Poh San Teng Temple (6♦)

Poh San Teng Temple  is the temple at the foot of Bukit Cina in Malacca. According to local historian Josephine Chua, it was built in 1795 by her ancestor Kapitan Chua Su Cheong, in the same year he was elected Kapitan (leader of the local Chinese community) by the Dutch Government.

An inscription on a stela commemorating the founding of the temple reads: "Bukit Cina is the place where early traders from China were buried. Many Chinese traders came to this country with high expectations of success. Sadly, some died before fulfilling their dreams. Without a family with them, there was no one to pray for their souls. As such, the Chinese Kapitans initiated prayers on their behalf. However, these were always hampered by strong winds and heavy rainfalls because there was no proper shelter. So in 1795, after Chua Su Cheong had been appointed the Chinese Kapitan, he looked into this problem faced by the community and initiated the building of a temple at the foot of Bukit Cina, to ensure that the prayers for those buried in Bukit Cina would not be interrupted."

It is often incorrectly assumed that this temple is dedicated to Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He), the Ming-dynasty navigator. Many publications therefore erroneously called it the Sam Poh Kong Temple, after the illustrious admiral. In fact, there is no evidence of Zheng He's involvement in the history of the temple. How then did it came to be known by so many as Sam Poh Kong Temple?

The Hill on which Poh San Teng temple was built was written as San Bao Shan on a tablet in the temple. San Bao Shan translates as "Three Gems hill". There is a possibility that the name was shortened to San Bao Temple, and in the ensuing transliteration from Chinese to English confused the meaning.

Within the premises of the temple is the famous well, Perigi Rajah. subject to many legends and stories.

三宝庙

三宝庙位于马六甲三宝山的西南山麓，完全中式风格的建筑，飞檐斗拱，屋顶刻有精美的动物图案，红柱、白墙、黛瓦，大门两侧装饰着大红绸布，门上方的黑色牌匾上是“宝山亭”3个字。据说，这里的一砖一瓦都是从中国运来的。宝山亭的飞檐上刻着彩龙戏珠，与黛瓦、红柱、白墙相配，象征三保公驾飞舟破白浪，扬帆远航的壮观景象。在宝山亭院内一侧，立着一座郑和的石像，身着官服的郑和器宇轩昂，栩栩如生。在一间20多平方米的室内，供奉着郑和的神位；同时还供奉着福德正神和天后圣母的神像，福德正神是土地神，天后圣母就是“妈祖”。可见，当地华人已将纪念郑和同承传中华传统文化融为一体。亭内还有一副颂扬郑和的对联：“五百年前留圣迹，四方界内显英灵”。

三宝庙坐落在马六甲海峡“中国山”脚下，整座庙宇俯视浩瀚的大洋，前后五进，重檐雕梁，气势恢弘。庙前古榕掩映，浓荫匝地，最粗的一株需八九个人拉着手方能合围，人称“三宝树”。庙内花木扶疏，香气袭人，十分清幽，当地侨民为维护这座祖先庙宇，不知花了多少心血。

穿过仪门进入正厅，只见正中塑着郑和坐像。塑像丰满、温和，双眼炯炯有神，他头戴乌纱帽，身披红大氅，透出一股威严之气。一张特大的供案横于像前，在庑石廊密密麻麻地挂满了华裔敬献的绸带、锦幡和金匾，上面写着“风平浪静”、“国泰民安”、“佑我子民”、“五谷丰登”、“情系河山”等献词。