Thian Hock Keng Temple Tour: First Colossal Of Chinese Spirit

Thian Hock Keng Temple History

Thian Hock Keng Temple

Thian Hock Keng Temple started as a shrine along the beachfront in Telok Ayer Street around 1821 when the early migrants prayed and thanked the seafaring goddess Mazu or Tian Hou (Queen of Heaven) upon arriving safely from China.

These immigrants faced perilous journeys across the ocean, and upon their safe arrival, they felt a deep gratitude to Mazu. Thus, they established Thian Hock Keng Temple to express their gratefulness and as a place to seek blessings and protection. These migrants usually offer joss sticks and donate money to show their appreciation. As the number of migrants arriving started to swell, it was decided that a temple should be constructed in its place to cater to the ever-increasing devotees.

Construction of Thian Hock Keng Temple began in 1839 with donations from business owners, sailors and devotees. The total construction cost was about 30,000 Spanish dollars (It was estimated that one Spanish dollar could buy 360 chickens at that time). Tan Tock Seng, who built Tan Tock Seng Hospital, was the most significant contributor, giving about $3,000 to the cause.

Two institutions used to flank the temple: Chongwen Ge, or Institute for the Veneration of Literature and Keng Tech Whay, a private Straits Chinese self-help association. Tan Kim Seng, a successful trader and philanthropist, led the construction of Chongwen Ge. Chongwen Ge started with Chongwen Pagoda and Chong Boon Gate before adding Chong Hock Pavillion in 1913. Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan moved into Chong Hock Pavillion in 1915 after having outgrown the space in the temple.

Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan

Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, or Singapore Hokkien Association in English, is closely associated with Thian Hock Keng Temple. It was set up within Thian Hock Keng Temple in 1840 to promote education for the local Chinese and the Chinese language. It also assisted the newly arrived migrants from China regardless of dialect groups.

The association continues to play an important role in Singapore's development. It contributed land for Nanyang University (current day Nanyang Technological University). Several reputable schools are affiliated with it: Tao Nan School, Ai Tong School, Chongfu School, Nan Chiau High School, Nan Chiau Primary School and Kong Hwa School.

Chongfu Primary School was founded in Thian Hock Keng Temple in Chongwen Ge. After moving from the temple to Chong Hock Pavillion in 1915, Wang Huiyi from Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan started Chong Hock Girls' School, one of the earliest schools to educate girls. Chong Hock (崇福) was an honorary title given to Mazu in the imperial court during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). The school has since moved out and renamed Chongfu Primary School, a co-ed school.

Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan has also moved out of Thian Hock Keng Temple, but it plays an integral part in its management.

Architectural Design and Construction of Thian Hock Keng Temple

Skilled artisans from China were hired to design and build Thian Hock Keng Temple, similar to traditional Southern temples in China. The temple features curved roof ridges and wide eaves with several dragons and decorative motifs.

The temple initially had three halls: entry, main and rear, similar to temples in China. All construction materials were imported from China, and the entire building was built on bricks and iron posts without a single nail. The chief goddess Mazu was specially imported from Amoy in Apr 1840.

Dragon Pillars

Dragon Pillar

At the entrance of Thian Hock Keng Temple are grand granite pillars adorned with intricately designed dragons entwining themselves around them. These dragons, called pan long (蟠龙) or swirling dragons, embody the mighty water dragons travelling amongst the waves and clouds in Chinese folklore. This signifies prosperity and good fortune.

On the pillars are also the Eight Immortals crossing the Eastern Sea. They are Taoist deities known for their longevity and wisdom and are often depicted crossing the Eastern Sea on a mystical vessel. Hence, their presence on the Dragon Pillars is meant to bring good luck to all who visit the temple.

The Dragon Pillars are a significant part of Thian Hock Keng Temple. Besides exceptional and beautiful works of art, they also hold a deep, profound meaning. The dragons represent strength and power, while the Eight Immortals represent longevity and wisdom. Together, they encapsulate the finest aspects of Chinese culture and heritage.

Stone Lions At The Door

Stone Lions

A pair of stone lion sculptures, a male and a female, were placed at the front entrance. This is commonly seen in Chinese Taoist temples worldwide to have 'yin' (female) and 'yang' harmony. These stone lions are known in Chinese as shishi (石獅), a bit of tongue twister if pronounced in Chinese. The primary purpose of placing the stone lions is to ward off evil.

Bells are tied with red ribbons to signify that deities have tamed them. Can you identify the male and the female lion (hint: the one with the cub)? The male lion is on your right looking outward when you face the temple. This is a common Feng Shui practice.

The role of the male lion is to protect the building structure, while the female guards the people inside the structure. The male lion used to have a pearl in its mouth. It is thought that touching the pearl will bring one good luck. Unfortunately, the pearl has been missing for some time.

Circular Windows

The circular windows are carved with six beasts into the shape of incense burners. The beasts and incense burners have the same pronunciation as wealth in Chinese. At the four corners of the circular windows are carvings of bats. The word Bat is pronounced as 'fu' and sounds like prosperity in Chinese and is similar to the Chinese name of Thian Hock Keng Temple.

Dragon Wall And Tiger Wall

These walls are placed for geomancy reasons as Feng Shui has a saying: Green Dragon on the Left, White Tiger on the right to relate to Fenhancements of Qi or for feng shui cures. The Dragon Wall has a dragon staring down at a pearl and a smaller dragon staring up at it. This is supposed to depict a bright future for the younger generation.

On the Tiger Wall, a female tiger is looking down at her cub lovingly. It depicts the old saying from the Five Elements of Earth: Winds originate with tigers to signify the importance of the older generation in teaching lifelong values to the younger ones.

Gifts From A Qing Emperor

in 1907, Emperor Guang Xu, the 10th emperor of the Qing Dynasty, presented a wooden plaque and a silk scroll to Thian Hock Keng Temple. Both items were inscribed with the Chinese words 波靖南溟, which means “gentle waves over the South Seas”. The plague and scroll were removed when restoration work started in 1999, and the scroll was transferred to the National Museum of Singapore. After the restoration work was completed, a replica of the scroll took its place together with the original wooden plaque.

Fun fact: Some fruit bats have decided to make their homes at Thian Hock Keng Temple. They can be seen on the right side of the main prayer hall. Can you spot them?

Deities Of The Temple

The patron goddess of Thian Hock Keng temple is Mazu. Like most Taoist temples, other gods deemed to impact the devotees' lives were worshipped.

Guan Yin (观音), Goddess of Mercy, is one of the most popular gods in Taoism. Guan Yin is translated as 'one who hears the cries of the world', and Taoists also pray to her in their homes as they believe that she will be protective and merciful towards them. She can be found in a shrine at the back of the main prayer hall.

Kong Zi Gong (孔子公), or Confucius' shrine, is on the right of the entrance. Confucius is popular with students and probably even more popular with students' parents. They will pray to Confusicus before significant examinations, hoping they or their children will excel.

Guan Yu (关羽) was a famous warrior in the Eastern Han dynasty of China. Besides being a great general, Guan Yu is revered for his courage and loyalty. His statues usually depict him holding his famous Green Dragon Crescent Blade or a book while the other hand is stroking his magnificent beard.

Chief Deity Goddess Mazu

The name Mazu means mother (ma) and ancestor (zu). She is also known by several other names: Tian Shang Sheng Mu (天上聖母), or "heavenly goddess." Linghui Furen (靈惠夫人), meaning "Lady of Light and Kindness", or Tianhou (天后), which means "Empress of Heaven", are formal names or titles bestowed on Mazu. Her given name was Lin Mo (林默), with Lin being the surname and Mo meaning silent. This translates to "Silent Lin".

Lin Mo was born on Meizhou island, off the coast of Fujian, around the 10th century. She was born into a family of fishermen, as her father and four brothers were fishermen. She could not talk from birth but was blessed with the ability to forecast the weather and have a divine vision. She was very fascinated with herbs and became a good healer.

One day, her father and all her brothers were out fishing when a terrible storm approached. Lin Mo was at home weaving when she went into a trance and saw their plight. She appeared before them in her trance and saved all except her eldest brother. Her mother thought she had a seizure and woke her up before she could save her eldest brother. As a result, he was drowned. In grief, she jumped off a cliff and ascended to heaven as Goddess Mazu. She was only 26 years old at that time.

Mazu has two guards: Qianliyan (千里眼), or "Eyes That Can See One Thousand Miles", and Shunfenger (順風耳), or "Ears That Can Hear the Wind. Before they became her guards, they wanted to marry her. As they could not defeat her in battle, they followed her as her protectors.

Modern-Day Thian Hock Keng Temple

In the 1990s, termites attacked the wooden structure of Thian Hock Keng Temple. The management hired James Ferries & Partners to lead the restoration works. Seventy skilled craftsmen from Fujian flew over to work on the project. The project aims to preserve the facade and physical appearance of the temple while the other parts of the building structure were to remain close to their original appearance.

The restoration work was completed in 21/2 years in 1999 for $4m. Thian Hock Keng Temple has since won many local and architectural awards, including an honourable mention in the 2001 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award.

Thian Hock Keng is a national monument and has been gazetted as one since 28 Jun 1973.

Visiting Thian Hock Keng Temple

Thian Hock Keng is located at 158 Telok Ayer Street in Chinatown. It is just 500m away from Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. It will be interesting to compare the architectural designs of both structures; one is built in the Southern China style while the other is in the Northern China style. There are many differences but also some similarities. Can you spot them all?

To learn more, check out this Thian Hock Keng Temple resource.

Thian Hock Keng Picture Gallery