
join them circling the temple a few rounds while praying. It was a priceless experience.

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Lim Winkee
To start off, we started to plan this Malacca one-day trip since the second week after we
got this project brief. We decided to choose Cheng Hoon Teng Temple as the temple
has over 400 years, and we also gathered around to list out the information that we need
to research on this particular building. From this project, I found that time management is
the main key of planning this trip as everyone is busy with their assignments and
projects. Besides, be responsible is also quite important because we need to take care
of ourselves during the trip, and also we need to do our part as this is a group project.
Until then, the trip was very smooth and success.
Lim Woo Leon
From the research study of this Chinese temple, I managed to understand why and how
this oldest temple managed to stand still until this day. The temple influenced the
Chinese people in Malacca to seek peace and harmony in a positive way without forcing
them. They were willing to support the temple in terms of finance and also restoration to
its formal state. To the Chinese in Malacca, this temple is their cultural identity, as they
were brought up together with this temple in sight since they were young. As such this
temple along this street is a cultural and religious hub to the people of Malacca. It is the
street of harmony.

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Loh Mun Tong
To start off, for our group, we decided to research on the topic of Chinese Civilization.
We’ve chosen Cheng Hoon Teng temple which is located in Melaka as our historical site.
We were informed to gather in campus at 6.50am and depart at 7.00am sharp. We travel
there by bus together with another four groups which decided to conduct their research
findings at Melaka as well. We took about 2 hours to reach our destination. I’ve observed
that Cheng Hoon Teng temple has marvellous architecture which mainly reflects the
skills of migrant builders and craftsmen from China’s southern provinces. The temple
has a huge space as it covers an area approximately of 4,600 metre square. Therefore, I
walk around the temple and took lots of interesting pictures. Upon taking pictures, I’ve
also realised that lots of people came along to do their prayers even it’s in a weekday!
Besides, I’ve also manage to grab a photo of an artist who was painting the murals
beside the entrance of the temple.
Throughout this journey, I’ve learnt that it is important to preserve old buildings like this
temple as these structures provide an insight into the history of our countries, showing
us how people many centuries ago lived their lives. Without them, we could only learn by
books, and it would undoubtedly be sad if this were the only way to see them. However,
I’ve also learnt that both men and women should wear light clothing like t-shirt and long
pants to cover the knees as a respect to holy sites like temple.

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Low Wing Chun
Throughout the journey, I have notice the difference of culture in terms of architecture
even though Kuala Lumpur and Melaka are both within the same country. It really tells
the different story of people who had different experience from the way they build the
building for the function, materials and also the aesthetics. And this carries on to the next
point where history is important as they tell us a story and a lesson for the future
generations to learn and improve.
Besides that, as a Chinese that have been visiting the temple for 19 years, it was my first
time finding out that it was rude to dress in shorts when visiting. We were lucky enough
to be on time for a ritual that was going on for the very special day. We participated and
it was a very fresh experience for me to remember.
Other than that the whole journey was quite smooth. Nothing else other than the hot sun
and mouth watering Melaka delicacies.
Lim Siew Ni
Throughout the visit to the Cheng Hoon Teng temple in Malacca, I do agree that visiting
the historical sites can help me to acquire the knowledge outside the lecture. In the
temple, I can experience the peace in there. What I didn’t expect is when we get there, a
ceremony was held by the monks and all of the sudden, we’re involved in it. But when I
involved in it, the positive energy spread all around us since when people pray, I can
hear their voice echoes all around the temple which gave me a sense of peace and
relaxation. To sum up, I think that the trip to the Cheng Hoon Teng temple not only gave
me a better understanding of its architectural style but also gets to know my group mates
better.

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Loh Wen Jun
From my experience of traveling, I had gained some knowledge about the journey that I
took to visit a temple. I had to wake up as early as 6 am in the morning and rush to
Taylor’s University to avoid the annoying traffic jam as I stay quite far away from my
school. As the previous night, I did not have enough sleep because I slept at 12 am on
the next day. Thus, I did learn my lesson as I was supposed to sleep earlier that night to
avoid sleepless and tiredness.
As I gather with the rest of my other group member, we took off to Melaka around 8 am
with a bus that take 1 and a half hour to reach the destination. So I decided to take a
short nap in the bus. Along the journey, there are also 4 other group doing the site which
is also in Melaka near our destination. Along the journey, we had to start walking from
Jonker Street where the bus drops us off. Meanwhile, we finally reach our historical site
which is the Cheng Hoon Teng temple. It is a famous temple in Melaka which had been
established for many years. It is a Chinese temple practicing Taoism, Confucianism and
Buddhism. After that, we could hear some of the instrument playing while some of the
prayers were praying inside the temple. We went along and pray as well as they
welcomed us to pray along with them. We were there for some time before noon. I also
begin to feel hungry and tired under the hot sun.
After that, we begin to look for some food to eat our lunch, but we weren’t really familiar
with the place in Melaka. So we decided to walk around the street and randomly choose
a restaurant to eat. From this journey, I have learned to work with other people to get
close and meet with other group members. Soon after all the other groups gather, we
then decided to go back to our school. I continued to sleep in the bus until it reaches our
school as afternoon was supposed to be my napping time. In my experience to this trip,
it was a satisfying trip to me as I haven’t being to Melaka for quite some time.

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Roy Loon
For this TITAS assignment trip, it gave me a chance to let me know more about the
lifestyle and city in Melaka. When we arrived in Malacca, we walk to the temple and start
to do our research and take photo. All of us tried to find the architecture building style
and the people’s activity in the temple. We tried to learn and follow how to pray in the
temple by using different method to different statue of a god for example we follow the
Buddhist mock line up to round in the temple. After we finish our research, we felt hungry
then we start to research the famous food in Malacca. I was felt satisfied for this trip
because I can eat a lot of famous Melaka food. We ate until 2.00pm and we end our
journey.
Lim Hong Wei
After conducting a site visits with my group members to Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
which is located in Jonker Street, Malacca to study about the temple’s civilization. After a
complete researched, I feel extremely grateful as our ancestors from past generations
have fought their pride just to build this temple to preserve our Chinese civilization
culture. By looking at this temple, I’m able to reflect myself back to the history of Chinese
civilization in Malaysia and know how the people from past generation practice Chinese
civilization. In short, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, as well as others historical or pre
historical buildings shall be preserved forever as each buildings hold different values and
stories behind it.

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Conclusion
It was truly a privilege and a bounty for us to visit a historical place that has many
interesting story behind it. For this project assigned by the tutor, we learnt how to work
together as a team in various ways such as communication, time management and so
on. At first, transportation was a problem because it is costly for us to go by taxi, bus or
van so we invite other groups who are going to Malacca to join us on a bus ride. By this,
the cost for transportation reduced and better, we had a fun time in the bus with 40
people on the ride. It was surely an amazing journey for us in making this trip to our
destination enjoyable yet meaningful and worthwhile.
In this assignment, we learnt the importance of why we should visit historical places
such as Chinese temples that had been built decades ago when our ancestor came to
Malaya and why we should reserve and respect them because those historical places
build Malaysia like how we see our country today. Without those historical places, we
won’t appreciate the sacrifice that our ancestor had made. This project really taught us
the value of respecting those historical places.

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Reference
1. Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2016, from
http://www.malaysiasite.ni/melakachenghoontengeng.htm
2. Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Melaka - Jonker Street Attractions (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2016,
from http://www.malacca.ws/attractions/cheng-hoon-teng.htm
3. Bibliography: Welcome to Cheng Hoon Teng temple. Retrieved May 5, 2016, from
http://www.chenghoonteng.org.my/ In-line Citation: (“Welcome to Cheng Hoon Teng temple,”
n.d.)
4. Bibliography: wonderfulmalaysia. (2007). Cheng Hoon Teng temple, Malacca. Retrieved May 5,
2016, from http://www.wonderfulmalaysia.com/attractions/cheng-hoon-teng-temple-
malacca.htm In-line Citation: (wonderfulmalaysia, 2007)

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Appendix

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