Singapore is a predominantly Chinese country, and the island is dotted with temples and Taoist temples. And because these Chinese are mainly from the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong in China, the Mazu culture is very prevalent.
One of the oldest temples on the island, Thien Hok Palace, is one of the oldest temples on the island, built in 1840 and has a history of nearly 180 years. It was also the predecessor of the Hokkien Huay Kuan. The Tianfu Palace is dedicated to the god of escort "Tianhou Niangniang" (that is, Mazu, Tianfei).
Telok Ayer Street, where Tin Hok Palace is located, is located in the heart of the city, known to Singaporeans as Dapo, and was known as Yuen Shun Street by the early Chinese. When it was first built, it was originally near the sea, and the Malay word for the road name "Telok Ayer" means "bay".
During the opening of Singapore's port, the Chinese who came from the south and returned from the north would go to the palace to worship because the sailboat was anchored not far from the palace.
Today, Tien Hok Palace is still full of incense, although Telok Ayer is a lost bay, the surrounding area of Tien Hok Palace is full of buildings, and modern means of transportation have long replaced the sailing boats of the past. However, there are still many Singaporeans who still have the habit of coming to Tien Hok Palace to make a wish to the gods and pray for a safe journey before going out.
Every year on the third day of the third lunar month (i.e. Mazu Christmas), Thian Hok Palace holds a grand celebration ceremony, attracting many local Singaporeans and devotees from Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries to come to worship. In addition, Tianfu Palace has a festival to worship the Tai Sui every New Year, which lasts until the fifteenth day of the first month, which is also the time when there are many people in the palace.
The architectural form of Tianfu Palace is typical of southern Chinese Hokkien, and the graphic design is a complete courtyard house, forming a "mouth" character. Among them, the left guard room is the earliest hall of the Hokkien Huay Kuan. The gold-lacquered lattice fans and red door frames here are one of the popular places for the bride and groom to get married.
The temple was built from all over the world, with Scottish iron, bricks from England and Delft, and tall coiled dragon pillars. In the courtyard of Tien Fu Palace, there are many ancestral steles, and the temple gate is guarded by huge stone lions. The whole temple is mainly composed of the main hall, the left and right wings and the apse, of which the main hall is a five-open intermittent mountain style building, and there is an ancient well in the courtyard, which means the blessed land of longevity. Many pilgrims ring the bell here to make wishes.
Mazu in the main hall is solemn and kind, wearing pearl tassels. There are many plaques hanging in the hall, the most famous of which is the personal gift of Emperor Guangxu "Bojing Nanming". There are multiple shrines in the left and right wings and the apse, which are dedicated to different deities, mainly related to the Holy Emperor, the Emperor Baosheng and the Bodhisattva Guanyin. The exterior wall behind the temple is a 44-meter-long mural painted by local artist Yip Yiu Chung, depicting the scenes of Chinese who went to Nanyang to land, work and live here.
Telok Ayer Street outside Tin Hok Palace is about a kilometre long. It is located between Raffles City MRT Station and Tanjong Pagar MRT Station. Coming from the Raffles City subway station, passing through the skyscrapers of the financial center, you can see a winding street stretching into the distance, lined with 19th-century arcades on both sides of the street, the buildings have completely preserved the appearance of more than 100 years ago, brick and wood structures, wooden doors and shutters, and some of the facades are beautifully painted.
The whole street is surrounded by modern skyscrapers, but it doesn't feel obtrusive. Being in the middle of the street makes you feel like you've stepped back in time. The ground floor of the arcade is mostly commercial, with bars, restaurants, specialty shops, law firms or Chinese medicine halls. In addition to the Tianfu Palace, there is also a Chinese family ancestral hall, a mosque and a Christian church. It can be seen that it is not only the Chinese who have crossed the ocean to come to the Lion City to seek a living.
At the end of Telok Ayer Street is the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, which is also home to a temple with a history of more than 100 years. Like Tianfu Palace, there are also rituals to worship Tai Sui in the temple. Directly opposite the Temple is the famous Oasia Hotel, a building wrapped in greenery that exemplifies the concept of green architecture and has become one of the landmark buildings in the Lion City. Not far away, there is also a landmark building, Dash Ridge. Dash Ridge is a super high-rise HDB flat built by the Housing and Development Board of Singapore at the time, completely abandoning the design concept of the previous HDB flats and entering a new era of HDB flats.
When you visit Singapore, you will have the opportunity to walk this path built on the edge of the bay and experience the local Mazu culture at Tien Hok Palace, and you will definitely have a deeper understanding of Singapore's history.
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Author of Jane Ma丨
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