Built in the early tumultuous years
Clockwise from top left: Ying Fo Fui Kun temple, Lian Shan Shuan Lin Monastery, Thian Hock Keng temple and Fuk Tak Chi temple
The Fuk Tak Chi temple, for example, was built in the 1820s by a group of Cantonese and Hakka-speaking Chinese settlers in the middle of what is now Singapore’s business district. The temple’s signature architectural style, which includes floral roof motifs, is reminiscent of temples in Fujian, China, and stands out among the row of shophouses along Telok Ayer Street near Chinatown. Taken together, the city’s tapestry of Chinese temples are easily mistaken for a mismatched and motley collection of competing styles. But look deeper and find they speak to the identities of those who made Singapore home, bringing their architecture and preferences with them to be shaped by a common community sometimes at odds with itself. We talked to a temple guru about their history, why they differ architecturally, how they came to be, and where to find them today.
Beyond being places of worship, these elaborately decorated monuments are also places for people to socialize within the different Chinese groups and clans. Singapore is predominantly made up of Chinese, whose predecessors came from families that spoke different dialects, with Hokkien being the most common, followed by Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka, and many others. Different dialects have different tones and pitches, with Mandarin having four tone levels, while Hokkien and Teochew have eight, Hakka six, and Cantonese nine.
Thian Hock Keng
158 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068613
A Temple for All Tangren (唐人) - The temple’s history began when the first Chinese immigrants disembarked on the shore of Telok Ayer Basin, which lay along the present-day Telok Ayer Street. Upon their arrival, the Chinese – many from Fujian Province, China – visited a little shrine just in front of the shoreline to give thanks to Mazu (妈祖), Goddess of Seas, for their safe voyage. As the number of Chinese immigrants increased over the years, it was decided that a permanent temple should be built to replace the makeshift shrine.
Construction of the new temple began in 1839 and was completed three years later. All the building materials were imported from China, and the intricate carvings and decorations were all crafted by artisans who hailed from Fujian Province. The total building cost was estimated to be 30,000 Spanish dollars. Donations came mainly from wealthy Hokkien businessmen and community leaders. Inscribed on a granite tablet set in the wall of the entrance hall is a list of donors who contributed to the construction. Tan Tock Seng (陈笃生), a Malaccan-born pioneer and well-known philanthropist, was recorded to have given a handsome sum of 3,000 Spanish dollars and was the largest contributor of funds. While Thian Hock Keng is largely associated with the Hokkien community, it is evident from the same stele that the founding committee had desired it to be a temple for all tangren (唐人), that is, Chinese from all dialect groups.
Yueh Hai Ching Temple
30B Philip Street, Singapore 048696
Dwarfed by modern skyscrapers in the heart of the Central Business District is one of Singapore’s oldest Chinese temples, Yueh Hai Ching Temple (粤海清庙). Also known as Wak Hai Cheng Bio in Teochew, the temple serves as a reminder of the contributions of Teochew Chinese pioneers who arrived in Singapore shortly after the arrival of the British in 1819.
Teochew Temple - Teochew immigrants hailed from the Chaoshan region in South China, located in the easternmost Guangdong Province and bordering Fujian Province. When they first arrived in Singapore, the Teochew immigrants set up a small wood-and-attap shrine on what is known as Philip Street today, and offered prayers in thanksgiving to Mazu (妈祖), Goddess of the Seas, for her protection and blessings during the treacherous sea voyages from China. This explains the name of the temple, which in English means ‘Temple of the Calm Sea of the Guangdong (Yue) People’. It is believed that a man named Lin Pan (林泮) built a proper temple on the site of the makeshift shrine in 1826. Like other places of worship in Singapore, the temple also functioned as a social centre for immigrants.
Ngee Ann Kongsi (义安公司), which was established in 1845 to look after the religious needs and welfare of the Teochew community in Singapore, took over the management of the temple the same year. During its incipient years, the Kongsi was led by Seah Eu Chin (佘有进), a wealthy Teochew pepper and gambier merchant. Yueh Hai Ching Temple was subsequently rebuilt between 1852 and 1855 with funds collected from the growing Teochew community in Singapore. Some building materials were specially imported from China.
Fuk Tak Chi Museum
76 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 048464
Visit Singapore’s first street museum – Fu Tak Chi Museum lovingly restored by craftsman from China and Malaysia to recreate the spirit of that era. Built in 1824 by the Hakka, Singapore’s oldest temple was dedicated to Tua Pek Kong catering to the religious needs of both the Confucianists and Taoists.
In 1998, the building was restored and converted into a museum featuring rich Chinese history and culture with artefacts on the lives of early Chinese migrants in Singapore.
Visit Fuk Tak Chi Museum's website for more information
Ying Fo Fui Kun Ancestral Temple
9 Commonwealth Lane, Singapore 149551
Resembling a land out of time, the cemetery and Ancestral Temple of Ying Fo Fui Kun (双龙山嘉应五属义祠) along Commonwealth Lane is Singapore’s last remaining Hakka burial ground. It was established by Singapore’s oldest Hakka Clan Association Ying Fo Fui Kun (应和会馆), located at 98 Telok Ayer Street, whereby the Association was started in 1822 by the Hakka immigrants from five districts of the Jia Ying county (Mei Xian, Jiao Ling, Wu Hua, Xing Ning, and Ping Yuan) in Guangdong province, China.
Once spanning an impressive 40 hectares, the cemetery and Ancestral Temple were established in 1887 as a final resting place for the family of clansmen from the Association. This was made possible with the efforts of Khek leaders and financial support from local and overseas clansmen.
The Ancestral Temple was designed in the traditional Chinese architectural style. A gabled roof topped with a ridge of ceramic tiles, and a sky well with enclosing halls on four sides allows temperature to be regulated.
Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery (Former Siong Lim Temple)
184 Jalan Toa Payoh, Singapore 319944
The traditional architecture of Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery (莲山双林寺) – or ‘Twin Grove Monastery on Lotus Hill’ – stands out amidst the modern high-rise apartment blocks in the Toa Payoh neighbourhood. The monastery complex houses one of Singapore’s oldest Buddhist temples and testifies to the spread of Mahayana Buddhism in the region.
Mystical Dream - The founding of Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery is attributed to Low Kim Pong (刘金榜), a successful merchant from Fujian Province, China, who made a fortune in Singapore through his herbal and private banking businesses. One night in 1898, Low dreamt of a bright golden light emanating from the west on the sea. The next morning, he was amazed to learn that his son had a similar dream. Seeing this as an omen, Low and his son spent their day waiting at the waterfront. Just before sunset, a boat approached the shore. Twelve Buddhist monks and nuns, who were on their return journey to China from a six-year pilgrimage to India, Ceylon (today’s Sri Lanka), and Burma (or Myanmar), disembarked from the boat. Low saw this as a fulfilment of his dream. He was so inspired that he pleaded with the clergy to stay, even pledging to construct a Buddhist monastery for their use.
On 7 May 1900, Low conveyed 12 acres of his land in Toa Payoh to Venerable Xian Hui (贤慧), one of the monks on the boat, and invited him to be the abbot of the new monastery. Construction began once the building plans were approved by the authorities. While Low bore much of the building cost, he also invited members of the public to make donations to the project.
Hong San See
31 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 238975
Hong San See (凤山寺, ‘Temple on Phoenix Hill’), perched on the side of Institution Hill off Mohamed Sultan Road, was established by Hokkien immigrants from Nan’an (南安, or Lam Ann) County in Fujian Province, China. It exemplifies the spirit of solidarity and organisation of the early Hokkien community in Singapore and bears testimony to their contributions.
Temple for Immigrants from Nan’An - Led by Neo Lim Kwee (梁壬癸), a group of Hokkien pioneers from Nan’an established and constructed the original Hong San See on Tras Street in Tanjong Pagar in 1836. Neo was the father of Neo Chan Guan (梁赞元), a founding member of Keng Teck Whay. Hong San See, which shares the same name as its parent temple in Nan’an, also served as a social centre for early immigrants from Nan’an to mingle and seek help.
In 1907, the colonial government evicted the temple from Tras Street and acquired its land, offering its trustees 50,000 Straits dollars in compensation. The trustees then obtained a new site on Mohamed Sultan Road and constructed the present Hong San See between 1908 and 1913. Lim Loh (林路), also known as Lim Chee Gee (林志义) and Lim Hoon Leong (林云龙), was appointed to design and supervise the construction project. His son Lim Bo Seng (林谋盛) was recognised as Singapore’s war hero during the Second World War; a memorial was erected in his honour.
Leong San See Temple
371 Race Course Road Singapore 218641
Leong San See Temple (“Dragon Mountain Temple” in Mandarin) is one of Singapore’s most ornate Buddhist temples. It was established by Reverend Chun Wu in 1917, who arrived in Singapore in 1913 with only an urn and a statue of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. The temple was initially named Leong San Lodge and consisted of a few huts where Reverend Chun took care of the sick, with the central hut housing the Goddess of Mercy.
The present temple, a conserved building, was constructed in 1926 with building materials imported from China and funds contributed by prominent merchant and philanthropist Tan Boon Liat. The reconstructed temple has an altar with an image of Confucius, which is popular with parents who bring their children to pray for intelligence and filial piety. On certain days, free vegetarian food is served to devotees in the ancestral hall. The abbot of the temple in the 1950s, Venerable Sek Kong Hiap, had planned for a new temple next to Leong San See Temple. However, he realised that there was a more pressing need for a school and founded Leong San School within the temple compound in 1954. The school started with only four classrooms and provided free classes in Mandarin.
Enrolment at the school grew rapidly and eventually a plot adjacent to the temple was acquired. The Mee Toh School (with mee toh meaning “eternal brightness” in Mandarin) was built there, and its students often visited the temple to pray. In 2004, the school shifted to its new premises in Punggol, though it continues to be closely linked to the Leong San See Temple.
Hougang Tou Mu Kung
779A Upper Serangoon Rd
Hougang Tou Mu Kung (后港斗母宫) is the oldest temple in Singapore dedicated to the Nine Emperor Gods. The deities are known in Hokkien as Kew Ong Yah, which also gives rise to believers referring to the temple as the Kew Ong Yah temple (九皇大帝庙). The temple started in 1902 as a shrine at Lim Loh Village (present-day Wolskel Road), with incense ash brought from another Nine Emperor Gods temple in Penang. The temple’s early records showed that its worshippers were from various Chinese dialect groups including Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese and Hakka.
In 1919, businessman Ong Chwee Tow donated the present site for the building of a new temple. The temple was completed in 1921 and originally designed in traditional Hokkien architectural style, with features such as pronounced curvatures of the roof ridges. Teochew architectural features such as straighter roof ridges were added in subsequent renovations and a permanent opera stage was erected in 1925. The temple is known for its Nine Emperor Gods festival held during the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar when the deities are believed to descend from the heavens to earth. The festival begins on the last day of the eighth lunar month with a procession from the temple to Sungei Serangoon to invite the deities into the temple. The deities would be sent off at the river with a grand procession on the last day of the festival.
In 2005, Hougang Tou Mu Kung was gazetted as a National Monument in recognition of its historical and social significance for both Hougang and the nation. Extensive works were launched in 2016 to preserve the building’s heritage and to better serve its worshippers. The main temple building was restored while new annexes, including a multi-storey block and an underground carpark, were added.
Chongyang Jie 重陽節 (Double Ninth Festival) 2021
The Chongyang Festival (or Chung Yeung Festival) is also known as the Double Ninth Festival as it falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month this year (Oct 7). According to the ancient Chinese divination text I Ching, this Double Ninth day has too much yang (active energy) and is therefore a“potentially dangerous day”.
Traditionally, people climb mountains, drink chrysanthemum wine, and carry the zhuyu (dogwood) plant for protection. Folks also go to parks to enjoy the beauty of chrysanthemums as the flower symbolises longevity. Drinking chrysanthemum wine is believed to ward off evil and block off disasters. The scent of the chrysanthemums and zhuyu is also said to repel insects and keep out the cold.
Although this annual festival is not celebrated in Malaysia, it is a traditional holiday celebrated in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In China, nine has a similar pronunciation to the word “forever”, which symbolises longevity.
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