Historic Chinese Architecture in Singapore

This blog has shifted!

2006-07-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

I will not be putting new articles in this blog as from today. My new blog
is at this web address:-
http://nanyangtemple.wordpress.com

SOCH 1st gathering

2006-06-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

Dear supporters of the SOCH initiative,

For a start, we will have the 1st SOCH tour at the Palmer Road Tua Pek Kong temple to show you the important architectural features and artifacts to record with your cameras. Those of you who do not have a 8mp or above SLR camera, you are also welcomed to join us in the inspection of this Hakka temple built in traditional Teochew style architecture. We are starting the 1st field work at this temple because this building is facing the possibilty of demolition. If it happens, an almost two century historical artifice will be obliterated in the name of property value. Whatever it is, at least we can archive it in digital images for the benefit of our future generations.

Time: 10.30am
Date: 24 June 2006
Venue: 50H Palmer Road, Hock Teck See

Kent Neo
Founder , SOCH

Save Our Chinese Heritage, SOCH initiative

2006-06-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

I am glad to announce that an initiative to save all heritage pertaining to the immigrant Chinese of the various dialect groups has been drawn up by me and a photographer friend. For a start, we will be archiving all architectural heritage plus artefacts within these buildings for the benefit of future generations and conservation purposes. So far, we have archived 2 buildings of great heritage value - Tong Xian Tng at Devonshire Road and Ying Fo Fui Kun at Telok Ayer Street. As this is a non-profit initiative, our progress has been rather slow due to our involvement of the project only during weekends. We are calling for photographers equipped with 10 megapixel or more digital SLR cameras to participate in this SOCH initiative. In the spirit of open source collaboration (e.g. wikipedia, Linux),
a central repository of archived jpegs is needed for a start. I suggest that the Singapore History Museum(or Ying Fo Fui Kun) to be used as a place to convene and depositing of archived pictures. Meanwhile, we are in the process of getting support from URA and the NHB in this project. Interested photographers, please send me an email at kwneo@nafa.edu.sg
I will personally show you the salient architectural features and artefacts to record.

Thank you
Kent Neo

East or West, where do you stand?

2006-04-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Whilst researching on the 4 royal plaques, came across accidentally on many web resources on the fall of China and its awakening. While Singapore has been favourably praised by Western visitors with terms like 'Asia lights', 'everybody speaks English here', and 'its so clean' etc, the Chinese-speaking countries view Singapore as an anamoly and backward in cultural sophisication due to the Chinese population's superficial understanding of mainstream Chinese culture. In a rather chauvanistic manner, Taiwan's prominent political figure and commentator derides Singaporeans as 'stupid'. I can understand what he is talking about having worked in China myself. I vividly remembered how I was criticized by a Beijing friend as having 'no culture' when a group of his friends were discussing Chinese poetry and history. I felt stupid, Li Ao was absolutely right. The Chinese speaking world just cannot fathom why Chinese Sngaporeans could not speak or write Chinese properly. It is only natural for them to think Singaporean Chinese are not very educated on this light as this is their usual gauge for sophisication - Chinese must speak and write Mandarin, even more so when they watch your Mandarin soaps for the past decade!

On a more objective comparison between the Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia, one would notice that there are more interests in Chinese heritage and culture across the causeway. Yet, these Malaysian Chinese perform equally well when put in an overseas context. Yes, we use alot of English in Singapore, but sometimes I feel that Singlish seems to be the norm nowadays. Most educated Chinese Singaporeans write in English, while majority speaks Mandarin. English is merely a working language to the majority Chinese Singaporeans. Singlish becomes the informal social language. The hybriding of local dialects with English is a natural choice as speaking in a manner like one would in a 'Masters of the Seas' manner would be rather alien to most Singaporeans. Even for Mandarin speakers in Singapore, the form of local Mandarin slang mixed with dialects appear a little strange to the mainstream Chinese speaking world. What is the conclusion? In a span of about 40 years since interpendence, we have created two dialects - Singlish and Singdarin. Given another 100 years, I am sure a new language would have evolved!

From this observation, it is clear that many of us are unwilling to part with our dialects. Our dialects are important as these are our actual mother tongues. Try tellng a French to use English as their first language and French as their second, see what will happen. Yet the problem in Sinapore is that we are not made up by one majority dialect group as in Taiwan, Hong Kong or provinces in China. In a tiny place like ours, we are alomst like a mini Southern China in terms of the eclectic mix of Chinese from the different provinces. We can witness this from our diverse heritage of Chinese architecture in Singapore. The elite ruling class in Singapore with their scholarly backgrounds speaks English. Meaning, if you want to be 'Atas', you had better speak English. Also, due to the displacement of Malay as the common language, English has become the common language for inter-racial communication. For me, there are no reasons to be pro-East or pro-West, I would be happy just to speak Cantonese, a language which was my first language learnt when I was young. However, in order to carry on daily communications with other people, knowing Chinese and English is a necessity. Triligualism is the best for all Singaporeans I think. I remembered that when I was working in Shanghai, the Shanghainese told me that during the colonial days, educated Shanghainese could speak English, Shanghainese and Mandarin. Now, that is truly cosmopolitan. It is my hope that Singaporeans would be proud of their multilingual abilities and yet bring them to a profienciency that can be appreciated by a global audience.

For more information on the history of language divide in the Chinese community, see
http://www.globalpublishing.com.sg/chinese/bookshop/g059_g061_4.html (in English)

Lessons from the Royal Plaques

2006-04-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

This long weekend has finally given me time to do some research on the Qing royal plaques found in Thian Hock Keng, Wak Hai Cheng Bio and Kek Lok Si. I was curious under what conditions these plaques were presented to temples in Singapore & Penang as they were all from the same emperor - Guang Xu emperor. As there were no royal connections bewteen the temples in Nanyang until the latter half of the 19th century, there had to be some reasons for the sudden interest by the Manchu government with the Chinese community in Nanyang. Here are some details of the 4 plaques bequethed by the emperor :

1. Wak Hai Cheng Bio - Zhu Hai Xiang Yun (1899)
2. Kek Lok Si - Da Xiong Bao Dian (1901), Long Chang (?)
3. Thian Hock Keng - Bo Qian Nan Ming (1907)
There is one rare plaque from the emperor's foster mother, Ci Xi :
4. Kek Lok Si - Hai Tian Fo Di (1901)

Other plaques presented by Qing court officials :

5. Heng San Teng - Shan Yu Zhong Ling (1891) from Chen Hui Ming, Qing Naval defence officer
6. Kek Lok Si - Wu Wang Gu Guo (?) from Kang You Wei , Qi Yan Jie lu Shi (1906) from Chen Bao Shen
7. Shuang Lin Si - Zhang Zhe Tang (1904) from Lin Guo Qing, Qing official , Couplet on pillars outside Zhang Zhe Tang (1904)
8. Thian Hock Keng - Xian Che You Ming (?) from Zuo Bing Long
9. Seng Ong Beo - Cong Ming Zheng Zhi (1907) from Zuo Bing Long, 3rd Qing Consul General in Singapore

If we were to look at some of the older temples in Taiwan, we would realise that the presence of royal plaques bequethed by the Qing emperors are not uncommon. However, when we looked at the oldest temple in Malaysia, Cheng Hoon Teng (1645), there was not a single royal plaque. Looking at the wealth and population of the Chinese before 19th century, they perhaps did not pose a threat to the Qing court. However, with the countless uprisings, invasions and a threatened soverignty towards the end of the 19th century, the QIng treasury was in a pretty bad shape. Loyal Qing court officials such as Kang You Wei had to flee China after implementing an unsuccessful '100 day's reform', a major revamp of the Qing constitution in 1898. Emperor Guang Xu was put under house arrest for colluding with his tutor, Kang's reformist movement.
From the dates listed above, it is quite clear that all the plaques from Guang Xu were bequethed to the temples in Singapore and Penang whilst he was under house arrest. The dowager Cixi became the regent and official ruler of China whilst his sister's son the emperor was kept in a bricked-up room in the Summer Palace. So were these calligraphy really Guang Xu's or merely edicts issued by the Dowager to gain support for the Qing court? The original scroll from Thian Hock Keng has been restored at a cost of S$10,000 by specialists in China, I think it would be an interesting exercise to get other specialists to ascertain the authorship of the scroll. Incidentally, the Thian Hock Keng scroll was bequethed one year before Guang Xu's tragic death (legend had it that he was poisoned by his foster mum the dowager) in a miserable bricked-up room at the Summer Palace called the 'Hall of Magnolia'. I have visited the Summer Palace years back when I was in Beijing, the more memorable scandalous relic was the well in which Xu's favourite 'Pearl' concubine committed suicide. Had the empress listened to Kang, it would have been a less tragic ending for herself and the rest of her people. However, she chose to believe in Yuan Shi Kai, whose only ambition was to become emperor himself. There were confucian scholars and reformists who had supported Kang in the Qing court, unfornuately real power was in the hands of warlords like Yuan Shi Kai.

The royal scrolls in Wak Hai Cheng Bio and Kek Lok Si were dated much earlier than the Thian Hock Keng scroll. If they were really from Guang Xu, we can assume that the emperor continued his daily duties under the instruction of her mum. The intention of these plaques were obvious - the refomists, royalists and revolutionaries like Kang You Wei and Sun Yat Sen were getting financial support from the Nanyang Chinese in their cause to topple her majesty's regency. Kang was in support the emperor, his student and bitterly against the idea of a woman as an empress for it was in contrary to Confucian principles. He was in Singapore for a while in 1900 on a invitation by Khoo Seok Wan, the scholar-poet who funded the building of Sen Ong Beo near Tanjong Pagar MRT station. The interesting thing about the Kek Lok Si plaques is that they were plaques from three persons that were locked in a hopeless internal battle , benefitting only the encroaching colonists all to eager to loot treasures and resources from the technologically backward empire. Perhaps only when we reflect on Kang's 'Wu Wang Gu Guo' plaque in Kek Lok Si, we shall remember and understand why our ancestors had come thus far to make a living.

For more info on the Qing Empress Dowager Ci Xi, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cixi
For more info on Qing Royalist Kang You Wei, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kang_Youwei
For more info on the last Qing emepror's grand tutor, see http://www.culturalcompass.org/imperial%20tutor.htm

Handy Guide for Qing dates used in Chinese Temples

2006-03-25T06:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some dates according to the reign of the emperors that are commonly found in Chinese temples and houses in Singapore :

Dao Guang (Dao Kuang) 1821-1851
Emperor who lost Hong Kong to Britain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daoguang_Emperor

Xian Feng (Hsien Feng) 1851-1862
Emperor who married Cixi, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xianfeng_Emperor

Tong Zhi (Tung Chih) 1826 - 1875
Emperor who died of STD, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongzhi

Guang Xu (Kuang Hsu) 1875 - 1908
- Reformist emperor with tragic end, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangxu

Xuan Tong (Hsuan Tung) 1908 - 1911
- Puyi, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puyi

Min Guo ( Min Kuo) 1911 - present Taiwan
- Sun Yat Sen, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat_Sen

Welcome to my blog!

2006-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting this blog on the History and Architecture of Chinese Temples in Singapore. I have uploaded pictures of about 47 historic Chinese temples & buildings on this blog todate. Please go to the various monthly archives to see the entire collection. For a list of old temples to visit in Singapore, click on the December 2004 archive. If you have any other juicy info about any temples, please leave your data on the comments at the end of each article. I update these pages when I am free and in the mood, so do drop by once in a while to see updates. Happy templing !

Temple visits for 2006

2006-01-24T16:52:00.000-08:00

'Gong Xi Fa Cai' to readers of this blog. With the start of a brand new Lunar year, here are some of the buildings that I will be visiting this year. Those interested can write in to me and we can arrange a date to do the 'templing' together! Here's the list:-

Temples in Penang - Meetup with Mr Tan Yeow Hooi, Ronni Pinsler

Historic cemeteries of Perak - Meetup with Ah Q the grave digger

Johor - Johor's oldest temple opposite Indian temple - photoshoots & curry fish-head with tau-ki

Buildings in Singapore - Tong Xian Tng (Devonshire rd), Yin Foh Kuan(Commonwealth), Balestier Tua Pek Kong, Telok Blangah Tua Pek Kong, House of Tan Yeok Nee , Thong Chai Medical Hall

For those of you wondering what to do during this Chinese New Year holidays, go to Thian hock Keng on the eve at around 11pm to do the tradition of offering of the 1st incense of the year(no crowds here) or go to Shuanglin Monastery to hear the 108 soundings of the gong. These activities will ensure that you get lots and lots of luck this year!

May all have peace and harmony in the new Lunar Year :)

Kent Neo, 25 January 2006

1. Wak Hai Cheng Bio, 1820, conserved

2005-11-30T08:31:00.000-08:00

Founding dialect group - Teochew; Main dieties - Mazu (Goddess of the Sea), XuanTianShangDi (God of the Heaven); status - conserved

Of all the Teochew temples in Singapore and Malaysia, this temple is most unique in terms of layout and roof ornamentation. This temple was modelled after a similar temple in Swatow which had two temples built side by side. On the right temple lies the 'King of Heaven" while on the left is the 'Goddess of the Sea'. However, if we were to face our back towards the temple, the 'King' would be on the left while Mazu would the right. This layout reflects the Chinese belief in the Yang elements on the left while the Yin elements on the right. More interestingly, according to a Taiwanese researcher on Temples in Singapore, the arrangement of the twin temple were closely related to the anti-Qing rebel group 'TianDihui' or the 'Heaven & Earth' secret society. 'Tian' is the first character of the name of the 'Tianhou' temple while 'Di' is the last character of the name of the 'XuanTianShangDi' temple. Incidentally, the worship of 'XuanTianShangDi' was a common practice of members of 'Hong Men', a branch of TianDiHui. According to temple records, it was already in existence, albeit smaller in scale, in 1820. An attap temple was already present at the same location before Raffles landed in Singapore. Taishanting (now Ngee Ann City), the earlest Teochew cemetery was probably established at around the same time. We could only guess from these sketchy evidence that there were probably some Teochews in Singapore before Raffles landed in Singapore. Most of the Teochews that contributed to Wak Hai Cheng Bio came from Siam and Riau Island battling dangerous sea voyages before arriving in Singapore.

The roof ornamentation is probably the most obvious attraction of this temple as they were mini replicas of favourite Teochew opera scenes in porcelain mosiac! Teochew operas are renowned and much appreciated by opera fans even from other dialect groups. Fastidious wood carves are another trait of Teochew architecture. Fasicia boards, beams and trusses are fully decorated with wood carves of myriad forms, from mythology to operatic scenes. Teochew wood carves boast of a three-dimensionality that is not so often seen in equally fastidious woodwork of the Hokkien temples. Similarly, the 'jiannian' or porecelain mosiac of the roof ridges in Teochew architecture exudes a virtuosity and Roccoco quality that is neither matched by Hokkien temples. Indeed, the Teochews in those days were in intense rivalry with the Malaccan Chinese Towkays who setup their base on the same street. Thian Hock Keng had a plaque bequethed by the Qing emperor; likewise, Wak Hai Cheng Bio also had one from the same emperor. However, what Thian Hock Keng did not have, were all the plaques from the other dialect groups found in Wak Hai Cheng Bio. Why is this so? The wealth and population of the Hokkiens in those days were unmatched by the other dialect groups. In order to achieve power balance, politically and financially, the rest of the Chinese dialect groups in Singapore formed an unofficial alliance through Wak Hai Cheng Bio. This alliance was very obvious during the eleventh month of the lunar calender when the image of Mazu would be carried around various Cantonese, Hakka and Hainan temples around town except Thian Hock Keng. I would imagine the procession of mazu in those days were pretty similar to practices still found in Taiwan nowadays. It would certainly be very interesting to witness such a procession again in modern Singapore, but perhaps Thian Hock Keng should be included after all these years!

The most memorable part of this temple is perhaps the makeshift wayang stage that would be erected in the huge forecourt during festive occassions. It was the first time that I saw a female opera acttress tucked comfortably under the stage in a hammock strung between two Bintango stilt columns! So you see, there is life on stage, and life below stage, literally.

For more information on Teochew architecture (in Chinese), see http://www.czpp.com/msgj.htm

2. Fuk Tak Chi, 1820, conserved

2005-11-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

Founding dialect group - Cantonese/Hakka; Main diety - Tua Pek Kong; status - conserved, converted into street museum, diety evicted

This was the oldest Topekong Temple in Singapore. Built in 1824, 25 years after the oldest Topekong Temple in Malaysia, the Tanjong Tokong Tua Pek Kong Temple. The siting of the temple did not follow spring from the instructions of a fengshui master, but rather, a more colourful tradition of spirit worship (nonetheless, fengshui was good as the temple was facing the sea and backed by hills in the early days). The tale goes that in about 1820, a corpse floated on the banks of the present site of the temple. A joss house emerged gradually as more and more people paid respects to the deceased elder. In folk Chinese beliefs, the spirit will wreak havoc if not appeased by joss and other offerings. In return, favours can be asked from the spirits. Perhaps the numerous prayers from sinkehs of Hakka and Cantonese origins did get answered and a proper temple was duly erected by 1824 (incidentally, the second oldest Topekong temple in Singapore, Palmer road Topekong Temple, shared a similar founding story at the same period). The local name for the temple was extremely poetic - it was known as the 'Lips-of-the-Sea' temple. Architectural wise, the temple has a Cantonese temple layout with two tiers of entrance doors. In the past, the inner doors will be closed except on festive occasions as these doors were meant for the spirit diety and not for people like us. The granite columns were of Cantonese origins. Due to its popularity, even Hokkiens contributed to the temple (which is strange as immigrants from Guangzhou and those from Fookien were in intense rivalry) .The expansion of the temple in 1869 was attributed to Cheang Hong Lim , a Hokkien tychoon). The beautiful Hokkien timber trusses and the gently sloping roof profile was the result of this expansion. The lips of the sea have receded far from the temple now and in place of the image of Tua Pek Kong is a model of a Chinese junk. Very soon, this recenty converted street museum will become a teahouse. Who would have known that this used to be the oldest Tua Pek Kong Temple in Singapore ? Perhaps its better to erase our coolie past, its got no value in a meritocratic society.

For more information on the origins of Tua Pek Kong worship (in Chinese), see http://www.chinapress.com.my/topic/series/default01.asp?sec=belief&art=0926belief.txt http://www.sinorama.com.tw/ch/1999/199904/804116c1.html

3. Soon Thian Keng, 1821, demolished

2005-11-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

The relics & dieties of this temple have been rehoused in the Telok Blangah Ban Siew San Temple.

For more info of the relocated temple in Geylang, see http://travel.zaobao.com/spore/pages/food030700.html (in Chinese)

4. Ning Yeung Wui Kuan, 1821, demolished

2005-11-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

5. Ying Fo Fui Kun, 1822, conserved

2005-10-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Situated along the oldest street of Singapore, Telok Ayer Street, Ying Fo Fui Kun is one of those national monuments that people would easily miss compared to those more tourist oriented landmarks such as Thian Hock Keng or Fuk Tak Chi which is a few shophouse away. Probably due to its rather austere bare façade, passerbys could hardly associate such a plain building with the other national monuments. However, if one looks beyond the humble façade, within this clanshouse is a well-kept secret not known to many locals – this is the oldest surviving clanshouse in Singapore that is still in function! During weekends, this place will be thronged with Hakka amahs, ladies and men vying for a seat at the second floor KTV. The most interesting part is, not only are they crooning over classics by Teresa Teng or the likes, they also sing Hakka MTV! Wonder if they would ever hold a “Hakka Idol’ in Singapore. Their care and concern over historical artifacts in the building are meticulous – the granite tablets are protected by acrylic sheets and properly numbered. Rubbings are displayed prominently on the walls informing visitors on the history of the clanshouse. Other interesting artifacts on display on the ground level include a gigantic iron safe that resembles a sarcophagus, an antique school-bell and lots of beautiful Qing teak furniture that are still in use. On the second level are two separate halls supported by beautiful timber trusses built in traditional Teochew style. One may wonder why we should see architectural elements that do not belong to the Hakka tradition in this building. The answer is simple, the founders of this clanshouse came from eastern Guangdong which is the same region where the Teochews had originated. Timber parts of the building were shipped from eastern Guangdong, prefabricated, and put on site by local workers who were most likely to be of Guangdong origins (Cantonese or Hakkas). Even though there were no records on where the workers had came from for Ying Fo Fui Kun, my speculation is based on the close affiliation between the Hakkas and Cantonese in the 1820s where they had also jointly looked after the Fuk Tak Chi Temple around the corner. The Hakkas and Cantonese were outnumbered by the Hokkiens and Teochews in those days and in addition, the secret societies formed were mainly dialect-based. I highly suspect the hall where a tablet of Kuan Kong is housed was a gathering place for secret society members of Hakka/Cantonese origins in its early founding days.

6. Hang San Teng, 1828, destroyed by fire

2005-10-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Hokkien; Main diety - Tua Pek Kong; status - destroyed by fire

This was a cemetery temple for the Hokkien community built by the wealthiest Hokkien leader then - Mr Seah Hood Ki. Malaccan-born, Seah was a pioneering leader of the Hokkien community in Singapore. He was also a predecessor of Tan Tock Seng and Tan Kim Seng. Not only was he a major contributor to this temple and Thian Hock Keng, he was also a president of Cheng Hoon Teng in Malacca in his later years. The main diety of this temple was Tua Pek Kong. To his right stood the City-god diety and to his left was the Goddess of birth. In those days when there were no such thing as KK hospital, people(mostly women folk) will pray to the Goddess of birth in fertility matters. It would the third oldest Tua Pek Kong Temple if it were still standing today. In one of the granite tablets which was also destroyed by fire in the 90's, a total of 108 donors were recorded. The number 108 strongly suggests an underlying clandestine nature of the founding members. Were they anti-Qing or just another secret-society, nobody knows. I have visited this temple in the 80's when it was already in a derelict state. The timber details were simple, robust and somewhat reminded me of Cheng Hoon Teng. The dieties were all recessed behind a secondary timber-framed wall fashioned in a form of traditional folding doors. I was shocked to recieve the news in 1985 when it was besieged by fire. Some say the gods were angry as the temple had become so decrepit that they would rather raze it to the grounds. The site now is an empty plot of turfed ground, like any other grassy patch you would see in Singapore. Buildings, fashion and people in Singapore comes and goes, nobody gives a damn.
- Kent Neo

I believe it was the oldest (along with Wak Hai Cheng Beo) as it was there when Raffles arrived. It was built and lived in by the keeper who looked after the thousands of graves on the Hill of Teng - that the British exhumed to build the General Hospital. One of the Temple Keepers 100 years ago was carried off by a tiger!In their front courtyard they had two very rare Dragon Claw Trees - greenish-yellow flowers with curly petals a bit like orchid that looked like Dragon Claw - very good Feng Shui - but obviously not good enough to allow the temple to burn down!
-Geraldene Lowe

Went to Bollywood Veggies with Geraldene today and guess what? I've finally seen the legendary Dragon Claw tree! According to my mum, in her kampong days, the fragrant flowers were offerings for dieties.
-Kent , 27 Nov 2005

7. Hong San See, 1836, conservation in progress

2005-10-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

8. Kim Lan Beo, 1839, demolished & relocated

2005-10-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Hokkien (Quanzhou, Yongchoon); Main diety - Qing Shui Zhu Shi ; status - relocated & rebuilt

This temple has got an interesting beginning - it was the gathering place of a secret society known as the 'Choo Soo Kong Hoe'. The brotherhood of society members can be seen by the titles of the donors inscribed in the original stone tablets now rehoused in the rebuilt temple at Kim Tian Road. Titles of 'gor' and 'hup' were titles frequently used in secret societies then. In fact, the name of the temple itself suggests a place where 'brotherhood' were sworn in. 'Kim Lan' are two words that originate from the famous ' I-ching '. 'Kim' stands for gold,while 'Lan' stands for orchid. In the parable in 'I-ching' about the virtues of friendship, it goes something like this - '....when two hearts are one, they are strong enough to break gold; the words from two hearts in unison are like the fragrance of orchids'.
My paternal grandfather's ancestral tablet is kept in the new temple according to my dad.

9. Thian Hock Keng, 1842, conserved

2005-09-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

10. Hock Teck See, 1844, needs conservation

2005-09-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

11. Rochore Toa Kong Beo, 1847, needs conservation

2005-09-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

12. Qing Yuen Zhen Zun Miao, 1849, demolished

2005-09-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

13. Chwee Eng Chinese School, 1854, conserved

2005-08-07T00:34:00.000-07:00

14. Siang Cho Keong, 1869, conserved

2005-08-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

15. Tong Xian Tng, 1870, needs conservation

2005-08-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

Most people would not have believed that there is actually a beautiful Teochew-styled Chinese temple around Orchard Road. Nestled amongst shophouses and backed by a condominium, Tong Sian Tng is one of the very few remaining private temples and abode for lay practitioners of of Buddhism. The entrance gateway is perhaps the most elegant in Singapore with walls shaped in a cloud-like form. Compared to Wak Hai Cheng Beo, the scale of this temple is much smaller but shares similarity in the artistry of the woodwork. The individual perimeter buildings remind me of the smaller shrine architecture found in the oldest Chinese temple in Johor opposite the Indian temple. It is no coincident for this temple to be built in traditional Teochew house form, the founder of this temple, or grand teacher Ma, was a Qing scholar from Teochew. If you ask for permission to visit the residential quarters right at the back of the compound, you should be able to see the portrait of Ma on the second level of the building. The rear building of Tong Xian Tng is probably the only double-storey residential building built in the traditional Teochew fashion still in use as residence. The right wing of Tan Yeok Nee’s house and River house at Clarke quay are other examples of double-storey Teochew architecture. In terms of form, the residential building has a striking resemblance to the rear hall in Shuang Lin Monastery which was built in the Hokkien tradition. According to the present temple guardian, we can tell that Tong Xian Tng is a ‘Kuan Yin’ temple from the layout of the temple – with Kuan Yin placed in the front hall. Personally, I was quite impressed by a plaque mounted on the ceiling of the front hall. On the plaque reads ‘Wan Shan Tong Gui’, literally translated as ‘all good ends in the same path’, a pleasant welcome greeting for all who goes to the temple.

16. Kim Mui Hoey Kuan, 1870, demolished

2005-08-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

17. Po Chiak Keng, 1876, renovated

2005-08-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

18. Mun Sun Fook Tuck Chee, 1876, needs conservation

2005-07-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

19. Hainan Mazu Temple, 1878, rebuilt

2005-07-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Hainanese; Main diety - Mazu; status - demolished & rebuilt

The Hainanese community is one of the smaller dialect groups in Singapore. The Hainan Clan was formed in 1854 with their first clan house(1857) setup in a shophouse along Malabar Street. In 1881, 3 years after the new temple was built, there were 8,319 Hainanese in Singapore. They were the 4th in size after Hokkiens, Teochews and Cantonese. There were only 6,170 Hakkas then. Now according to statistics in 1990, the Hainanese population was 0.3% less than the Hakkas. Four other dialect groups forming the real minority Chinese dialect groups are Foochow, Heng Hua, Shanghainese and Hock Chia respectively. The scale of the original temple along Beach Road resembles the Hainanese temple in Penang (still standing ). In terms of architectural style and temple layout, this Hainanese temple really looked like a Cantonese temple! However, in Cantonese temples, the front entrance would normally be a brick wall with an entrance in the centre. The frontage of the Hainan temple were sealed by timber doors with a triple door-entrance much like a Hokkien temple. Interestingly, the Hainanese language itself is related to the Hokkien dialect group. The picture on top shows the rear hall of the old temple. This picture has always been confused by local writers with the Thian Hock Keng temple. From the architectural style and the chinese characters that suggests Hainan, this altar in the picture is more likely to be that of the Hainanese Tian Hou Temple and Clan house in Beach Road.

The rear hall of the temple along Beach Road was incorporated to the back of the Hainan Association Building in 1962. The altar and candle stands can still be seen in the rebuilt temple today. For more information, see http://www.sfcca.org.sg/hainan_clan/index.htm

20. Chinese Chamber of Commerce, 1878, rebuilt

2005-07-28T02:13:00.000-07:00

21. Kwong Fook Gu Miu, 1880, demolished

2005-07-26T01:38:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Cantonese ; Main diety - Monkey God ; status - demolished,1880 bronze bell at the rebuilt Peck San Theng.

A Cantonese temple located at Lavender Street but since demolished. This temple functioned as a temple as well as a guild house for the various trades practiced by the Cantonese then (in Penang, there is the 'Lu Ban' temple which act as a carpenter's guild). A little sidetrack, there was a more historical shophouse neighbouring the temple. This two-storey clan house was founded by a guy called Chow Ah Chi who was a carpenter cum translater (probably spoke Bahasa & English) recruited by Raffles in Penang before Singapore was founded. So Chow sailed with Raffles alongside with 30 Indian convicts to form the first rackey party in search of a better port to rival the Dutch perhaps. Local legend has it that it was Chow who landed on Singapore first and planted a flag (Union Jack or East India Co., nobody knows....I doubt if even Chow himself could have told the difference) on a hillock 200km from mouth of Rochor River.Raffles saw the glorius flag and landed soon after. Nobody knows where, historians were not the least interested. Legend continues that as a reward for braving unchartered territories - such as lions, crocodiles, mosquitoes, Orang Lauts and above all ,the Dutch - Chow was given a plot of land near the landing spot. That plot of land eventually became No. 1 Lavender Street, the clan house of Chow, the Toi San Cantonese carpenter from Penang. The clan house has also been demolished.

22. Ban Siew San Temple, 1880, needs conservation

2005-06-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Hainanese; Main diety - Kuanyin; status - needs conservation

There are not much resources on the history of this temple which was built 2 years after the Hainan Tinhou (Mazu) temple in Beach Road. My first impression of this temple when I visited it years ago, I thought it was a Cantonese temple because of its straight roof ridge and the relatively unadorned building parts. According to Geraldene Lowe, however, this is actually a Hainanese temple! There used to be a small Hainanese Kampung around the hill in the early days of this hillock and hence the founding of the temple. This would explain why some of the dieties found in this temple are not commonly found in other temples! This is the only historical Hainanese temple left in Singapore, I strongly urge the authorities to give it a conservation status. In fact, there are only a handful of Hainanese temples left in Malaysia now. Although this is a very simple building architecturally speaking, it has an old world charm throughout the interior spaces - from beautiful antique floor tiles to wall paintings and Qing furniture etc. The charms and value of a building is not judged by ornamentation, size or popularity but in the atmosphere it evokes. When I am in Ban Siew San, I can really imagine Kampong folks, mothers and amahs dressed in samfoos kowtowing earnestly before the dieties for prayers. No videos, or pictures can exactly bring you to that kind of space in time as compared to a real place that has survived the vissitudes of time. We should treasure history, authenticity and the stories they have for us.

23. Hougang Dou Mu Gong, 1881, needs conservation

2005-06-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

24. House of Tan Yeok Nee, 1882, conserved

2005-06-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

Fong Yun Thai Chong De Tang, 1882, conserved

2005-06-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Hakka ; Main diety - Tua Pek Kong; status - conserved
It is also known as the Sanyi Ancestral Temple. Located at Holland Lane, it was founded by the pioneers of three counties, Foong Shoon, Eng Teng and Dabu. It was renovated in 1939, 1959 and 1980 and conserved in 1997. MM Lee's grandfather's ashes and ancestral tablet are housed here.

25. River House, 1880s, conserved

2005-06-03T05:04:00.000-07:00

26. Waterloo Kuan Yin Temple, 1884, rebuilt

2005-05-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Yu Shan Teng, 1885, demolished

2005-05-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Hakka; main diety - Tua Pek Kong; status - demolished

Founded in 1885 and situated at Holland Road (Bukit Timah 10km), Yu Shan Teng was a cemetery temple set up by clansmen of three Hakka counties( Foong Shoon, Eng Teng and Dabu). The cemetery was refurbished from 1901 to 1902. It ceased to operate in 1971 after being acquired by the government. At present, the remains of the cemetery have been rehoused in the columbarium of the Fong Yun Thai Association.

27. Giok Hong Tian, 1887, needs conservation

2005-05-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

My dad used to come to this temple with his mother when he was a kid. He remembers the place was commonly known as Tee Kong Tua. This Tee Kong Tua is very different from the Foochow style Tee Kong Tua in Penang. Anyway, he also vividly recalls that there was a dentist on the same row of shophouses adjoining the temple whom he had visited once in a while. This particular dentist apparently was blind in one eye! There was also a rice shop nearby that my granny used to frequent.

29. Peck San Theng, 1891, rebuilt

2005-05-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

Founding dialect group - Cantonese ( Guangfu, Huifu, Zhaofu); Main deity - Kuan in; status - rebuilt

My maternal grandfather was cremated here and my great-grandmother's ashes are housed in the columbarium. It was in my university days that I first saw the old temple, amidst the burning incense papers & smoke. The second time I visited this place, hoping to see more of 'Cantonese' architecture, it had already been rebuilt. The last time I visited it, it has become a spanking new temple. It was during this last visit that I witnessed my first encounter of a marriage ceremony for the departed. Two paper effigies were made to bow to each other and the heavens like in any traditional Chinese marriages. The paraphernalia that came with the wedding ceremony was grand - there were cars, dvd players, clothes TVs, etc I am sure the couple will be quite happy below, or up there, wherever lah. Just wondering if they burnt any marriage contract, just in case.
The initial setting up of the temple could really be made into a Hong Kong movie. Story goes that much trouble were made by the local thugs when the Kwong Wai Siu Clan decided to build a burial ground and temple here. Volunteer vigilante 'guardians' protected the vicinity from these malevolent forces.A grand memorial in the compounds was erected to commemorate these '7 heroic gentlemen'. Gradually, a primary school, a market, a tea house, a factory and even a factory sprung around the temple compounds. This was how Kampong San Teng came about. Bishan was named after Bek San, the Mandarin version that is. For more info, go to http://www.kwspecksantheng.com/

30. Old Thong Chai Medical Institution, 1892, conserved

2005-04-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Wu Shu Temple, 1903, needs conservation

2005-04-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Located in Shuang Long Shan cemetery of Holland Close, it is a public temple for the clansmen of Kar Yeng five counties: Meixian, Jiaoling, Wuhua, Xingning and Pingyuan, and administered by the Ying Fo Fui Kun. The temple was extensively renovated in 1952. The original cemetery that was established in 1887 had an area of more than 100 acres at Holland Road. In 1965, as large part of land was acquired by the government, the original cemetery size was reduced to 4.5 acres. New memorials and a columbarium were erected in the 1970s around this cemetery temple and its remaining land.

For more info on this temple, see http://mis_nomer.blogspot.com/2005/07/yin-foh-kuan-cemetery.html
To see another Hakka cemetery temple, go here http://nanyangtemple.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_nanyangtemple_archive.html

31.Hoon San Temple, 1903, needs conservation

2005-04-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

32. Siong Lim Sian See, 1903 - 1907, conserved & expanded

2005-04-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

33. Seng Ong Beo, 1905, needs conservation

2005-04-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

34. Hock San Teng, 1906, relocated

2005-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Founding group - Hock San Teng Temple Association; Main diety - Tua Pek Kong; status - relocated This temple was located at Bedok Rise next to a Thai temple. Also known as the Hock San Teng Tua Pek Kong, this used to be a cemetery temple at 'beoy tiao jeok', or eight rocks. This private Chinese cemetery was seven acres in size and was opened to Chinese of all dialects. Hock San Teng Tua Pek Kong was pretty well-known for people in the East in those days. Dignitaries who have graced the temple includes the late Dr Toh Chin Chye and MM Lee. The temple was rebuilt in 1966 and MM Lee was invited for the opening ceremony.of this occasion. Towards the end of the 1980s, the land on which this temple stood was aquired by HDB. Hock San Teng was rehoused in the Chai Chee United Temple in 1995.

35. Tang Gah Beo, 1907, needs conservation

2005-03-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

37. Leong San See, 1913, needs conservation

2005-03-26T05:31:00.000-08:00

38. Kusu Tua Pek Kong Temple, 1923, needs conservation

2005-03-02T01:58:00.000-08:00

Founding dialect - Hokkien; Main diety - Tua Pek Kong; status - needs conservation

It is no exaggeration to say this is the most popular Tua Pek Kong Temple in Singapore. On every lunar ninth month each year, about 130,000 people(especially aunties & grannies) travel across to Kusu island on packed ferries. So who is this Tua Pek Kong diety who could easily outrival fans of the lastest pop-star in town(he can't sing obviously, but he promises cures, health, luck and 'toto' wins etc)? Also known as Hock Teck Zeng Sin (Hokkien) or Fu De Zheng Shen (Mandarin), this diety is in fact a minor diety in taoist pantheon - his duty is to look after the households,villages and usually rural lands in mainland China. Simply put, he is 'god of the earth,' and a prominent one especially when there are no higher ranking gods around.In Singapore and where there are Chinese communities in south-east asia, Topekong(Malay name) is worshipped by almost every taoist. Telok Ayer Fuk Tak Chi(1820), Palmer Road Hock Teck See (1844), Rochore Toa Kong Beo(1847) and Mun Sun(Kampong Kuchai) Fook Tuck Chee (1876) were early temples that were dedicated to Topekong. In terms of popularty, his appearance in temples in 19th century Singapore ranks only after Kuan Yin, the most popular diety with most dialect groups. Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) ranks third. Why were these dieties so exonorated by Chinese in the 19th century ? My guess is that the sinkehs(new immigrants from China) needed a safe voyage(hence Mazu), safety on an unfamilar land(hence Topekong) and divine protection (hence Kuan Yin). The Chinese race is a pragmatic race indeed. According to a temple guardian, Tua Pek (grand uncle) is followed by Li Ya Pek (second uncle) and Sa Ya Pek (third uncle), these are affectionate Hokkien nicknames given to popular local dieties. Li Ya Pek and Sa Ya Pek are the Chinese angels of death!
For more info on this temple, see http://chinesetemples.blogspot.com
For info on Kusu island,see http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/kusu.htm

39. Koon Seng Ting, 1931, needs conservation

2005-03-01T02:08:00.000-08:00

40. Kiew Lee Tong, 1934, needs conservation

2005-02-06T00:21:00.000-08:00

41. Nanyang Sacred Union, 1938, needs conservation

2005-02-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

Qing Long Gong, ?, needs conservation

2005-01-31T23:51:00.000-08:00

Unidentified Tua Pek Kong Temple in Changi, demolished

2005-01-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

Unidentified temple in Kampong Mata Ikan, demolished

2005-01-31T09:53:00.000-08:00

Unidentified Temple along Rochor Road (Beach Rd?), demolished

2005-01-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

This taoist temple has been demolished. Judging from the architectural style, this temple was built by Teochew builders. There used to be four traditional Teochew courtyard-houses in Singapore. Sadly, there is only one left now. River house at Clarke Quay was a warehouse strictly speaking, but was occupied by Tan Yeok Nee for a while before he finally retired in Swatow. There was one traditional Hokkien courtyard-house at Sin Koh Street near Kallang belonging to Goh Sin Koh, it used to be known to Hokkiens as the Rochore Tua Kongsi. Unfortunately, Sin Koh Street doesn't even exist now. This unidentified temple is abit of a mystery. Perhaps there are some plans in the archive that would give some clues to what temple this was.

Unidentified Temple along Thomson Road, demolished

2005-01-31T07:20:00.000-08:00

Zhong Ting Miao or Tiong Teng Beo

Mohammed Sultan Tua Pek Kong Temple, ?, demolished

2005-01-31T07:17:00.000-08:00

List of Surviving Singapore Chinese Heritage Architecture

2004-12-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

These are surviving relics from our forebears, they have witnessed the growth of Singapore from a swampy mangrove to what we are today. Like the traditional saying goes, 'when one drinks water, one should reflect on the source'. Our sources are getting demolished or rebuilt as the years passes, please do visit these places before they get erased, especially those that have not been gazetted by the Monuments board!

Wak Hai Cheng Bio(gazetted)
Taoist Temple
1820
Teochew
30B Phillip Street

Fuk Tak Chi Museum(gazetted)
Street Museum
1820
Cantonese/Hakka
Telok Ayer Street

Ying Fo Fui Kun(gazetted)
Clan Association
1822
Hakka
98 Telok Ayer Street

Hong San See(gazetted)
Clan Temple
1836
Hokkien (Lam An)
31 Mohamed Sultan Rd

Thian Hock Keng(gazetted)
Taoist Temple
1842
Hokkien (Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
158 Telok Ayer Street

Hock Teck See
Taoist Temple
1844
Hakka
50H Palmer Road

Rochore Toa Kong Beo
Taoist Temple
1847
Hokkien
Balestier Road

Chwee Eng Chinese School
Commercial shop space
(Entrance gate conserved, main hall demolished)
1854
Hokkien
Hokkien Street

Siang Cho Keong (gazetted)
Taoist Temple
1869
Hokkien
Amoy Street

Tong Xian Tng
Buddhist Temple
1870
Teochew
Devonshire Road

Po Chiak Keng(de-gazetted)
Clan Temple
1876
Hokkien
15 Magazine Road

Mun Sun Fook Tuck Chee
(Kampong Kuchai Tua Pek Kong)
Taoist Temple
1876
Cantonese
124 Sims Drive

Ban Siew San
Taoist Temple
1880
Hainan
Telok Blangah Drive

River House
Restuarant
1880
Teochew (Tan Yeok Nee's second house)
Clarke Quay

Hougang Dou Mu Gong
Taoist Temple
(Original opera stage demolished)
1881
Hokkien
779A Upper Serangoon Road

House of Tan Yeok Nee(gazetted)
Business School
1885
Teochew
207 Clemencceau Avenue

Giok Hong Tian
Taoist Temple
1887
Hokkien
495 Zion Road

Yin Foh Kuan
Cemetery Temple
1887 (founding date of cemetery)
Hakka
9 Holland Close

Old Thong Chai Medical Institution(gazetted)
Health products
1892
Chinese community
50 Eu Tong Sen Street

Shuang Lin Monastery(gazetted)
Buddhist Monastery
1903
Hokkien
184E Jalan Toa Payoh

Hoon San Temple
Taoist Temple
1903
Hokkien
27 Jalan Lim Tai See

Seng Wong Beo
Taoist Temple
1905
Hokkien
Peck Seah Street

Tang Gah Beo
Taoist Temple
1907
Hokkien
Bukit Purmei

Fong Yun Tai
Cemetery Temple
1909
Hakka
33 Holland Link

Long San See(gazetted)
Buddhist Temple
1913, gazetted
Hokkien
Race Course Road

Kusu Tua Pek Kong
Taoist Temple
1923
Hokkien
Kusu Island

Nanyang Sacred Union
Confucian Association & Temple
1930
Hokkien (Foochow)
251 River Valley Road

Koon Seng Ting
Taoist Temple
1931
Hokkien
Telok Blangah Drive

Kiew Lee Tong
Taoist Temple
1934
Hokkien (Heng Hua)
No.5 Jalan Tambur

Links to Historic Chinese Architecture in South-East Asia

2004-10-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.chenghoonteng.org.my/index.html

http://www.khookongsi.com.my

http://pengerang-johor.blogspot.com/ appeciate, accumulate, apply

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/singapore/historical_sites/49/high_street.php