The Sam Po Kong Temple in Melaka is located directly at the foot of the famous Bukit Cina. This famous tourist attraction was built in 1795. This temple was actually name after a legendary fish called Sam Poh Kong whereby according to legend that during one of the Admiral's trip to Melaka, his ship encountered a leak and the fish was accidentally caught in the hole and stopped the leak in the hull of the ship.
Dedicated to admiral Cheng Ho, the three-jeweled eunuch (Sam Po) of the Ming Dynasty who served under Emperor Yung Lo. He was born in Yunan, China and professed the Islamic faith, his father was a Kadi in Yunan, south west province of China. The statue of the admiral Cheng Ho was stolen from the temple in the 1970s.