zh, 天公壇 , image = Thni Kong Tnua, Air Itam, Penang.jpg , caption = Front view of Thean Kong Thnuah Temple , map_type = Malaysia Penang George Town streets , map_size = 275px , location =

Air Itam Ayer Itam (also spelt Air Itam or Air Hitam) is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately southwest of the city centre. Ayer Itam is one of the well-known place ...

, George Town , coordinates = , religious_affiliation =

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...

, district =

Northeast Penang Island District The Northeast Penang Island District ( ms, Daerah Timur Laut Pulau Pinang) is a Districts of Malaysia, district within the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the northeastern half of Penang I ...

, state =

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

, country =

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, completed = 1869 , architecture_type =

Chinese temple Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as: * '' miào'' () or ''di� ...

Thean Kong Thnuah Temple or Jade Emperor God Temple (also known as Thni Kong Tnua, zh, t=天公壇) is a

located at the foot of

Penang Hill Penang Hill is a hill resort comprising a group of peaks near the center of Penang Island, Malaysia. It is located within the Air Itam suburb, west of the center of George Town. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name ''Bukit Bendera'', w ...

. Completed in 1869, it is the only temple in

built specifically for the worship of the

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

(

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

: ''Thinn-kong'') and becomes a focal point for the annual Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations on the 9th day of

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

. The temple was featured in Episode 8 of ''

The Amazing Race 16 ''The Amazing Race 16'' is the sixteenth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world. The season premiered on CBS on Sunday, February 14, 2010, and the ...

''.

History

The temple was built in the 1860s by members of the

ethnic Chinese The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...

Hokkien community in

and underwent a restoration beginning in 2002.

Features

The temple is located at the foot of

and is surrounded by lush greenery. The path leading up to the temple features a flight of stairs with 110 granite steps and its archway is decorated with century-old stone carvings. The temple's architecture is a combination of both

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

styles. In the first shrine hall, there are three gold-plated

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

statues while the Jade Emperor God sits in the main shrine hall. File:Thni-Kong-Tnua-Jade-Emperors-Pavilion-Taoist-temple-Mar-2001-00.JPG, The temple compound. File:Thni-Kong-Tnua-Jade-Emperors-Pavilion-Taoist-temple-Mar-2001-04.JPG, The temple interior view.

References

Chinese-Malaysian culture Buddhist temples in Malaysia Taoist temples in Malaysia Religious buildings and structures in Penang Tourist attractions in George Town, Penang Religious buildings and structures completed in 1869 19th-century Buddhist temples 19th-century Taoist temples {{Malaysia-religious-struct-stub