Kek Lok Si Temple Penang
Penang, MalaysiaThe largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia, cascading up the hillside above Air Itam with a 30-meter bronze Kuan Yin statue, seven-story pagoda, and temple courtyards illuminated by 10,000 lanterns during Chinese New Year. Over 100 years old and still expanding with new halls and statues.
More Culture in Penang
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George Town UNESCO Street Art
George Town's world-famous street art trail - over 50 iron rod sculptures and painted murals spread across the heritage city, commissioned for the 2012 George Town Festival. Ernest Zacharevic's "Children on a Bicycle" is the most photographed artwork in Malaysia and a selfie pilgrimage site for millions.
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Khoo Kongsi Clan House Penang
The most elaborate clan house in Malaysia - a 19th-century Hokkien Chinese community temple with a rooftop adorned with 2-ton dragon sculptures, intricately painted eaves, and gold-leaf ceremonial halls. The Khoo Kongsi represents the wealth and ambition of Penang's early Chinese merchant community.
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Pinang Peranakan Mansion Penang
A jaw-dropping museum inside a restored Peranakan magnate's mansion decorated with over 1,000 antiques - Scottish cast-iron columns, French Baroque furniture, Chinese porcelain, and English tiles from the 1890s. The best window into the extraordinary Baba-Nyonya hybrid culture of the Straits Settlements.