Kuan Yin See, or Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, is a Taoist temple along Jalan Burma. This is a different temple from the Kuan Yin Teng, also translated as the Goddess of Mercy Temple, of Pitt Street.
The Kuan Yin See was founded in 1922 by Ben Zhong, the second abbot of Kek Lok Si Temple who was also the one who built the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas. At the entrance to the temple is a name plaque and on either sides are pillar couplets, with calligraphy written by Chen Baochen, an official in the former Qing imperial court.
The Temple of the Goddess of Mercy has become associated with the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, so much so that many people thought this is the Nine Emperor Gods Temple of Penang, which is a different temple located in Macallum Street. Nonetheless, the Kuan Yin See is the busiest during this festival, with stalls erected at the front selling vegetarian meals and confectioneries.
The Kuan Yin is was once the home of Fa Kong, a flamboyant monk whose legacy included founding a zoo in Air Itam, in what is now Zoo Road. An inscription attributed to him, of Zen verses, can be seen on the rock in the garden of Kek Lok Si Temple.