TEMPLE REPORT GES1005/SSA1208 - Everyday Life of Chinese Singaporeans: Past & Present - Singapore Historical GIS
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GES1005/SSA1208 – Everyday Life of Chinese
Singaporeans: Past & Present
TEMPLE REPORT
Prepared by:
Tung Celestine
Caryn Ng Shu Fen
Yang Yimou
App Profile ID: 120
Tutorial Group: D12
Submission Date: 3 November 2017
1. Brief Introduction of Sengkang Joint Temple
Sengkang Joint Temple (盛港联合庙) (Fig. 1) was built jointly between two temples, Chong Ghee
Temple (崇义庙) (Fig. 2) and Kampong Tengah Thian Hou Keng (半港天后宫) (Fig. 3). These were
two separate temples that were brought together as a result of government land acquisition act in 1966.
The joint temple was completed in 2002. As Chong Ghee Temple occupies a higher proportion of land,
they are required to contribute about two-third of the total construction cost of $4 million. The joint
temple is currently located at 80 Rivervale Crescent, Sengkang New Town Singapore 545087. Not to
mention, as temples are usually only granted a 30-year leasehold, this temple is bound to be relocated
in another 10 years or so if the government decides not to grant them an extension of the lease. Though
both temples are located at the same space, they are still segregated in terms of their beliefs and rituals.
In this report, we will only focus our discussion on the Chong Ghee Temple.
2. Chong Ghee Temple
Chong Ghee Temple (崇义庙) was founded in the 1960s and first located at Lorong Samak (a rural area
in Jalan Kayu kampong). While the temple originated from China (Xi An), Chong Ghee Temple has
lost its connection with its mother temple ever since. The reason behind this was unclear to the
caretaker. The current headcount of the members in the temple is estimated to be 93. This temple is also
a registered member of Singapore Registration of Association Board in 1985. Chong Ghee temple
spreads the teachings of Taoism and is one of the very few temples that is opened 24 hours for prayer.
According to the caretaker, none of them reside in the temple but rather each of them were allocated an
8 hours shift work to oversee the entire temple. Involvement in charitable activities by the temple
includes subsidized Chinese medical consultation and tuition programmes (Fig. 4). Chinese medical
consultations are available during the opening hours (Fig. 5) and patients are only required to make a
one-time registration for a fee of $5. After which, cost of all medications and acupuncture required for
treatment would be borne by the temple. As for the tuition programmes, it is catered to students from
Primary 1 to 6 regardless of race or religion and these tuitions are generally managed by professional
teachers. The affordable tuition fees range from $35 to $50 depending on the level and subjects that the
students are registering (Fig. 6). Due to the rising demand for such classes, the temple is considering to
expand its vacancies to allow more students with poor financial background to enjoy such tuition
classes. There are approximately 300 students to date.
3. Layout of Temple
The entire Sengkang Joint Temple consists of three halls and a large courtyard shared between the two
temples. Of which, the leftmost and the middle hall (Fig. 7) belongs to Chong Ghee Temple and
rightmost belonging to Kampong Tengah Thian Hou Keng. While the courtyard is able to fit about ten
cars easily, this empty space is often used as a stage for the various festivals carried out in the temple
such as the 7th Month Festival. On the sides of the temple are incense furnaces for devotees to burn
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incense paper. Additionally, the Chong Ghee Temple had strategically placed three gods at its courtyard
namely (Fig. 8), the Tiger God, Horse God and Datuk God, to serve as spiritual protection to the temple.
What the team found unique was the display of the 12 animal statues from the Chinese Zodiac which
served as an educational purpose for families with children when they visit the temple.
As we proceed to enter the main hall of Chong Ghee temple, we were greeted by a plaque that reads “
崇义庙” located on top of the entrance (Fig. 9) and a set of couplets that reads “崇尚圣神万道祥光归
紫府” and “义尊云天干条瑞气贯黄挺”. Interestingly, the first word of the couplets represents the
name of the temple. Other than a large incense burner (Fig. 10) located in the middle of the walkway,
the “Door guardians” (Fig. 11) of the temple caught our attention. Standing at 13-foot tall and 8-foot
wide, Chong Ghee Temple is said to have the largest “Door Guardians” on the island. According to the
caretaker, the majestic size of “Door Guardians” was to express the mightiness of the deities and also
to serve as a reminder to worshippers the insignificance of oneself and hence due respect to the deities.
Primarily, the main hall seats the various statues of main deity of the temple, “Guan Di” together with
two of his guards while the sub hall (to the left of the main hall) seats the extensive range of all the
other secondary deity of the temple. Another interesting fact the team noted was the placement of “Xiao
Zi Ye” on the ground, separate with the other secondary gods due to the hierarchical scale of divinities.
Other ritual items found at the temple includes two 20 feet tall 光明灯 in the shape of a Pagoda and the
太岁四季平安, which is believed to bring peace and luck to devotees.
Essentially, both halls have a similar layout and the backrooms of each hall houses either a simple office
or the medical consultation room. Last but not least, the rooms for tuition classes are located on the
second and third levels of the temple. Detailed layout of the temple can be found in Appendix A.
4. Gods of the Temple
4.1 Main God
The main deity of the Chong Ghee Temple is “Saintly Emperor Guan” (关圣帝君) or in short “Guan
Di” (关帝). The statue of this god is placed in the main hall with two other guards namely, “Guan Ping”
(関平) and “Zhou Chang Jiang Jun” (周仓将军) (Fig. 12). According to the caretaker, “Guan Di” was
famous for his loyalty and righteousness back in the Qing dynasty (China) and thus many merchants
worshipped “Guan Di” in hopes to propose a righteous image to customers, so as to increase sales.
Moreover, people in the past were desperately looking for a guardian that were able to provide them
with a sense of security. “Guan Di” was selected and deemed suitable as it does portray a fierce image.
From then, people started to worship him for all kinds of reasons and “Guan Di” eventually became an
all-mighty god. Today, “Guan Di” is still an important aspect of local religious beliefs and the annual
“Guan Di” celebrations would always be filled with devotees from all religion.
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4.2 Secondary Gods
The number of secondary deities in the temple was not specified by the caretaker as there are simply be
too many to list. However, some of the secondary deities we have identified includes Horse General (
马爷将军), Tiger General (虎爷将军), Five Battalion Commanders (五营神将), 60 God of the stars (
六十尊太岁), Da Bo Gong (大伯公), Bodhisattva Guan Yin (观世音菩萨), Filial Son (孝子爷),
Monkey King (齐天大圣), City God (城隍伯主), Marshal of the Central Altar/Nezha (中坛元帅), Life
Protection Emperor (保生大帝), Heavenly Deity (玄天上帝) and Datuk God (拿督公) etc.
5. Procedures of prayers
These are some of the things that were observed during the team site visit. Before praying, devotees
can opt to purchase offerings such as joss paper, biscuits, tea leaves, joss sticks and candles and are free
to donate any amount to the donation box (Fig. 13). Each packet of candle and joss stick consists of 2
candles and 23 joss sticks. We have also observed that there are offerings that are specifically used to
pray to the individual deity. For instance, 天公金 to pray 天公 which is sold at $2 per set and 太岁金,
晋合, 茶叶 to pray to the 60 god of the star were being sold at $4 for a set. (Fig. 14). These offerings
will be placed on the table in front of the deities (Fig. 15). Devotees will then pray silently to each and
every deity, starting with the main and then moving on to the secondary. With regards to which
secondary god to pray to first, Chong Ghee Temple does not have a specific order. After praying silently
to the deities, devotees are required to place the joss stick into the golden incense burner and the candles
on both side of the incense burner right outside the main hall.
After which, devotees would burn the joss paper at the furnace located outside the temple (Fig. 16).
Following that, they would proceed to pour some oil into an oil lamp that is located beside a donation
box. Above the donation box is a small bell that would be rung for blessing and good luck after the
devotees have made their donations (Fig. 17). While the entire procedure may seem tedious, each of it
has its own significance which grants devotees internal spiritual peace and comfort.
Besides, casting of divine lots are available for people who wish to seek advice from the gods. The
process would require the worshippers to shake a container filled with lots until one of which falls.
Following that, they are required to clasp a pair of moon shaped block which is also known as “Jiaobei”
(筊杯), which is use to seek approval from the deity. The tossing of the “Jiaobei” is also known as “wen
bei” (问杯) and the answers are believed to be produced by the pattern of the “Jiaobei” landing. If the
answer is yes (聖筊), one of the block would be facing flat, downwards while the other faces upwards
with its bulged side. This means that the god approved of the lot and the devotees can then proceed to
the side table to retrieve the slip of paper that tallies with their lot number.
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6. Rituals/Festivals
6.1 Birthday Rituals
Chong Ghee temple mainly celebrates the birthdays of City God (城隍伯主), Heavenly Highest Deity
(玄天上帝) and that of many other deities together with that of their main god - Guan Di(关圣帝君).
Collectively known as the Guan Sheng Di Jun Celebration, these joyous occasions are celebrated in the
period of 3rd June to 8th June 2017 (五月初九至十四) for the Year of 2017 (农历丁酉年). These
series of celebrations are primarily conducted for devotees to pray for the safety of their family and
friends as well as for a smooth year ahead.
For the celebration of each deity, there would be a high priest that would lead the devotees in the
celebration. On top of that, there would be Chinese opera shows that are conducted in the Hokkien
dialect for all to watch. Refer to Appendix B for detailed dates of each celebration.
6.2 Festivals
Apart from the above-mentioned celebrations, the temple also conducts other rituals for the Jade
Emperor’s Birthday, 7th Month Festival, thanksgiving for “Tai Sui”, and so on. Detailed table of
festivals celebrated by the temple and programs that the temple provides can be found in Appendix C.
In addition, to commemorate the Year of the Rooster, the temple prepared a specially designed “Jin Ji
Xing Da Yun Fa Cai Ang Bao” (金鸡行大运发财红包) for devotees who wish to seek prosperity.
During this occasion, the temple would prepare a Longevity Box Set which comprises of longevity
peaches (寿桃), noodles (寿面), eggs (寿蛋) and a treasure cake (发糕), sold to devotees at $10 per set.
After offering the box to the deity, the devotees will be able to bring it home for consumption which
signifies good luck and blessings to them. Besides this, there are other items available for devotees to
purchase such as the Pagoda joss sticks and Oil Lamps. In the form of appreciation to these devotees,
the temple would also prepare drinks and bee hoon for all to consume.
6.3 Other Rituals
There are also other rituals in the temple that allows devotees to receive either health and luck, wisdom
or safety through the rituals conducted by high priests annually. Be it “太岁四季平安灯”, “孔子文昌
灯” or the “光明灯”, devotees would have to pay a stipulated amount to have their names placed in the
temple for blessings by the gods.
A particular ritual that the group would like to bring up is the Prayer Rituals for Confucianism (入“孔
门”). During this ritual, the temple conducts chanting sessions whereby the Taoist Priest will lead the
students for blessings, enlightenment for wisdom, progress in their studies and to achieve the highest
levels of their education and inspire their minds to prepare and meet the challenges ahead for the year
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ahead. This ritual came about as Confucius (Kong Zi) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher
who was also keen to learn and has an insatiable hunger for knowledge. The purpose of “Ru Kong Men”
is to inspire children’s rational intuition and knowledge for all nursery, kindergarten, primary,
secondary and also university students. All should learn from Confucius and inherit his studious, agile
thinking and grow up to be a pillar to the society.
7. Reflection
The trip to the temple brought about a very unexpected yet enriching experience for the team. In fact,
in that soothing and tranquil atmosphere, we allowed ourselves to quieten our hearts for a short few
minutes of prayer to receive a yet rejuvenating experience. Though not everyone in the team were
believers of Taoism, such simple actions of showing respect to the gods rewarded us with a strange
sense of peace within us as we continue the remaining half of our day feeling more aware of our
surroundings. However, with that being said, would such unique experience slowly disappear as the
world is rapidly modernizing?
During our two visits to the temple, we noticed a small but constant number of devotees constantly
coming in to worship the gods. However, these devotees were of the older generations. We were told
that the number of younger generations who came to the temple were little to none – he could almost
conclude that the younger generations were often ‘dragged’ to the temples by their parents or
grandparents. This could be a sign of the increasing loss of faith in the younger generation in Singapore.
This is evident from an article from The Straits Times which shows the increasing number of atheist in
Singapore over the years, from 14.1% in 1990 to 18.5% in 2016. Perhaps, the higher educated younger
generations could no longer relate to the traditional rituals and thus were detached from religion
practices. Especially in this ‘internet’ era, people now are now able to have easy access to a variety of
information and ideology. This is further supported by a research done by Naci Mocan where one extra
year of education will make a person 10% more unlikely to be religious compared to his peers. This is
a worrying situation for the country especially as we recall how the caretaker lamented about the ageing
committee members and a lack of fresh blood to keep the temple running.
Regardless, the team would definitely love to visit other religious sites in the future given another
opportunity. And perhaps, more initiatives should be done by the Government, the various
organizations and even students to preserve and raise awareness of such precious cultural heritage to
prevent it from disappearing in Singapore. Academics also noted that people are talking more avidly
about heritage than they did 10 to 15 years ago. “People have grown more expressive about protecting
their heritage and it has become part of public discourse,” says Professor Johannes Widodo.
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8. Appendix
Appendix A
Description of the layout of the temple
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Appendix B
Festivals celebrated in the temple includes:
Festivals Dates (Lunar Calendar)
大伯公千秋 农历二月初二
虎爷将军开口 惊蛰日
观音菩萨圣诞 农历二月十九
玄天上帝千秋 农历三月初三
中坛元帅千秋 农历四月初八
关圣帝君暨众神千秋 农历五月初八至十六
协天大帝千秋 农历六月二十四
太岁星君千秋 农历七月十九
庆祝中元 农历七月
张公圣君千秋 农历七月二十三
庆中秋 农历八月
齐天大圣千秋 农历八月二十四
观音菩萨出家日 农历九月十九
祈福裉灾法会 农历十月十五至十六
谢太岁 冬至前
城隍伯主、大二爷伯及孝子爷千秋 农历十二月十九至二十
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Appendix C
Programme List Date Event
“Guan Sheng Di Jun” 03-06-2017 (Sat) to 04- Chinese Opera Show (Hokkien)
Anniversary 06-2017 (Sun)
关圣帝君圣诞千秋 农历五月初九与初十
04-06-2017 (Sun), “Kao Jun” chanting and praying session (犒军
4.00pm 仪式)
农历初十
.
“Xuan Tian Shang Di” 05-06-2017 (Mon) Chinese Opera Show (Hokkien)
Anniversary 农历五月十一
玄天上帝圣诞千秋
8.00pm Performance from Lorong Kao Chye Sheng
Hong Temple Scripture group.
“Cheng Huang Bo Zhu” 06-06-2017 Chinese Opera Show (Hokkien).
Anniversary 农历五月十二
城隍伯主圣诞千秋
“Guan Sheng Di Jun” 07-06-2017 (Wed) to Chinese Opera Show (Hokkien).
1857 Celebration 08-06-2017 (Thu)
关圣帝君 1857 周年圣寿 农历五月十三，十四
07-06-2017 (Wed) Guan Sheng Di Jun 1857 Celebration, 1857 pcs
农历五月十三 of “Shou Tao” (Longevity Peach) will be
distributed to devotees and children on a first-
come-first-serve basis.
“Guan Sheng Di Jun Wan 07-06-2017 (Wed), The High Priest will be invited to bless the
Shou Fa Hui” 1.00pm occasion and the temple will prepare the
关圣帝君万寿法会 农历五月十三 birthday item (祝寿礼品) @ $88 per set. Each
set would include 5 different coloured fruits,
egg, noodle, treasure cake, fresh flowers, 金纸,
天金, 灯料, 贡香, 晋合, 清茶米酒.
Cross the “Si Ji Ru Yi Ping 07-06-2017 (Wed), The Taoist Priest will lead all devotees to cross
An” Bridge 8.00pm the “Four Seasons Wishful Peace Bridge” (四季
过“四季如意平安桥”仪式 农历五月十三 如意平安桥).
“Tian Kong” (Jade 04-02-20117 Tian Kong (Jade Emperor) chanting and praying
Emperor) Celebration 11.00pm to 1.00am session whereby the high priest will lead the
庆祝玉皇上帝寿暨天公福 农历丁酉年正明初八 devotees to celebrate the “Tian Kong”
主份 Anniversary. The temple will provide offerings
such as “Zhu Shou Li Pin” at $68 per set.
“Guan Di Gong Kai Cai 17-07-2017 to 18-07- A day where Guan Di Gong opens his wealth
Yun” Session 2017 chest. On the day itself, our temple will provide
关圣帝君开财运日 a “borrow wealth” red packet for all devotees.
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农历丁 酉年 六月廿四 Devotees will need to say their name, age and
与廿五 address to the god so as to borrow all the
different kinds of wealth luck that they need.
Our temple will conduct “Guan Di Gong Kai
Cai Yun” session. All devotees are welcomed to
“Jie Ku” (borrow) money from Guan Di Gong.
We sincerely hope that everyone will be in good
luck and prosperity.
Two days Puppet Show (Hokkien)
7th Month Festival 08-09-2017 Our temple will be celebrating “7th Month
庆祝中元 农历七月十八 Festival” from 8th September 2017 to 9th
September 2017. Member fee is $100.
Our High Priest will be conducting praying
09-09-2017 session from 12.00pm to 2.00pm, all “Zhong
农历七月十九 Yuan Hui” members are welcomed to join the
session. The offerings (Fu Wu) will be able to
collect after the praying session.
“7th Month Festival Dinner” at 7.30pm.
“Guang Ming Deng Qi Fu 2-12-2017 to 3-12- The temple will be holding “Guang Ming Deng
Liang Zai Fa Hui” 2017 Qi Fu Liang Zai Fa Hui” for “Guang Ming
光明灯祈裉灾法会 农历丁 酉年 十月十五 Deng” members, to wade away bad deeds and
与十六 blessing for longevity.
“Xia Yuan Shui Guan Li 2-12-2017 “Li Dou” means to treat sickness, to wade away
Dou Fa Hui” 7.00pm all evils spirits and gain good merits for
下元水官礼斗法会 农历丁酉年十月十五 longevity and the temple will conduct “Xia
Yuan Shui Guan Li Dou Fa Hui”, priced at $68
per pax.
In addition, we also provide “Ci Fu Xiao Zai
You Deng” (Oil Lamp), $10 per lamp.
“Xie Tai Sui” 1-12-2017 to 24-12- At the beginning of the lunar year, those that
谢太岁仪式 2017 offended and has conflict with “Tai Sui” (for the
9.00am to 7.00pm daily year 2017 are Rooster/ Rabbit/ Horse/ Rat) are
农历丁 酉年 十月十四 recommended to pray to “Tai Sui” (God of the
至十一月初七 Star) in order to have a prosperous year ahead.
Thus, a thanksgiving session is conducted at the
end of the lunar year (before and after “Dong
Zhi”). The temple will be selling each offerings
at $8.
Prayer Rituals for 25-12-2017 The temple will be holding chanting session for
Confucianism 9.00am to 1.00pm the “Prayer Rituals for Confucianism” (入“孔门
入“孔门”仪式 ”). The Taoist Priest will lead the students for
blessings, enlightenment for wisdom, progress
in their studies and to achieve the highest levels
of their education and inspire their minds to
prepare and meet the challenges ahead for 2018.
- 10 -Appendix D
Figure 1: Picture of SengKang Joint temple
Figure 2: Picture of Chong Ghee temple
Figure 3: Picture of Kampong Tengah Thian Hou Keng
- 11 -Figure 4: Picture of Chinese Medical Consultation and Tuition service Chong Ghee temple provide
Figure 5: Operating Hours of the temple’s Chinese Medical Consultation
Figure 6: Picture of tuition classes and their fees
- 12 -Figure 7: Picture of Chong Ghee Temple Main hall
Figure 8: Picture of Tiger god and Horse god
Figure 9: Picture of Couplets
- 13 -Figure 10: Picture of incense burner
Figure 11: Picture of Door guardians
- 14 -Figure 12: Picture of Guan Di and his two guards
Figure 13: Picture of donation box
Figure 14: Picture of offerings to the horse general and other deities
- 15 -Figure 15: Picture of offering placed in front of the horse general
Figure 16: Picture of furnace outside the temple
Figure 17: Picture of Bell rung after donation
- 16 -9. References
Falling away. (2014, November 04). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from
https://www.economist.com/news/international/21623712-how-education-makes-people-less-
religiousand-less-superstitious-too-falling-away
Zaccheu, M. (2014, June 23). What future of our past? Retrieved October 30, 2017, from
http://www.asiaone.com/singapore/what-future-our-past
Zaccheus, M., Qiang, P. X., & Gene, N. K. (2016, March 20). Youth in Singapore shunning religion.
Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/youth-in-singapore-
shunning-religion
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