Bukit Cina

Panoramic view from Bukit Cina

This grave is quite old, you can see it

A view of Bukit China where Chinese from the era of Sultan Mansur Shah are resting

Bukit Cina (China Hill) makes up the largest and oldest Chinese burial ground outside China. The cemetery consists of three hills namely Bukit Cina, Bukit Tempurung (Tempurung Hill) and Bukit Gedung (Gedung Hill). Covering an area of 26ha, the site holds 12,500 graves with many of the tombs dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The hill was the official settlement of the Chinese entourage that arrived with Princess Hang Li Po, the daughter of the Ming Emperor, Yung Lo. 

The princess was sent in 1459 to Melaka by her father to marry the Melaka Sultan, Sultan Mansur Shah, to mark the establishment of diplomatic ties between Melaka and China. The entourage stayed in this settlement until the Portuguese arrived in 1511. During the Portuguese occupation, a Franciscan monastery and a chapel dedicated to Madre de Deus (Mother of God) was built on top of this hill.

However, in 1629, the Achenese destroyed the building when they attacked the Dutch. Bukit Cina was later owned by the Dutch Government until it was bought over by the Cheng Hoon Teng's founder, Kapitan Cina Lee Wei King. He then donated the hill to the Chinese of Melaka for use as their burial ground.