Simon Soon
Ghee Hin literally means "the rise of righteousness" in Chinese. It is said to have been founded in late 18th century Penang, around 1790, and was a an offshoot of the Hung League in China. Their first rival were the Hakkas who formed the Hai San Society around 1820.
The Ghee Hin was the largest secret society in Penang with mainly Cantonese membership. The Cantonese viewed themselves as pioneers in clearing the forest and making plantations, while Hokkiens and Teochew shopkeepers tended to control and profit from their labour. Moreover, much of the wealth by the middle of the 19th century was in the hands of the Hokkiens and Teochews, causing resentment amongst the Cantonese.
In 1854, it numbers 15,000 members in Penang and Province Wellesley. This would increase to 25-26,000 members in Penang by the riots. 14-15k lived on Province Wellesley. For context, the total population was 125,000. Membership was largely labouring and artisan class.
If a Muslim wished to join the Ghee Hin, he would have to go through an admission rite which was undertaken by the Ghee Hin Secretary at the Kongsi House. Upon registering his name, he would have to pay the entrance fee; Chinese paid $3.60 while Malays and Indians paid $1.60. Then he had to pass through four successive doors and at each door certain questions were asked with the answers already taught beforehand. After that a man would prick his finger with a sharp object and all new members would be asked to drink abit of the ritual water which had been mixed with the blood from the man's finger.
It was in 1862, that the Ghee Hin established its headquarters here on Church Street. The third generation headman, Toishanese Lee Coyn (Lee Yuxian, 1823-78) registered the orgaisation's headquarters under the name Ang Soon Ghee Seah (洪順義社).
In Penang, its chief antagonist was the Toh Peh Kong Society,. The Hokkien dominated Toh Peh Kong were allies of a much bigger and extensive Hai San society 海山公司, and would represent Hai San's interest in Penang. Elsewhere, the Cantonese dominated Ghee Hin often competed directly against the Hakka-dominated Hai San secret society.
In 1893, Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee of Hai San Society, became the richest man on Penang Island due to his control over the tin mines of Perak. When Ghee Hin was deregistered following the ban on secret societies, he acquired the former headquarters of his rivals; the site was transformed into his mansion called, Hai Kee Chan 海记栈. In order not to cause ill-feeling, he provided a plot of land on Chulia street, whereupon the Cantonese members of the Ghee Hin built the Ng Fook Thong Temple 五福堂..
Notes:
Khoo Salma Nasution. 2007. Streets of George Town, Penang. Penang: Areca Books,156.
Kim Hong Tan. 2007. 檳榔嶼華人史圖錄. Penang: Areca Books, 73.
Yong Check Yoon. 2010. 'The 1867 Penang Riots' Penang Monthly, August. https://penangmonthly.com/article.aspx?pageid=9418&name=the_1867_penang_riots (Accessed on 1 August 2019)
