Sun Wui Wui Koon (San Wooi Wooi Koon) 新會會館
San Wooi Wooi Koon (3 November 2008)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (GPS: 5.41868, 100.34208), also commonly spelled San Wooi Wooi Koon, is a historic Cantonese district association (同鄉會館) along Bishop Street, in the UNESCO World Heritage core zone of George Town, Penang. Unlike a religious temple, it was built to function as a clan association hall, that is to say, a community hub for immigrants who came from the same region of Guangdong Province, China.
The Sun Wui Wui Koon was built in the 1870's and refurbished in 1883. The architecture reflects Cantonese clan hall design, notable for its stone fence and granite gate posts, features that convey both symbolism and structural function.
The Sun Wui Wui Koon has a stone fence with three pairs of gate post, and with many Cantonese-style association temples, these are all made of granite. The San Wooi Wooi Koon still has its original terracotta floor tiles. A pair of lions stand at the gate.
Instead of the more typical dragon motifs seen elsewhere, the roof is adorned with pairs of Chiwen (鯉吻 / 魚龍), mythical dragon-fish creatures believed in Chinese tradtion to ward off evil and protect the building from fire.1
Sui Wui Wui Koon functions as a place for folk cultural activities such as palm leaf painting competitions - a traditional craft linked to the Sun Wui/Xin Hui region's association with palm trees.1
Religion and Worship
Although primarily an association hall rather than a temple, the building also houses religious elements. The main altar is dedicated to Guan Gong (關公), also known as Guan Yu (關羽) - a revered deity widely worshipped in Chinese folk religion for protection, loyalty, academic success and prosperity.1
Ancestral Hall
Behind the main altar lies an ancestral hall, where memorial tablets of deceased members are placed for veneration by descendants - a practice central to Chinese familial and clan identity.1
Notably, the ancestral tablet of Lim Toh Kai, grandfather of the renowned Malayan physician Dr. Wu Lien Teh, is placed here, highlighting the association's deep historical roots and societal connections.1
San Wooi Wooi Koon, George Town (3 November 2008)
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Getting there
From the Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal, cross Pengkalan Weld using the pedestrian bridge. Turn right and walk along Pengkalan Weld until you reach the junction with Gat Lebuh Gereja. Turn left into Gat Lebuh Gereja. At junction with Lebuh Pantai, turn right, walk along Beach Street until junction of Lebuh Bishop. Turn left into Lebuh Bishop. San Wooi Wooi Koon is on the right side of Lebuh Bishop.
San Wooi Wooi Koon is 
on the Map of Bishop Street, Penang
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
Door plaque of Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
The lantern at Sun Wui Wui Koon (20 September 2023)
References
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This page was created on 27 February 2026.Want to share your Penang travel experiences or get tips from fellow travellers?
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