Commemorating Chinese Merchants Benefactors in Malacca-The Case of Captain Li Weijing (1614-1688)

The purpose of stone inscriptions in praise of the merits of local worthies, called in Chinese song de bei頌德碑or also gongde bei功德碑, was to publicize the merits of eminent contemporaries. This literary genre, which was greatly in vogue in China until the end of the Qing Dynasty, and even after, was rather rare in the diaspora. However in Malacca six such laudatory steles, which were erected between [1685] and 1910, are displayed inside sanctuaries. Aside from the stele of 1795 set up by a Buddhist monk in honour of the donors who contributed money to build a temple to sacrifice at the foot of the Sanbao shan三寶山cemetery, the other ones (all displayed in the Qingyun ting/Cheng Hoon Teng青雲亭, the oldest temple of the city) are in praise of former leaders of the community, and emanate from local personalities. We chose to reflect on the manner the Chinese of Malacca initiated commemoration and even worship of their former leaders, by focusing on Captain Li Weijing李為經 (1614-1688) for whom we have some information, and who is the only one to have a memorial portrait displayed in the Qingyun ting.

並列關鍵字

Malacca ； Sanbaoshan ； Cheng Hoon Teng ； Li Weijing ； song de bei

國際替代計量

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