[1][2] The foundations of Sam Poo Kong were set when Chinese Muslim explorer Admiral Zheng He arrived in the western part of what is now Semarang via the Garang River;[1][3] the year is disputed, with suggestions ranging from 1400 to 1416.

[1] He established a small temple before leaving Java but, having grown fond of the area, his deputy Wang Jing and several crewmen remained behind.

[1] In the middle of the 1800s Sam Poo Kong was owned by a Mr. Johanes, a landlord of Jewish descent, who charged devotees for the right to pray at the temple.

[7] As this was still a heavy burden, devotees abandoned Sam Poo Kong and found a statue of Zheng He to bring to Tay Kak Sie Temple, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away, where they could pray freely.

[1] During five years of revolution after the Japanese left the newly independent Indonesia, the temple was poorly maintained and fell into disrepair.

[2] Tho Tee Kong (also known as Dewa Bumi Temple), is just within the large gate at the northern end of the complex; it is used by those who seek the blessings of the earth god Tu Di Gong.

Next to Tho Tee Kong is Kyai Juru Mudi Temple, the burial site of Wang Jing Hong, one of Zheng He's deputies.