Stories from Deli

Shoushan-gong or Siu San Keng is a stylish old temple dedicated to Guanyin , located at Labuhan Kota, north of Medan. The Chinese settlement at Labuhan antedates that of Medan. In 1973 Labuhan was incorporated into the municipality of greater Medan .

A set of two stone inscriptions set up on the occasion of the foundation of the temple and donations made for this purpose. According to the short preamble, Chinese had settled already for thirty years at Deli (1860s) when eventually this temple was set up . The list of donors on the first stone is headed by Qiu Dingguo, Lin Deshui, and Wen Shaochang, who gave 1,160, 1,000 and 1,000 yuan, followed by 71 firms and individuals who gave amounts ranging from 1600 to 30 yuan, together eleven odd thousand yuan A statement is added as to how this money has been used . On the second stone more than two hundred fifty names of firms and individuals are listed who gave amounts, ranging from 24 to eight yuan, together 3,500 yuan. Both inscriptions were set up by the executive officer Xie Yingcai together with Qiu Dingguo, Lin Deshui, Yang Zhenpan and seven further board members. Dated early 1891.

A short stone inscription set up on the occasion on the restoration of the temple by Huang Jiecheng and his family, the Kapitein’s wife, (nee Wen) , and four others. Dated 1890.

It has a Fujian-kongsi which occupies a section of the temple with a pair of wooden tablets on both sides and a tablet with the name of the Gongsi above. Dated 1971 .

About 100 m from Shousan gong is Masjid Al-Osmani which was built earlier in 1854. The mosque which was made of wood was then rebuilt by Sultan Mahmud Perkasa Alam in 1870 to 1872.

Liesheng-gong

Or Liat Sim Keng, is located at Labuhan Kota , not far from Shoushan-gong.

The date of its foundation could not be established. Some said it was in 1872. It has been originally set up by Hakka. but is now managed by Fujian people. Main deities are Shakyamuni, Taisui , and Zhusheng-niangniang.

A bronze bell cast at Longsheng Foundry (Foshan) and donated by the people originating from Guangdoog Province. It has probably been transferred to this temple from another place which cannot be ascertained, since the bell antedates the foundation of this temple. Dated 1879.

The Chinese Cemetery of Labuhan

located at Labuhan, probably the first Chinese settlement of the Deli area. It is not known at which time this cemetery has been opened, but in 1949, tombstones were found dating back to 1865.

It has a tombstone of the common grave of all Chinese from all regions, set up by the Chinese General Association. According to the inscription on both sides of the tombstone, written by Lin Jinkun, chairman of the Association , Labuhan was the place in Eastern Sumatra, where Chinese first settled “more than a hundred years” ago . When the cemetery was put in order in 1948,many tombs had been abandoned and decayed. Thus the remains of 570 graves were collected and buried together in this common grave. Dated 1949.

Another inscription describes Part of this cemetery and the cemetery for people originating from Huizhou, together 1383 graves, had to be cleared for building projects. In most cases, the tombstones were no more extant, and names, sex, and places of origin of the buried could not be established. Therefore this common tomb for the deceased from Fujian and Guangdong was set up, where the remains of each former single grave were buried separately. A reference is made to Wang Yangming’s (1472-1528,) famous essay on “The Burial of the Travellers.” The couplet on both sldes of the tombstone and the inscription on the left, a poem dealing with the setting up of the common tomb, have been composed by Jiang Chenshi from Meixi and written by Shen Ruiyi from Danzhao. Dated 1970.