Chua Su Cheong (1750-1802), the Chinese Kapitan of Malacca, was born in Xiecang of Haicheng County, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province. During his tenure as the Chinese Kapitan at Malacca, Chua Su Cheong was well-known for handling local affairs impartially and achieved outstanding accomplishments. At the same time, he was a compassionate philanthropist, for which he was supported and well-liked by the local Chinese community. His greatest contribution to the Chinese society in Malacca was constructing the Poh San Teng Temple at the foot of the Bukit China in 1795 and the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in 1801. Both temples answered to the democratic needs of the local Chinese society. In addition, Chua Su Cheong cherished his ancestors: he returned to hometown to repair his mother's tomb and also made donations to purchase the sacrifice field for the "Xiecang Chua Family Temple". However, after Chua Su Cheong's death, the Chinese community in Malacca seemed to misremember Chua Su Cheong's original intention of building the Poh San Teng Temple. Today, the Chinese community and the tourist guides in Malacca always mention the Poh San Teng Temple and Zheng He together, and they even think the reason that Chua Su Cheong founded the Poh San Teng Temple was to memorize Zheng He. However, is Chua Su Cheong's original intention of establishing the Poh San Teng Temple consistent with the present-day belief? By investigating Chua Su Cheong's life and the documents he left behind, this article explores Chua Su Cheong's original intention to build the Poh San Teng Temple and aims to clarify the relationship between the Poh San Teng Temple and Zheng He.
