Sze Ya Temple, Kuala Lumpur
Sze Ya Temple or Sin Sze Si Ya Temple was built by Kapitan Yap Ah Loy in 1864 to honor Kapitan Shin Kap of Sungai Ujong. Sungai Ujong is today Seremban, capital of Negeri Sembilan. This is the oldest Taoist temple in Malaysia and one of the 13 that pay homage to local deities.
The Sze Ya Temple is one of the few remaining objects that remind us of the troubles that Kapitan Yap Ah Loy went through to develop Kuala Lumpur. He built this temple to honor Kapitan Shin Kap of Sungai Ujong, whom he worked for during the communal struggles before coming to KL.
This temple is made up of a main hall and two side halls. As you enter the temple you will not miss the century old sedan chairs that were used for the annual temple processions on the 1900s. There is also a plaque honoring the early Chinese taipans, like Yap Ah Loy, Yap Kwan Seng, Yap Ah Shak and Chan Sow Lin.
Address & Telephone
- 14A Lebuh Pudu, 50050 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 603 2072 9593
How to get to the Sze Ya Temple
If you use the LRT, stop at the Masjid Jamek Station and walk towards the Central Market. It's just a 10 minutes walk away from the station. It should cost you no more than RM2 per trip from anywhere within Kuala Lumpur.
The Sze Ya Temple is hidden behind the colonial shophouses along Jalan Tun HS Lee and Jalan Kasturi. It is very close to the Central Market. However, it can be a difficult to find as it is not along visible along the main streets and it does not have a building. It is located just beside the tall Hong Leong Bank Building.
Use this map to help you locate the temple and make your way around Chinatown.
Fung Shui
You will immediately notice the odd orientation of the temple as you enter it. This is to harmonize it with elements Fung Shui.
History
In 1862, during the civil war in Sungai Ujong, Shin Kap, also known as Sheng Meng Li, was captured and beheaded by Malay warlords. Apparently when his head was severed, white blood flowed from his neck. The Malays believed that if a person bleeds white instead of red blood, that the person is a saint. As a result they the Malays repented their beheading a saint and allowed the Shin Kap's clan to recover his body.
The Chinese heard about the news and started deifying Kapitan Shin as Xian Shi Ye. His spirit has since stood guardian over the welfare of the Chinese tin miners in Kuala Lumpur.
The story goes that Kapitan Shin's spirit appeared before Yap Ah Loy in his dreams and instructing him to go to KL and seek his fortunes there. Yap Ah Loy was already the Kapitan in Sungai Ujong after Shin Kap's death. Nevertheless he left Sungai Ujong and headed for KL.
There he worked under Kapitan Liu Ngim Kong, the 2nd Kapitan Cina or Chinese Captain of KL. Yap Ah Loy himself became the 3rd Kapitan Cina after the death of Liu.
Yap relocated the original alter of Shin Kap at the temple in Sungai Ujong (Seremban) to his house in Kuala Lumpur in 1864. The following year he relocated the alter to its present location at Lebuh Pudu. He had by then amassed a fortune from the soaring tin prices.
It has been told that Kapitan Shin frequently appeared to Yap Ah Loy in his dreams and provided him with solutions to many of the problems that he faced, especially during the civil war of Kuala Lumpur.
The second of the two main deities at the Sze Ya Temple is that of Chong Piang, also known as Chong Si) whom Yap Ah Loy installed after the Selangor Civil War of 1870-1873. Chong Piang was Yap Ah Loy's fiercest General who had repeatedly defeated his enemies and protected Ah Loy. Chong Piang was deified as Si Sze Ye.
The temple was cultural and community center for the Chinese in Kuala Lumpur. It was also where Chinese clan leaders met to decide on administrative, cultural and community matters.
Yap Ah Loy was not deified for a long time after his death. He died in 1885 and was only deified by his clans in 1956.
This is probably the only Chinese temple in Malaysia that has locals as the main deities, unlike other temples which have deities originating from China. Both Shin Kap and Chong Piang were local residents of Kuala Lumpur before being deified after their death.
Processions to commemorate Shin Kap, Chong Piang and Yap Ah Loy becoming deities were held on the full moon of the 3rd lunar calendar every year. The parade would go around the streets of Kuala Lumpur. It was so grand in the early 1900s that the processions can sometime take up to 2 hours to pass by.
The rich Chinese sometimes tries to outdo each other in their donations and contributions towards the procession. The head of clans will usually have the honor of leading the procession and get their due recognition.
Today the yearly celebrations at the Sze Ya Temple are held on a smaller scale around the temple grounds.
This temple have been involved in charity work since 1907 when a trust was established. The trust has 12 trustees who represent the different Chinese clans in Kuala Lumpur. Two thirds of its income goes to education and hospitals supported by the temple.
Idols found at the Sze Ya Temple
- Bai Hu Ye or the White Tiger God
- Tai Sui Ye or the Master Deity for Prosperity, Health and Good Fortune
- Cai Shen Ye or Deity of Fortune God
- Hua Guang Da Di or God of Artistes & Craftsmen
- Tan Gong Xian Si or Deity of Medicine & Health
- Sze Shi Ya
- Xian Sze Ya or Guardian of tin miners
- Guan Di Wen Chang or God of Education
- Yap Ah Loy (bust)
- Cai Bo Xing Jun or God of Businessmen
- Fu De Zheng Shen or God of Prosperity
- Hua Fen Fu Ren or Goddess of Beauty
- Guan Yin Pu Sa or Goddess of Mercy
- Jin Hua Fu Ren or God of Fertility and
- Gautama Buddha
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