Yin Oi Tong(仁愛堂)

It is too late, Yin Oi Tong has moved, it has moved to Paya Terubong........

The old heritage Chinese Medical Hall was forced to leave the UNESCO Heritage city, due to economical reason, expiry of the lease, or the higher rental requested by the owner. The owner of the building is the Cheah Kongsi, which should know the value of the living heritage. It is located at the corner of Penang Street(唐人街)and China Street(大街/路头). The building is the 3 units of 3 storey colonial shops.

Yin Oi Tong(仁愛堂) started its business in 1796, 10 years after the founding of Penang, opened by a Hakka family from Meixian, Kwangdong. It was the first Chinese Medical Hall in Malaysia. Initially it was located at Pitt Street, beside the Goddess of Mercy Temple(Kwan Ying Teng); it later moved to 82 A, B, C of Penang Street(唐人街), having 124 years occupation in the premise. It is involved as manufacturer , wholesaler, and retailer of the traditional Chinese medicine and herbs in Penang. It had been operating the business for 214 years in Penang, a living heritage.

The three storey shop houses are now vacant, it is too late as the shops are closed. We are not able to visit their workshop. The future usage of the building is still unknown. The shops are located in the heritage zone, it should be preserved as a museum of traditional Chinese medicine. We hope that the state government will take the steps to save the living heritage, and allow the shop to be used as a living museum.

After all, my grandpa and your grand-grandpa must had taken the Chinese traditional medicine from Yin Oi Tong at that old,old Penang Street, in the past of old,old Prince of Wales Island of Pulos Pinang.............




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This knife used for cutting the herbal medicine, has been in Yin Oi Tong for at least 124- 214 years; when the outside was having the clan war, the knife saved lives...

仁愛堂

仁愛堂是“馬來西亞首間中藥店，有214年歷史，原籍廣東嘉應梅縣鬆口鎮溪西鄉的創辦人古石泉於嘉慶初年（約1796年，檳島開闢後十年）設仁愛堂藥肆於椰腳街廣福宮（觀音亭）附近，後遷至目前三層樓建築營業也有124年歷史。”（kaiti, 2009）。與此同時也得知一個令人可惜的消息：由于租約問題，仁愛堂將會遷出喬治市(saveyinoitong, 2009; turkisdach, 2009)。

For further information on the Yin Oi Tong, please visit the following websites:

1. 发动拯救槟城“仁爱堂”珍贵人文遗产社区运动, http://saveyinoitong.blogspot.com/2009/06/trade-in-its-twilight.html
2. Turkisdach. (2009). Save Yin Oi Tong the 240 years old Chinese Medical Hall. http://turkisdach.blogspot.com/saveyinoitong. (2009).
3. kaiti. (2009). 老招牌即將拆除. http://kaiti64.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-post_06.html
4. 吉安考古地带, http://jiankaogudidai.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-post_05.html