The Goddess of Mercy Temple — Kuan Yin Teng in Hokkien, also called Kong Hock Keong — is the oldest Chinese temple in Penang, founded around 1728 by early Hokkien and Cantonese settlers and rebuilt in its present form in 1801. It is dedicated to Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion who in Chinese folk Buddhism became transformed into a goddess of mercy, fertility and protection — particularly important to sailors and merchants.
The temple sits at one of the busiest corners of the old town, and busy is the right word: incense smoke billows from huge bronze burners in the forecourt; worshippers crouch with sheaves of joss-sticks; the central hall is constantly filled with prayers, offerings, fortune-telling and the rustle of activity. Architecturally it is more modest than the Khoo Kongsi but the atmosphere is the most authentically alive of any temple in the centre. Major festivals — Chinese New Year, the Vegetarian Festival, Guanyin's three birthdays each year — are spectacular and worth timing a visit around. Open dawn until evening; free entry.