Klenteng Boen Bio is often called the last stronghold of Confucianism in Surabaya , having begun in 1883 as a temple named Boen Thjiang Soe on Jalan Kapasan 131. Its grandeur made its original hidden position inside the kampung feel like a waste, prompting Chinese reformist Kang You Wei, during a visit in 1903, to suggest moving it out to the main road. Major The Toan Ing then donated roughly 500 square meters of roadside land, and the relocation was funded partly through donations and partly through fine money that Chinese merchants had won in a court case against the Dutch trading company HVA, with the rebuilt temple completed in 1906 and renamed Boen Bio, its donors' names preserved on an inscribed plaque. The name itself carries the temple's purpose: Boen (Wen in Mandarin) means literature or culture, and Bio (Miao in Mandarin) means temple. It makes Boen Bio, in essence, the "Temple of Literature."
Archives
1918 Chinese tempel Kapasan te Soerabaja.
Source: KITLV
1930 Confucius's Birthday Celebration
Every year on Confucius's birthday, prayers and public talks filled this temple. This exact ceremony, hosted by the Tong Hiang Hwee association, was already an established tradition by 1930.
Source: delpher.nl
1931 Confucius's Birthday, Continued
The temple, then known as Bunbio, marked Confucius's birthday again in 1931 with morning prayers followed by an evening talk on his teachings, a devotional rhythm repeated year after year.
Source: delpher.nl
1934 Chinese Consul Attends Ceremony
By 1934, Confucius's birthday at this temple drew international attention. The Chinese consul himself gave a speech, hosted under the auspices of Surabaya's Chinese merchants' association.
Source: delpher.nl