THIEN HOCK KENG
Geographical location, historical evolution
The street we are on is called "Telok Ayer Street".
"Telok Ayer" is the transliteration of the Malay word Telok Ayer. Telok
(teluk) means "bay" and ayer (air) means "water", which together means
"bay". It was named Telok Ayer because it originally faced the sea. The
place where we are standing now and the land behind us are all reclaimed
land.
The quaint temple opposite us is the oldest Chinese
temple in Singapore: Tianfu Temple. This temple, which combines
Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, was built by Fujian (Southern Fujian)
people and mainly worships Mazu, the goddess of the sea. It was
originally just a simple small temple. Because it faces the coast, the
Chinese who went to Southeast Asia from Fujian and other southeastern
coastal provinces of China would come to this temple to worship and
thank Mazu as soon as they landed to thank Mazu for blessing their ships
to sail safely. As the number of Chinese, especially Fujianese, who came
to Nanyang increased, the local Fujianese (Min Gang) proposed to rebuild
the Mazu Temple to serve more Chinese immigrants. They began to rebuild
in 1840 (the 20th year of Emperor Daoguangs reign in the Qing Dynasty),
imported wood and Mazu statues from China, and officially named the Mazu
Temple "Tianfugong". The Fujian Gangs biggest contributor to the
construction of Tianfugong was the great businessman and philanthropist
Mr. Tan Tock Seng, who became the chief director of Tianfugong after its
completion. After that, his two generations of descendants: Tan Kim
Chung and Tan Wu Liet, also inherited the position of chief director.
This historic temple was designated as a national monument in Singapore
in 1973. It underwent a large-scale restoration in 1998, and the quality
was very high, so it won the Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation
Award of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in 2001.

Appearance, Sanchuan Hall, Fire Beads
The colorful appearance of Tianfu Temple is formed
by the blue tiles on the roof, the reddish-brown beams with gold-plated
decorations, the granite exterior walls and dragon pillars. In the
construction of Tianfu Temple, not even a nail was used, but the
traditional Chinese mortise and tenon technique was adopted, that is,
the protruding part of a piece of wood or stone is tightly embedded in
the concave hole of another piece of wood or stone.
If you look down at the whole temple from the air,
you can find that it has two inner and outer courtyards, forming a "Hui"
character,
which means that although the Chinese at that time
were in Lion City, they never forgot to return to their hometown in
China.
The main gate of Tianfu Temple is called "Sanchuan
Hall" or "Sanchuan Gate". "Chuan" is written as "chuan" in "Sichuan",
but the original meaning is "chuan" in "crossing",
because there are three doors in Sanchuan Hall that
can be passed through. You can see that there is a largest "door" in the
middle, but you will find that there is a red line in front of this door
to seal it. This is because the door in the middle of the Sanchuan Hall
is reserved for the gods to enter and exit. For the sake of courtesy,
believers and visitors will not use this door. The door on your right is
called the "Dragon Gate" and the one on your left is called the "Tiger's
Mouth". We will enter the Tianfu Palace later, and we have to enter from
the Dragon Gate and exit from the Tiger's Mouth - after all, "leaping
over the Dragon Gate" is more reasonable and auspicious than "entering
the Tiger's Mouth". (I will remind you again before entering the
palace.)
Have you noticed that there is a round hole in the
center of the roof of the Sanchuan Hall, with a flame-like shape on the
outside? This "hole" is called the "Fire Pearl", which is a symbol of
the supremacy of Buddhism. The inside of the hole is actually
transparent glass, representing the coolness and light that illuminates
the world. There are two dragons on both sides of the Fire Pearl, which
is a kind of clip art. The auspicious dragon flying in the sky is
focused on the Fire Pearl, with two long whiskers stretching to the sky,
which is extraordinary and makes the outline of the roof more beautiful.
Chongwen Pavilion, Qingde Building (Jade Emperor
Palace)
You may notice that there are two smaller buildings
with similar styles on the left and right sides of Tianfu Temple.
The Chongwen Pavilion on your left was originally a
private school Sīshϊ - private school refers to the school opened by
private teachers in ancient China.
This private school was proposed by Tan Kim Seng in
1849 and later became Chongfu School under the Fujian Association and
moved from the Chongwen Pavilion building
to the current Yishun area (in the north of
Singapore). Now this building is vacant, so there is a red line in front
of it.
As for the building on your right, it was
originally named "Qingde Building". It was once the location of the
Peranakan Chamber of Commerce "Qingde Association" and was built in
1831. Now it has become independent from Tianfu Temple and has become
the "Singapore Jade Emperor Palace" that worships the Taoist main god
Jade Emperor (also known as "Jade Emperor").
Now that we know the overview and appearance of
Tianfu Temple, let's take a closer look at Tianfu Temple. We need to
cross Telok Ayer Street, which is a one-way street. Please pay attention
to the vehicles coming from the right and cross the road with me when I
raise my hand. [Take the tourists across the road to Sanchuan Temple and
find a suitable stop to continue the explanation]
Iron railings and floor tiles
The railings and floor tiles of Tianfu Temple were
originally made of wood, but because it originally faced the sea, wood
was easily corroded by seawater. Therefore, when Tianfu Temple was
renovated in 1906, the temple decided to use stronger materials to
re-lay the railings and floor tiles. The green railings in front of you
now are made of iron imported from Scotland. By the way, the iron used
in the Lao Pa Sat hawker center and the Cavenagh Bridge on the Singapore
River was also imported from Scotland. The floor tiles under your feet
later were imported from the Netherlands. The design is simple and
elegant. In addition to being beautiful, it is also more anti-slip. In
these details, Tianfu Temple embodies the spirit of "using foreign
things for Chinese purposes" of the Chinese in the late Qing Dynasty and
the early Republic of China.
Stone lions and stone windows
Have you noticed that the pair of stone lions in
front of the Sanchuan Hall have red ropes and bells hanging around their
necks? The red ropes and bells represent that these lions are tamed by
the gods and used to guard the door and suppress evil. In addition to
religious meanings, stone lions also play a practical role in
stabilizing the facade. If you look more carefully, you can see that the
lion on your right has its mouth open; the lion on your left has its
mouth closed, and there is a little lion under its feet. Can you guess
which one is male and which one is female? I will reveal the answer to
you - the one with its mouth open is a male lion, and the one with its
mouth closed and its little lion is a female lion. Let's look at the
stone windows next - please follow me, distinguished guests. (Move to
one of the stone windows) As a window, the main purpose of the stone
window is to provide lighting and ventilation for the interior of Tianfu
Palace. Please pay attention to the design of the stone window - it
incorporates the images of bats, incense burners and chihu. (Point to
the tourists one by one) The pattern of six chihu surrounding the
incense burner is called "Chihu surrounding the incense burner", which
means "praying for blessings and fortune". The four bats in the corner
represent "blessing". Bats, incense burners and Chihu are also
homophones of "Fu Lu Shou", which means to ward off evil spirits,
auspiciousness and continuous incense.
Okay, let's move to the front of the Dragon Gate.
(Take everyone to)
Qinglong, Baihu, threshold
You can notice that there is a dragon statue next
to the Dragon Gate; opposite, that is, on the left hand side, there is a
tiger statue. They are called "Qinglong" and "Baihu" respectively,
representing the east and west of the temple. In addition to marking the
location of the "Dragon Gate" and "Tiger's Mouth", playing the role of
guarding the gate and warding off evil spirits, they also point out the
location of the east and west for believers who do not have a compass,
making it convenient for them to travel.
Before officially entering Tianfu Temple, please
pay attention to the threshold in front of the door. You may be curious,
why is there such a high threshold in front of the temple? Think back,
there used to be a beach in front of Tianfu Temple, and many small
animals living on the beach or in the sea would crawl ashore. The
threshold is built relatively high to prevent these small animals from
crawling into the temple and ensure the cleanliness of the temple. In
addition, the high threshold is built so that believers will not step on
it directly, but step over it slowly, which can cushion the steps and
block external forces, preventing the threshold from being deformed or
damaged due to being stepped on. At the same time, because of the
Chinese tradition of "men on the left and women on the right", when
crossing the threshold, boys should first use their left foot to cross,
and girls should first use their right foot to cross. Do you remember?
(Wait for everyone to nod and respond positively) OK, let's cross the
threshold and enter Tianfu Temple.

Stone tablets, door gods, eunuchs
We came to the interior of the Sanchuan Hall. On
both sides, we can see a pair of stone tablets engraved with the names
of most donors when Tianfu Temple was built in 1840 and rebuilt in 1906.
Among them, the largest contribution was made by the chief director Tan
Tock Seng. When Tianfu Temple was first built, he took the lead in
donating more than 3,000 Spanish silver dollars.
We turned around and saw that there was a pair of
door gods painted on the dragon gate and the tiger's mouth, which played
the role of guarding the door and suppressing evil. There are two
theories about the identity and origin of the door gods. The more
ancient legend is that their names are Shen Tu (Shēn Shū) and Yu Lei (Yω
Lǜ), and they were originally gods guarding the gates of hell. They
would tie up evil ghosts with reeds and feed them to tigers. So Huangdi,
one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, asked the people to make
Shen Tu and Yu Lei with peach wood at the door of their homes to drive
away demons and demons, and they became the prototype of the door gods.
However, the more popular saying is that it comes from the "Dream of
Killing the Dragon of Jinghe River" written in "Journey to the West".
According to this story, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li
Shimin, there was a dragon king who lived in the Jing River. In order to
challenge a fortune teller who was very effective in divination, he
transformed himself into a scholar and asked the fortune teller when,
where and how much rain would fall next time. Afterwards, the dragon
king received an order from the heaven to rain according to the time,
place and rainfall calculated by the fortune teller. In order to win
over the fortune teller, the dragon king violated the heavenly rules and
changed the time, place and rainfall of the rain. After the rain, the
dragon king transformed himself into a scholar again and went to the
fortune teller's stall to show off that the fortune teller could also
make mistakes. However, the fortune teller told him that because he
violated the heavenly rules, the heavenly court would send Wei Zheng,
the star of Wu Qu, who was the prime minister at the time, to behead him
on a certain day and at a certain time. In order to save his life, the
dragon king asked Emperor Taizong of Tang for help. Emperor Taizong
agreed, and on the day of the beheading, he summoned Wei Zheng to play
chess with him. While playing chess, Wei Zheng fell asleep at the time
set by the Heavenly Palace, but Emperor Taizong did not suspect him.
After Wei Zheng woke up, he apologized to Emperor Taizong, saying that
he had beheaded the Dragon King in his dream. After that, Emperor
Taizong often dreamed of the headless Dragon King asking for his life.
In order to protect himself, Emperor Taizong ordered his subordinates
Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong to guard his bedroom and prevent the Dragon
King from breaking in. It worked, and Emperor Taizong no longer had
nightmares. Since Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong could not stand in front of
the bedroom door all the time, they later changed to hanging portraits
of the two generals in front of the door, which also worked. This
practice spread to the people, and they became the current door gods. Of
course, there are various different opinions about the identity of the
door gods, but the two mentioned above are more widely accepted. If
according to the "Journey to the West", then the one on the right hand
side, the one with a crane on the shield is Qin Shubao, and the other
one with a deer on the shield is Yuchi Gong. The crane represents
longevity, and the deer represents official rank.
We walk to the middle and see four dark-skinned
portraits. They are eunuchs who guard the gate of the Tianfu Temple, but
they do not look like Chinese. It is said that when the temple
commissioned the painter, it said that there should be four eunuchs to
guard the gate, but the painter thought that most of the gatekeepers in
Singapore at that time were Indians, so he painted these four eunuchs to
look like black-skinned Indians. From your left to your right, the four
eunuchs hold the jade seal, jade silk, memorials and swords. The jade
seal is used to confer the title of Tianfei to Mazu; the jade silk
represents the salary presented to Mazu. The memorials and swords
represent the eunuchs' civil and military positions respectively.
Royal Road Stone, Four Elephant Incense Burner
Please turn your head and take a look inside the temple. In the center
of the front of the main hall, there is a stone slope with many patterns
painted on it, called the "Royal Road Stone". "Yu" means emperor. As the
name suggests, "Yu Lu Shi" is a stone slope used for the emperor or gods
of equal status to pass by. Although no emperor has ever been here in
person, as mentioned earlier, Mazu was also granted the title of "Tian
Fei" by the emperor and enjoyed the same status as the emperor, so the
Yu Lu Shi of Tianfu Temple was set up for Mazu. There is a gilded screen
behind the Yu Lu Shi. In addition to being beautiful, it is more
important to prevent civilians from entering and leaving the main hall
through the Yu Lu Shi, lest they be beheaded for disrespect. If Mazu is
on tour, the screen will be removed so that the sedan chair carrying the
statue of Mazu can pass over the Yu Lu Shi. The believers carrying the
sedan chair will carry the sedan chair horizontally and enter and exit
the main hall from the stone steps on both sides of the Yu Lu Shi, so
they will not step on the Yu Lu Shi.
The incense burner in front of the Yu Lu Shi is for
believers to burn incense. There are four animal patterns engraved on
it. Facing north is a turtle called "Xuanwu"; facing south is a "Suzaku"
bird; to the east and west are the Azure Dragon and White Tiger, just
like in front of the Sanchuan Hall. These four animals are collectively
called the "Four Symbols", which are mainly used to help believers
identify the four directions. When burning incense, they can also offer
sacrifices to the four directions at the same time, and also play a role
in suppressing evil. The "Four Symbols" are part of the Taoist universe:
"Taiji gives birth to Liangyi, Liangyi gives birth to Sixiang, and
Sixiang gives birth to Bagua". "Taiji" is the origin of all things, "Liangyi"
is Yin and Yang, and Bagua represents the complementary natural states
of heaven and earth, water and fire, thunder and wind, mountains and
swamps. Please follow me, distinguished guests. [Take tourists to the
right corridor]

"波靖南麟"
nαn mνng
The highest plaque above the Mazu statue has four
characters written on it, which means that Mazu blesses the South China
Sea to be peaceful.
These four characters were bestowed on Tianfu
Temple by Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. Why was this plaque
bestowed? In 1905, a flood occurred in Quanzhou, Fujian. In order to
help their hometown, the local Fujian Gang launched a fundraising
campaign to help their hometown compatriots overcome the difficulties.
When Emperor Guangxu learned about it, in order to express his
appreciation, he wrote the four characters "波靖南麟"
in his own handwriting in 1907 and mailed them to Tianfu Temple. The
temple reproduced the original work of Emperor Guangxu on the plaque,
and then rolled up the yellow silk ink book where the original work was
located and hid it in the box above the plaque. It has not been moved
since then, until the major renovation in 1999, when the entire plaque
was taken down and the box was opened to confirm that it was indeed the
original work of Emperor Guangxu. In 2005, the Fujian Guild Hall donated
the restored "Bo Jing Nan Ming" imperial calligraphy to the State
Administration of Cultural Heritage for collection; in 2023, Wan Qing
Yuan obtained approval from the State Administration of Cultural
Heritage to exhibit the calligraphy for a limited period of time.
Bao Sheng Da Di
There is also a statue on the left hand side of
everyone, which is dedicated to Bao Sheng Da Di. Bao Sheng Da Di's name
is "Wu Tiao (Wϊ tāo tāo)", and he was a native of Tongan, Fujian during
the Northern Song Dynasty. When he was thirteen years old, his father
died of illness, and his mother died soon after due to excessive grief
over the loss of her husband, so he determined to study medicine. He
started by catching snakes and collecting herbs, and gradually mastered
traditional Chinese medicine techniques such as acupuncture and
decoctions, and he was able to bring people back to health and won the
respect of his fellow townsmen. One day, in order to help emergency
patients collect herbs, he went to Dayan Dongshan in Qingjiao, but he
slipped and fell off the cliff and died at the age of fifty-eight. The
locals believed that he had become an immortal, so they began to worship
him, and also called him "Da Dao Gong", "Wu Zhenren", and "Hua Qiao
Gong". The plaque given to Baosheng Dadi by Tianfu Temple reads
"Protecting the Country and Protecting the People", which reflects his
great spirit of protecting the country and healing the people.
On the right hand side of the Guan Sheng Emperor is
Guan Sheng Emperor, the well-known general in "Romance of the Three
Kingdoms" - Guan Yu, whose courtesy name is Yunchang. He was born in
Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province today, so the plaque given to him by
Tianfu Temple reads "Shanxi One". Because it is said that he and Liu Bei
and Zhang Fei swore brotherhood in Taoyuan, and he was always loyal to
Shu Han and his two sworn brothers, and was good at fighting. Later
generations admired his image of loyalty, bravery, and defending
orthodoxy, and made him a god, honoring him as "Guan Gong" and "Master
Guan". In addition to the abbreviations such as "Guan Sheng Emperor" and
"Guan Shengdi", "Guan Dijun" and "Guan Di", emperors of all dynasties
also named him "Martial Saint", on par with "Literary Saint" Confucius.
Morning bells and evening drums
Please turn around - the bell on your left and the
drum on your right are collectively called "morning bells and evening
drums". As the name suggests, the bell is struck in the morning and the
drum is struck in the evening. In addition to telling time, the bells
and drums also play a role in purifying the temple environment and the
hearts of believers.
Dragon pillars, strong men supporting arches
(handsome people carrying frames)
Now please move forward a little and look at the
dragon pillars of Tianfu Temple. First look at the base - have you
noticed that from the outside to the inside, different dragon pillar
bases have different shapes? There are four corners, six corners, eight
corners, and round ones. The more base corners there are, the nobler the
dragon pillar is, and the round base represents the highest level. If
you look closely at the dragons on the pillars, you can find that some
are facing up and some are facing down. The dragon with its head facing
up is called "Tianlong", which represents rapid development. The dragon
with its head facing down is called "Dilong", which represents the grace
of heaven covering all people. Of course, these dragon pillars actually
also play the role of supporting the roof of Tianfu Temple.
Please follow me to see these figures between the
beams - they are called "Li Shi Tuo Gong", but Fujianese people often
call them "Han Fan Kang Jia". "Han" (gong) means "stupid", and "Fan"
refers to foreigners, non-Han people. In addition to supporting the
beams, the Han Fan Kang Jia of Tianfu Temple also commemorates the
contribution of the local Indian community to the construction of the
temple.
Hanging flowers/hanging tubes
Look at the beams again, there are some shapes that
look like lanterns. But they don't emit light, but are pillars that
don't touch the bottom, called "hanging flowers" or "hanging tubes".
"Hanging tubes" means a hanging cylinder, which is related to the
structure; "hanging flowers" means "inverted flowers", which is related
to the shape. The hanging tube has three parts. The top is a
bucket-shaped purlin (lǐn), which plays a role in fixing and measuring.
The middle is a cylinder with a concave hole at the waist, which is used
to mortise and tenon the rear end of the beam. In order to cover this
hole, this cylindrical part is usually engraved with patterns of gods,
animals, or petals. The part below the hanging tube is purely for
decoration. There are six hanging tubes in the main hall of Tianfu
Palace, ten in front of Sanchuan Hall, four each in front of Chongwen
Pavilion and Qingdehui, so there are a total of 24 hanging tubes in the
range of Tianfu Palace. These hanging tubes are mainly divided into
"hanging lotus" style, "peony" style and "flower basket" style. The
hanging lotus style hanging tube is shaped like an upside-down lotus,
representing the purity of the mud, and there are many seeds forming a
lotus pod underneath, symbolizing many children and grandchildren. The
peony style hanging tube is shaped like an upside-down peony,
symbolizing wealth. The flower basket style hanging tube will have many
different kinds of flower patterns engraved on the cylinder part, so it
is called "flower basket style", representing prosperity.
After seeing the main hall, our next step is to
explore the back hall of Tianfu Palace. Please follow me, distinguished
guests. [Take tourists into the Galan Bodhisattva Hall and find a
suitable station to continue the explanation]
Galan Bodhisattva
This Galan Bodhisattva is actually the civil
servant image of Guan Shengdijun. Legend has it that Master Zhizhe, the
founder of the Tiantai Sect of Buddhism, was sitting in the mountains
one night when Guan Yu appeared and expressed his willingness to help
the master build a temple, which was later the Yuquan Temple. Since
then, Chinese Buddhists have begun to worship Guan Yu as the patron
saint of the temple, and called him "Galan Bodhisattva" according to the
Sanskrit "Galan" of the temple. On the left and right of the Bodhisattva
of the Temple are his followers. The white-faced one is his son Guan
Ping, who was beheaded by the enemy together with Guan Yu; the
black-faced one is his general Zhou Cang, who committed suicide after
learning that Guan Yu and his son were killed. In order to commemorate
the loyalty and filial piety of Guan Ping and Zhou Cang, later
generations regarded them as the guardians of Guan Gong (both civil and
military images). Dear guests, please follow me to learn about the next
"saint". [Take tourists to the Confucius Hall]

Confucius
Now we come to the place where Confucius, the
"Great Sage and Teacher" of Confucianism, is enshrined. Confucius, whose
name is Qiu and whose courtesy name is Zhongni, was a thinker and
educator of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He
described his life as "at the age of fifteen, I was determined to study;
at the age of thirty, I was independent; at the age of forty, I was free
from doubts; at the age of fifty, I knew the will of heaven; at the age
of sixty, I was obedient to my ears; at the age of seventy, I followed
my heart's desire without transgressing the rules." According to
historical records, he was nine feet six inches tall, about 1.8 to 1.9
meters tall. Because he worked all year round, he also developed a
strong body and a very tall and burly image, so he was not a weak
scholar who could not carry anything on his shoulders or hands. Later
generations respectfully called him "Confucius" because "Zi" is a
respectful title given to people with profound knowledge and noble
morals. His educational philosophy is "teaching without distinction",
that is, no matter what kind of people, as long as they have a heart to
learn, they can receive education, and the tuition fee is also
arbitrary.
Standing on both sides are his favorite students.
On his right (your left hand side) holding a sword is Yan Hui, and on
his left (your right hand side) holding a scroll is Zilu. Among his
students, 72 were outstanding students, known as "Confucius' Seventy-two
Sages". According to records, he had more than 3,000 students - you may
say 3,000 is not a lot! But according to the population ratio at that
time, it is about 600,000 people now, so it is a very large number, and
it can be said that his students are all over the world. Speaking of his
students, there is a legend to share with you. One day, when his student
Zigong was cleaning the door, a guest came and asked him: "How many
seasons are there in a year?" Zigong thought: Such a simple question,
why do you still need to ask. But he still answered very modestly:
"There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn, and winter."
The man said, "No, no, there are only three seasons in a year." After
arguing for a long time, the guest said, "Let's ask someone else. If I'm
right, you kowtow to me three times, and if you're right, I'll kowtow to
you three times." At this time, Confucius came out, and Zigong asked,
"Teacher, there are four seasons in a year, right? Not three seasons,
right?" Confucius looked the guest up and down, and said, "You're right,
there are three seasons in a year." Zigong was confused when he heard
the answer, but he also knew how to respect his teacher and did not
refute the teacher in front of outsiders. The guest was very happy to
win the bet and got a satisfactory answer, so he left very happily.
Zigong asked in confusion, "Teacher, are you sure there are three
seasons in a year?" Confucius said, "Didn't you see that the man was
green? He was a grasshopper, born in spring and died in autumn, and he
didn't know there was a winter. You can't argue with him tonight without
any result, so you might as well give him a satisfactory answer and make
him happy." This story can teach us that "the wise do not argue, the
benevolent do not blame, and the good do not judge."
【Note: This
legend is probably fabricated by modern people and is not found in the
classics such as "The Analects", "Confucius' Family Sayings", "Records
of the Grand Historian: The Family of Confucius" that record Confucius'
life and deeds, so be careful when sharing it.
】
You may have also seen the plaque above Confucius,
which says "Hua Yi Xuan". It turns out that this was the meeting place
of the Fujian Guild Hall. After the leaders of the Guild Hall expressed
their opinions here, they had to unify their opinions in order to
successfully complete the task, so this place was named "Hua (= Hua) Yi
Xuan". Please follow me to learn about another god.
【Take you to
the Guanyin Temple】
Guanyin Bodhisattva, Sun God, Moon Goddess
We have now come to the section where Guanyin
Bodhisattva is worshipped. Guanyin Bodhisattva, whose full name is
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, means "Bodhisattva who observes the sounds of
the world". She is a symbol of compassion and relief from suffering. As
you can see, she has so many hands, and people often say Thousand-handed
Guanyin, indicating that she can see all the suffering in the world and
lend a hand to help everyone in need. This image is not only for visual
shock, but more importantly, it conveys the endless compassion and
wisdom of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Her thousand hands and thousand eyes
symbolize that she can pay attention to and help countless sentient
beings at the same time, reflecting her omniscience and great
compassion. The predecessor of Guanyin Bodhisattva is said to be
Princess Miaoshan, who moved the gods with her incomparable filial piety
and compassion, and was eventually given divine power and became Guanyin
Bodhisattva. She often incarnates in different forms to rescue those in
distress. Whether it is a shipwreck, fire or other disaster, as long as
someone calls her name, she will come to rescue. Believers come to pray
to Guanyin for health, peace, family harmony, and to overcome
difficulties. The compassionate image of Guanyin attracts a large number
of believers, especially women and housewives, who come to pray for
blessings. In general, Guanyin Bodhisattva is a symbol of compassion and
salvation, which reflects the people's desire to be saved from the
current environment.
On the left hand (your right hand) of
Thousand-Handed Guanyin is the Sunlight Bodhisattva, whose body is red,
with a sun wheel on his left palm and a vermilion flower in his right
hand, symbolizing his endless compassion and wisdom. He is the sun god
in Chinese Taoism, symbolizing light, vitality and health. The worship
of Sun God comes from human dependence on the sun, which provides energy
and life for all things. In Taoist beliefs, Sun God controls sunlight
and male power, representing masculinity.
On the right hand (your left hand) of
Thousand-Handed Guanyin is the Moon Goddess, the moon god of Chinese
Taoism. Folk legend has it that the Moon Goddess lives in the Moon
Palace. Guess who it is - Chang'e. Who is Chang'e? We have to start with
"Hou Yi Shooting the Sun". According to legend, in ancient times, ten
suns suddenly appeared in the sky, which made the earth smoke and the
people could not live. The hero Hou Yi shot down nine suns and saved
people. Hou Yi's wife Chang'e was a beautiful and kind woman. One day,
Hou Yi got the elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West,
but he was unwilling to leave Chang'e, so he gave the medicine to her
for safekeeping. However, Hou Yi's apprentice Feng Meng knew that he had
the elixir of immortality and tried to seize it. In order to prevent
Feng Meng from succeeding, Chang'e swallowed the elixir and ascended to
the Moon Palace, becoming a fairy on the moon. On the Mid-Autumn
Festival on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar,
which is the day when Chang'e ascended according to Chinese legend,
people will worship Chang'e under the moon and pray for reunion and
happiness. Generally, unmarried girls also compare her to a matchmaker,
praying to find a good husband and a happy marriage. Married women
worship her in the hope of a happy family and eternal youth. Okay,
please follow me to the Kaizhang Shengwang Temple. [Take tourists to the
Kaizhang Shengwang Temple]
Kai zhāng shθng wαng
We came to the Kaizhang Shengwang Temple. Kaizhang
Shengwangs surname was Chen and his name was Yuanguang. He was born in
Gushi County, Henan Province during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. He
was ordered by the court to quell the rebellion in Chaozhou, but he felt
that the local indigenous people and the Han people were mixed, and that
violence could not be used to suppress dissidents alone. It was also
necessary to tame the people between Quanzhou and Chaozhou through
education, so that they could live and work in peace and be loyal to the
court. The court listened to his opinions and set up the eastern part of
Chaozhou near Quanzhou as Zhangzhou, and appointed Chen Yuanguang as the
governor of Zhangzhou and the magistrate of Zhangpu County. During his
tenure, Chen Yuanguang not only quelled the rebellion, but also passed
on the farming technology of the Central Plains trap to local farmers,
so that the relatively barren land of Zhangzhou could have a bumper
harvest every year. Therefore, Zhangzhou people and overseas Chinese
whose ancestral home is Zhangzhou still appreciate his achievements and
respect him as "Kai Zhang Sheng Wang". Tianfu Temple enshrines Kai Zhang
Sheng Wang, proving that the Singaporean Minnan people whose ancestral
home is Zhangzhou are active and prosperous and occupy an important
position in society.
Finally, let's take a look at who are the important
figures who guard Tianfu Temple. [Take tourists to the City God Temple]

City God and Second Uncle
The City God and Second Uncle, also known as Black
and White Impermanence, are worshipped here.
The term City God was first seen in the Book of
Changes and is the name of a judge. "City" refers to the city wall and
"Huang" refers to the moat, which surrounds the town to protect the
lives and property of the people and prevent enemy invasion. In ancient
times, the City God was differentiated according to the geographical
situation and location. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was divided
into the City God of Kyoto, the City God of the Province, the City God
of the Prefecture, the City God of the State and the City God of the
County. The names of the City Gods by emperors of different dynasties
were also different. "City God"
Originally did not have any deification meaning,
but through the combination of worship and soul, it was gradually given
life and upgraded from a human to a god. This trend originated after the
Song Dynasty, and heroes who protected the country and the people and
benefited the people during their lifetime were often worshipped as City
Gods. Take Fujian as an example. During the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of
the Ming Dynasty, Chen Wenlong, a hero who fought against the Yuan
Dynasty in Putian, was named the City God of Fuzhou; Chen Zan was named
the City God of Xinghua Prefecture. People are very respectful of the
City God. In order to complete important tasks, he has many
subordinates: civil and military judges, General Xie, General Fan,
General Niuma, day and night patrols, Twenty-four Lords, Lady of the
City God and Tiger Lord. Standing on both sides are civil and military
judges, advising people to avoid evil and practice good. As early as the
Three Kingdoms period, in 239 AD, there were City God Temples. It is
said that after a person dies, he will go to the underworld to visit the
City God. The City God will distinguish the good and evil before the
person's death based on the principle of "good is rewarded with good,
and evil is rewarded with evil", so good men and women come to burn
incense and worship him, and regard him as a god who distinguishes good
from evil. The second uncle, or the Black and White Impermanence, is an
indispensable supporting role in the City God Temple. They escort
prisoners to the underworld for trial. The first uncle, the White
Impermanence, is kind-hearted. Even if you offend him, he will not care,
so he is called "Xie Bian". The second uncle, the Black Impermanence, is
a hot-tempered person. After offending him, no matter how you apologize
to him, he will not forgive, so he is called "Fan Wujiu". They have a
story of "not breaking faith by hugging the bridge": the two generals
were originally a pair of small runners in the Fuzhou government. They
have a very good relationship, and they are also upright, kind, and full
of justice. They will not arrest people casually, so they are respected
by the people. One day, the two generals were escorting a prisoner, and
the prisoner escaped, so the two discussed and searched separately, and
agreed to meet under the Nantai Bridge. Unexpectedly, at the agreed
time, the first uncle was delayed by heavy rain and could not get to the
bridge to meet the second uncle. The second uncle waited under the
bridge, and it rained heavily and the river water rose sharply. In
Erye's mind, Daye was a man who kept his promise, so he hugged the
bridge and never let go until he died. His body turned black after his
death. The token in his hand read: "Catch the evil when you see it", and
he called it Black Impermanence. When Daye arrived under the bridge, he
saw his good brother died; he thought that he was the cause of Erye's
death, and he felt very guilty, so he hanged himself, and died miserably
- his body turned pale, and his tongue stuck out long. The token in his
hand read "Seeing a Laugh", and the cap read "A Good Luck When You See
It".

When the Jade Emperor knew about the two of them,
he admired them for keeping their promise very much, so he sent them to
assist the City God to deal with matters of good and evil. This is why
Daye and Erye stayed with the City God. From this story, people use this
sentence "Don't hold the bridge and break your promise" to remind
themselves to stick to faith and justice, distinguish between good and
evil, and there will be retribution. We see cigarettes and beer in front
of the Black and White Impermanence because they are also gods of the
underworld, and these are offerings to the gods of the underworld.
Summary
Okay, from the appearance of the Tianfu Temple and
the many gods enshrined inside, we can see the polytheism of the Chinese
in Singapore, which reflects the integration of traditional religions
and beliefs, including Buddhism, Taoism and folk beliefs. It also
reflects the mutual exchanges between different ethnic groups in
Singapore, weaving a rich and colorful stroke in Singapore's history and
culture.

|
Keng Teck Whay
庆德会(Keng Teck Whay)为新加坡
最古老的土生华人社团,是1831年由 36位来自马六甲的商人创建的互助式 协会。据历史记载,一些创始人及其祖先与莱佛士
及其助手威廉·法夸尔上校保持着密切的关系。
这些早期的马六甲移民,在新加坡的经济建设发展中,特别是殖民地早期的拓荒开垦阶段做出过巨大贡献。庆德会这个鲜为人知的神秘社
团与新加坡基本同龄,它走过新加坡各个历史时 期。虽然它只在必要时,为创会人的后代提供经 济援助,但在遵守信仰风俗及传承祖先的崇拜礼
仪等方面,为我们了解新加坡先贤的丰功伟绩和 古老文化底蕴保留了极其珍贵的传统模式。
古老社团的神秘之处
庆德会的独特处在于,它曾有过自己的私家 祠堂 坐落在直落亚逸街150号的庆德楼。它 作为新加坡国家古迹,现已由新加坡道教协会属
下的玉皇宫管理。2015年,经过翻修过的玉皇 宫,保留了这座私家祠堂的原貌及36位创会人的牌位,以视尊重,并全面对外开放。
庆德会现任会长陈坤祥。 拍摄于2020年,庆德会 的新会所樟宜罗弄104号
庆德会现任会长陈坤祥介绍,这个协会的特 别之处,是完全封闭管理,不对外开放会员资 格,至今仍仅限于36位原始创会人的后代。除早
期一位会员犯规而被取消会员资格外,目前这个 协会只有22名会员。有些创会会员,由于无子, 或非道教或佛教的教徒,或失散,或未更新会籍
等原因,会员资格未能继续传承。
换句话说,这是一个古老的世袭社团,且只 传承给嫡系长子,完全不接纳其他新成员。这在 新加坡是绝无仅有的。
庆德会至今仍然传承并履行古老规则和条 例。这些条规最早制定于1831年,当然随着时间 推移,已经进行过必要修订,它确保满足当下会
员需求。委员会定期进行条规审查并及时修订。 所有修正案均由会员集体通过,并得到新加坡社 团注册局批准。该协会的原始会费资金是由每人
100西班牙元的初始资金组成。而今,庆德会的 会费收入,主要来源于社团物业投资及租金。
按照传统,会长每年由居住在新加坡的会员选举产生。被选举出来的会长将任职至去世或他 本人选择放弃职位。现任会长陈坤祥2017年继
任,他领导着一个由6位会员组成的委员会,该 委员会包括副会长、秘书、司库和3名会员。陈 会长的责任是领导委员会负责协会的运作,主
要是庆德会一年四次会员大会,三次酬神和两次 祭祖的大型活动。他平时确保与会员保持紧密联 系,维护庆德会的资产,帮助经济有困难的会员
及家属。陈会长在会员及其家属中德高望重,极 受会员及晚辈尊重。
庆德会的神秘之处还包括,它完全不介入社 会上其他慈善团体,不参与其他慈善工作,但不 排除会员这样做。它的主要职责是对本会会员提
供援助。2020年,新冠状病毒肆虐期间,庆德 会向会员提供了疫情援助计划配套,以帮助会 员度过经济萧条时期难关。除此以外,根据具
体情况,在必要时会向个别会员及家属提供财 务援助。
庆德会完全传承了自1831年建立起来的私 家祠堂的宗教礼仪仪式,只在个别情况略微调 整,比如一些成员已经信仰基督教,对于举香敬
拜祖先已不适应,那么略微调整为可以选择不 焚香的敬拜;早期会员家庭人口众多,祭拜活动 时,按照早期条规要摆放24种娘惹佳肴,现在减
至12种。其余大部分传统仪式基本原汁原味地传 承下来。
神秘社团传人的过去、现在与未来
陈坤祥会长的先辈 陈祥隆的父亲来自福 建漳州,住在马六甲郊外的万达怡力。陈祥隆 在印尼巴达维亚(现雅加达)、泰国等地经商。
1795年荷兰人把马六甲交给英国托管时,他才在 马六甲定居,并开始学习英文和荷兰文。陈祥隆 之子,陈明宗(又名陈孟宗)作为庆德会创会会
员之一,是马六甲当时著名商界精英。与其他庆 德会创会会员一样,严格遵守庆德会的道德准则 及英国律法,在经商的过程中严格遵守诚信的准
则。他们不仅与马六甲驻扎官法夸尔上校保持良 好政要关系,同时在马六甲华人或峇峇社区中德 高望重,影响着一个大约2000人的社区。
庆德会现任会长陈坤祥的祖先:36位创 会会员之一,陈明宗,又名陈孟宗
1819年莱佛士在新加坡登陆后,新加坡成为 一个新自由贸易港,经过十多年的发展,新加坡 已超过了马六甲及槟城海峡殖民地的经济地位,
成为当时连接世界各地经贸的重要港口。当时主 管马六甲的法夸尔上校积极推动新加坡初期经济 发展,鼓励华人开拓新的经济领域,并为他们提
供优惠。到19 世纪20年代中期,大多数庆德会 的创始人都从马六甲移居到了新加坡。
1831年成立的庆德会,有个特别涵义庆 贺德行。其 中48条规则极为详细描绘了当时马 六甲华人的习俗。根据目前留下来的历史记录显
示,该会在战争期间为某些会员家庭提供了经济 援助,而其整个家庭也依赖庆德会的财政援助而生存下来,这种做法一直延续至今。
庆德会的主要成员多数讲福建话,他们也使 用峇峇马来语。一部分会员在当时还可以讲荷兰 语和英语。陈会长的曾祖父陈仁安做生意时讲福
建话,回到家里与家人讲马来话,从1824年英 国占领马六甲起,又逐渐使用英语。目前许多马 六甲和新加坡的峇峇只讲马来语和英语。不过对
长者的尊称,他们仍以福建话为基础,比如妻 舅,妈祖(指曾祖母),和娘(指丈 母娘)。在礼仪方面严格遵照中国祖先的礼仪程
序,比如生日、结婚、丧葬等传统习俗。由于峇 峇经济文化发展迅猛,经济地位越来越高,逐步 形成多元融合的文化形态。丰富多彩的珠宝、饰
物、刺绣、缝纫产品及瓷器等就彰显了其特色。
这些早期从马六甲来新加坡的商人,他们完 全不同于来自于中国南方的贫苦移民,他们被称 为海峡华人,或土生华人,他们是今天新加坡人
的重要组成部分。这些马六甲土生华人的精英为 新加坡的社会做出了巨大的贡献,其中比较著名 的应该是峇峇陈笃生。由于庆德会的条规只允许
家族的长者继承会员资格,因此我们众所周知的 薛佛记、陈金声和陈笃生等,都因此条规而无法 成为庆德会的创始会人。
陈坤祥会长退休前是一位财务审计师,退休 后他全心服务庆德会及其他一些义务工作。他说 一个由年轻人组成的传承小组正在接受培训,以
接管庆德会未来的工作。委员会关注年轻一代的 成长及观念传承。即使在该会成立的第190年, 继承也是庆德会延续所必需面对的挑战。随着新
加坡社会多种族和多元文化发展,庆德会作为最 古老的社团,它的奋斗目标必成为这一发展进程 的重要组成部分。
据陈会长透露,为2031年庆德会建会200周 年献礼,庆德会将出版一本关于会史的巨著。目 前已由新加坡著名历史学家柯木林先生主导的编
辑团队,着手整理和搜集庆德会近200年的历史 文献资料。这一宏大文史工程,将为研究新加坡 社团文化史,提供重要参考资料,具有不可估量
的学术与研究价值。
庆德会道教景观赋宗教文化传承意义
陈坤祥会长指出,现在的年轻人如果不了解 庆德会所传承规章及民俗的缘由及意义,这些酬神祭奠与祖先崇拜活动就失去现代意义。因此,
他非常重视对年轻一代的培养教育。
庆德会创会的36个家族虽然是峇峇,但他们 都信奉道教,祖籍都是福建漳州。他们崇拜玉皇 上帝,在庆德会会所供奉玉皇上帝及三官大帝
的神坛。庆德会在直落亚逸街150号的庆德楼, 玉皇上帝神坛设在二楼,三官大帝神坛设在一 楼前厅,后厅神坛安置刻有创会会员名字的石
碑。2012年庆德会迁到樟宜罗弄104号后,仍在 前厅供奉玉皇大帝及三官大帝神坛,后面的大厅 安置创会会员石碑。从创会至今,庆德会每年依
旧延续创会先贤传承下来的三次酬神和两次祭祖 的祭祀活动。三次酬神是在上元、中元及下元节 庆祝天官、地官、水官神诞。清明节和冬至节,
则举行祭拜36位创会会员的祭祖活动。
位于直落亚逸街的庆德楼原貌
陈会长曾到访福建先祖的家乡,参观先祖 居住过的地方及家族祠堂,它的建筑风格与新加 坡庆德楼的建筑风格,都呈现浓厚的道教精神。
这在新马一带非常独特,属方形单间回廊亭,即 下层呈方形,上层呈八角形,有着道教教理天 圆地方,阴阳相生,八卦交配成万化的哲理象
位于直落亚逸街的庆德楼原貌 26 征。在庆德会所内高悬着一副横匾,上写受 禄于天:出自于《诗经·大雅·假乐》宜民
宜人,受禄于天,称赞周成王能够遵民义,顺 民心,皇天授命,赐以福禄。这副匾显示了儒道 思想的天人合一的理念。
庆德会的先人尊崇的横匾格言还有很多,主 要反映了创始人及后人的人生观、宇宙观、价值 观,也是他们为人处事的座右铭。他们将儒家、
道家、佛家思想统一起来,三教合一,通过修身 养性及对自然现象的认知来提升人的品德,以维 持和谐的人际关系。
新加坡华人宗教信仰深受三教的影响,人文 教育景观上三教自成体系,总体上都有自己的 哲理:儒教治世,佛教治心,道教治身。三教在
处理生老病死的重大人生问题上,也各有偏重。 比如,儒家重视人与社会的协调,道家重视人与 自然的协调,佛教重视人与自身的协调。这些思
想,对于我们建设新加坡多种族、多元文化的和 谐社会具有重要的参考价值。
比如,通过修身养性来提高人的品德,及普 渡众生的救世精神;建立一个长幼有序的社会及
以德治国;通过对自然现象的认知,例如八卦、阴阳、五行、相生、相克等,来理解人与自然的 和谐关系,以及进一步维护和谐的人际关系与社
会秩序。在民间信仰的实践上,形式上的宗教哲 理,被简化与世俗化,形成一种非常务实的宗教 观,这些观念都有其进步意义及积极的影响。
就拿清明节祭祖的仪式来说。庆德会清明节 祭祖仪式,至今仍保留了近200年前的风俗传统。 它选在最接近清明节的星期日上午举行,由年初
上元神诞掷筶选出的首席头家主持。清明节祭祖 是拜祭创会的36位祖先,只有新加坡总会举行此 项祭祖活动。总会负责筹备的会员,在两周前就
开始筹备祭品。
庆德会创会会员牌位
创会会员供桌的摆放以及供品都传承了古法: 12道娘惹佳肴,煮熟的整只鸡和鸭各两只,5只 蒸熟的螃蟹,1大块烧猪肉,1件干墨鱼和黄面 条 ,
24块小咸黑龟粿, 24块小红龟粿, 1盘 椰 糖糯米饭,24块小蒸米糕,用香蕉叶包裹着的 24块椰糖米糕及甜椰丝米糕,1大捆甘蔗,8串
香蕉,36杯茶,1瓶足够能倒满36个杯子的米 酒,36碗米饭,红色烟草卷烟纸,1包香烟和火 柴都放在1个盘子里,1对1斤装的红蜡烛、线
香,3000张银箔冥纸,1瓶油,1大碗水,里面放着1束本地的生菜。
清明节,庆德会祭拜36位祖先的供桌
单从清明节祭祖的仪式和 供桌上的供品看,除卷烟纸 外,都是我们日常生活中常见 的实物,非常亲切,既丰厚又 实用。庆德会在清明节祭祖仪
式,与其他宗乡会馆的祭拜仪 式,有很多相似之处,又略有 不同。这些供品无论在过去, 还是现在,都代表华人极高 的生活水平及人生美好祝福与
向往。虽然庆德会的后人如今 已全部受英文教育,但这些礼 仪文化内涵丝毫没有改变,仍 执着地崇奉三官大帝及祭祖, 奉行创始人190年前制定下来
的,以儒家思想人文主义为 本的伦理道德规范。祭拜活动 把这些华人家庭更紧密团结在 一起。年轻人学习这些祭拜礼 仪,对于加强家庭凝聚力,建
设更美好和谐的新加坡社会及 未来,都有积极意义。
庆德会,这个历史上由新 加坡先驱创立的古老社团,无 论过去还是现在,他们的成员 都是进取的新加坡人 。 年 轻 一代亦为各行各业的精英 。
如今,古老庆德会正迈入第七 代,仍继续为包括在新加坡以 外国家定居的会员服务。
愿这些传统民俗信仰的持 续传承,能将分散在世界各地 的新加坡人紧密团结在一起。 愿新加坡这个年轻而多元的国 家,能以深厚而古老的民俗信
仰为底蕴,焕发出时代的青春 活力。

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Keng Teck Whay is the oldest Peranakan
community in Singapore. It was founded in 1831 by 36 merchants from
Malacca as a mutual aid association. According to historical records,
some of the founders and their ancestors maintained close relations with
Stamford Raffles and his assistant, Colonel William Farquhar. These
early Malacca immigrants made great contributions to the economic
development of Singapore, especially in the early colonial period of
land reclamation. Keng Teck Whay, a little-known mysterious community,
is almost the same age as Singapore and has gone through various
historical periods in Singapore. Although it only provides financial
assistance to the descendants of the founders when necessary, it has
preserved extremely precious traditional models for us to understand the
great achievements and ancient cultural heritage of Singapore's pioneers
in terms of observing religious customs and inheriting ancestral worship
rituals.
The mystery of the ancient community
The uniqueness of Keng Teck Whay is that it once had its own private
ancestral hall - Keng Teck House at 150 Telok Ayer Street. As a national
monument in Singapore, it is now managed by the Jade Emperor Palace
under the Singapore Taoist Association. In 2015, the renovated Jade
Emperor Palace retained the original appearance of this private
ancestral hall and the tablets of the 36 founders as a sign of respect,
and was fully open to the public.<
34 tablets but only 33
displayed- one of them married the widow whihc is forbidden and hence
removed>
Chen Kunxiang, the current president of Qingdehui. Photographed in 2020,
the new clubhouse of Qingdehui at 104 Changi Lorong
Chen Kunxiang, the current president of Qingdehui, introduced that the
special feature of this association is that it is completely closed and
does not open membership to the public. It is still limited to the
descendants of the 36 original founders. Except for an early member who
violated the rules and was disqualified, the association currently has
only 22 members. Some founding members have not been able to continue
their membership due to reasons such as having no children, being
non-Taoist or Buddhist believers, or being lost, or not renewing their
membership.
In other words, this is an ancient hereditary society that is only
passed on to the eldest son of the direct line and does not accept other
new members at all. This is unique in Singapore.
The Qingde Society still inherits and implements the ancient rules and
regulations. These regulations were first formulated in 1831. Of course,
they have been amended as necessary over time to ensure that they meet
the needs of current members. The committee regularly reviews the
regulations and amends them in a timely manner. All amendments are
collectively passed by the members and approved by the Singapore
Registrar of Societies. The original membership fund of the association
was composed of an initial fund of 100 Spanish dollars per person.
Today, the membership income of Qingde Society mainly comes from the
investment and rental of the society's properties.
According to tradition, the president is elected annually by members
living in Singapore. The elected president will serve until his death or
he chooses to resign. The current president, Chen Kunxiang, succeeded in
2017. He leads a committee of 6 members, including the vice president,
secretary, treasurer and 3 members. President Chen's responsibility is
to lead the committee responsible for the operation of the association,
mainly the four annual member meetings of Qingde Association, three
large-scale activities of thanking gods and two ancestor worship. He
usually ensures to maintain close contact with members, maintain the
assets of Qingde Association, and help members and their families who
are in financial difficulties. President Chen is highly respected among
members and their families and is highly respected by members and
juniors.
The mystery of Qingde Association also includes that it does not
intervene in other charitable groups in society and does not participate
in other charitable work, but it does not exclude members from doing so.
Its main responsibility is to provide assistance to members of the
association. In 2020, during the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Qingde
Association provided members with an epidemic assistance plan package to
help members through the economic depression. In addition, financial
assistance will be provided to individual members and their families
when necessary, depending on the specific circumstances.
Qingdehui completely inherited the religious rituals of the private
ancestral hall established in 1831, with only slight adjustments in
individual cases. For example, some members have already converted to
Christianity and are no longer used to holding incense to worship their
ancestors, so they can choose to worship without burning incense. In the
early days, the family of the members was large, and according to the
early regulations, 24 kinds of Nyonya delicacies were placed during the
worship activities, but now it has been reduced to 12. Most of the other
traditional rituals have been basically passed down in their original
flavor.
The past, present and future of the descendants of the mysterious
society
The father of President Chen Kunxiang, Chen Xianglong, came from
Zhangzhou, Fujian, and lived in Wanda Yili, a suburb of Malacca. Chen
Xianglong did business in Batavia (now Jakarta), Indonesia, Thailand and
other places. When the Dutch handed Malacca over to the British
trusteeship in 1795, he settled in Malacca and began to learn English
and Dutch. Chen Mingzong (also known as Chen Mengzong), the son of Chen
Xianglong, was one of the founding members of the Qingde Society and a
famous business elite in Malacca at that time. Like other founding
members of the Qingde Society, they strictly abided by the ethical code
of the Qingde Society and British laws, and strictly abided by the code
of integrity in the process of doing business. They not only maintained
a good political relationship with Colonel Farquhar, the resident
officer of Malacca, but also had high respect in the Chinese or Baba
community in Malacca, influencing a community of about 2,000 people.
Ancestor of Chen Kunxiang, the current president of the Qingde Society:
One of the 36 founding members, Chen Mingzong, also known as Chen
Mengzong
After Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, Singapore became a new free
trade port. After more than ten years of development, Singapore has
surpassed the economic status of the Straits Settlements of Malacca and
Penang, and became an important port connecting the world's economy and
trade at that time. Colonel Farquhar, who was in charge of Malacca at
the time, actively promoted the early economic development of Singapore,
encouraged the Chinese to explore new economic fields, and provided them
with preferential treatment. By the mid-1820s, most of the founders of
the Qingde Society had moved from Malacca to Singapore.
The Qingde Society, established in 1831, has a special meaning -
celebrating virtue. The 48 rules in it describe the customs of the
Chinese in Malacca at that time in great detail. According to the
historical records left at present, the society provided financial
assistance to some members' families during the war, and their entire
families also relied on the financial assistance of the Qingde Society
to survive, and this practice has continued to this day.
Most of the main members of the Qingde Society spoke Fujianese, and they
also used Baba Malay. Some members could also speak Dutch and English at
that time. Tan Yanan, the great-grandfather of President Tan, spoke
Fujianese when doing business, and spoke Malay with his family when he
returned home. From the British occupation of Malacca in 1824, he
gradually used English. Many Babas in Malacca and Singapore now speak
only Malay and English. However, they still use Hokkien as the basis for
addressing elders, such as "wife's uncle", "Mazu" (great-grandmother),
and "niang" (mother-in-law). In terms of etiquette, they strictly follow
the etiquette procedures of their Chinese ancestors, such as birthdays,
marriages, funerals and other traditional customs. Due to the rapid
development of Baba economy and culture, their economic status has
become higher and higher, and they have gradually formed a diversified
and integrated cultural form. The rich and colorful jewelry, ornaments,
embroidery, sewing products and porcelain highlight their
characteristics.
These early merchants who came to Singapore from Malacca were completely
different from the poor immigrants from southern China. They were called
Straits Chinese, or Peranakan Chinese, and they are an important part of
today's Singaporeans. These Malacca Peranakan Chinese elites have made
great contributions to Singaporean society, and the most famous one
among them should be Baba Tan Tock Seng. As the rules of the Qingde
Association only allow the elders of the family to inherit the
membership, the well-known Xue Foji, Tan Kim Seng and Tan Tock Seng were
unable to become the founding members of the Qingde Association due to
this rule.
President Tan Kunxiang was a financial auditor before retirement. After
retirement, he devoted himself to serving the Qingde Association and
other voluntary work. He said that a succession group composed of young
people is being trained to take over the future work of the Qingde
Association. The committee is concerned about the growth and inheritance
of the younger generation. Even in the 190th year of the establishment
of the association, succession is a challenge that the Qingde
Association must face in order to continue. As Singaporean society
develops multi-ethnic and multicultural, the goals of the Qingde
Association as the oldest society must become an important part of this
development process.
According to President Tan, in order to celebrate the 200th anniversary
of the founding of the Qingde Association in 2031, the Qingde
Association will publish a monumental book on the history of the
association. Currently, the editing team led by Mr. Ke Mulin, a famous
Singaporean historian, has begun to organize and collect historical
documents of Qingdehui for nearly 200 years. This grand cultural and
historical project will provide important reference materials for the
study of the cultural history of Singaporean societies and has
immeasurable academic and research value.
Qingdehuis Taoist landscape has religious and cultural heritage
significance
President Chen Kunxiang pointed out that if young people today do not
understand the reasons and significance of the Qingdehuis inheritance
rules and folk customs, these activities of offering sacrifices to gods
and worshipping ancestors will lose their modern significance.
Therefore, he attaches great importance to the training and education of
the younger generation.
Although the 36 families who founded Qingdehui are Babas, they all
believe in Taoism and their ancestral home is Zhangzhou, Fujian. They
worship the Jade Emperor and offer altars to the Jade Emperor and the
Three Officials in the Qingdehui clubhouse. Qingdehui is located at
Qingde Building, 150 Telok Ayer Street. The altar of the Jade Emperor is
on the second floor, the altar of the Three Officials is in the front
hall on the first floor, and the altar in the back hall is placed with a
stone tablet engraved with the names of the founding members. After
Qingdehui moved to 104 Changi Lorong in 2012, the altars of the Jade
Emperor and the Three Officials were still enshrined in the front hall,
and the stone tablets of the founding members were placed in the back
hall. Since its founding, Qingdehui has continued the three
thanksgivings and two ancestor worship activities passed down by the
founding sages every year. The three thanksgivings are to celebrate the
birthdays of the God of Heaven, God of Earth, and God of Water during
the Shangyuan, Zhongyuan and Xiayuan festivals. During the Qingming
Festival and the Winter Solstice Festival, ancestor worship activities
are held to worship the 36 founding members.
The original appearance of Qingde Building on Telok Ayer Street
President Chen once visited the hometown of his ancestors in Fujian, and
visited the place where his ancestors lived and the family ancestral
hall. Its architectural style and that of Qingde Building in Singapore
both show a strong Taoist spirit. This is very unique in Singapore and
Malaysia. It is a square single-room corridor pavilion, that is, the
lower floor is square and the upper floor is octagonal. It has the
philosophical image of the Taoist doctrine "the sky is round and the
earth is square, yin and yang are born together, and the eight trigrams
are mated to form all kinds of changes". There is a horizontal plaque
hanging high in the Qingde Club, which reads "Receive blessings from
heaven": it comes from "The Book of Songs·Da Ya·Jia Yue" "Yi Min Yi Ren,
receive blessings from heaven", praising King Cheng of Zhou for being
able to follow the people's righteousness and the people's heart, and
being granted by the emperor and blessed by heaven. This plaque shows
the concept of the unity of heaven and man in Confucianism and Taoism.
There are many mottos on the horizontal plaques revered by the ancestors
of Qingde Society, which mainly reflect the founders and their
descendants' outlook on life, universe and values, and are also their
mottos for dealing with people. They unified the thoughts of
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, and integrated the three religions
into one, improving people's morality through self-cultivation and
cognition of natural phenomena to maintain harmonious interpersonal
relationships.
The religious beliefs of Chinese in Singapore are deeply influenced by
the three religions. In the humanistic education landscape, the three
religions are self-contained systems, and generally have their own
philosophies: Confucianism governs the world, Buddhism governs the mind,
and Taoism governs the body. The three religions also have their own
emphasis on dealing with major life issues such as birth, aging, illness
and death. For example, Confucianism attaches importance to the
coordination between man and society, Taoism attaches importance to the
coordination between man and nature, and Buddhism attaches importance to
the coordination between man and himself. These ideas are of great
reference value for us to build a harmonious society with multiple races
and cultures in Singapore.
For example, through self-cultivation, people's moral character can be
improved, and the spirit of salvation for all living beings can be
achieved; a society with orderly seniority and a country governed by
virtue can be established; through the cognition of natural phenomena,
such as the Eight Diagrams, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, mutual
generation and mutual restraint, people can understand the harmonious
relationship between man and nature, and further maintain harmonious
interpersonal relationships and social order. In the practice of folk
beliefs, the formal religious philosophy has been simplified and
secularized, forming a very pragmatic religious view. These concepts
have their progressive significance and positive influence.
Take the Qingdehui Qingming Festival ancestor worship ceremony for
example. The Qingdehui Qingming Festival ancestor worship ceremony still
retains the customs and traditions of nearly 200 years ago. It is held
on the morning of the Sunday closest to Qingming Festival, and is
presided over by the chief headman selected by throwing dice at the
beginning of the year on the birthday of the Shangyuan God. The Qingming
Festival ancestor worship is to worship the 36 ancestors who founded the
association. Only the Singapore General Association holds this ancestor
worship activity. The members responsible for the preparation of the
General Association began to prepare the offerings two weeks ago.

Tablets of founding members of Qingde Society
The arrangement of the founding members altar and the offerings are all
inherited from the ancient method: 12 Nyonya delicacies, two cooked
whole chickens and ducks, five steamed crabs, a large piece of roast
pork, a piece of dried cuttlefish and yellow noodles, 24 small salty
black turtle cakes, 24 small red turtle cakes, a plate of coconut sugar
glutinous rice, 24 small steamed rice cakes, 24 coconut sugar rice cakes
and sweet coconut rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves, a large bundle of
sugarcane, 8 bunches of bananas, 36 cups of tea, a bottle of rice wine
enough to fill 36 cups, 36 bowls of rice, red tobacco cigarette papers,
a pack of cigarettes and matches all placed on a plate, a pair of 1-jin
red candles, incense sticks, 3,000 silver foil paper, a bottle of oil, a
large bowl of water, and a bunch of local lettuce.
Qingdehui's offerings for 36 ancestors during Qingming Festival
From the Qingming Festival ancestor worship ceremony and the offerings
on the offerings, except for cigarette paper, they are all common
objects in our daily life, very intimate, rich and practical.
Qingdehui's Qingming Festival ancestor worship ceremony has many
similarities with other clan associations' worship ceremonies, but also
slightly different. These offerings represent the extremely high living
standards of the Chinese and the beautiful blessings and aspirations of
life in the past and now. Although the descendants of Qingdehui are now
all educated in English, the cultural connotations of these rituals have
not changed at all. They still persist in worshipping the Three
Officials and worshipping their ancestors, and adhere to the ethical and
moral norms based on Confucian humanism formulated by the founder 190
years ago. The worship activities bring these Chinese families closer
together. Young people learning these worship rituals have positive
significance for strengthening family cohesion and building a better and
more harmonious Singapore society and future.
Qingdehui, an ancient society founded by Singaporean pioneers, has
always been composed of progressive Singaporeans. The younger generation
is also elite in various industries. Today, the ancient Qingdehui is
entering its seventh generation and continues to serve members who have
settled in countries outside Singapore.
May the continued inheritance of these traditional folk beliefs bring
Singaporeans scattered around the world closer together. May Singapore,
a young and diverse country, be able to radiate the youthful vitality of
the times with its deep and ancient folk beliefs as its foundation. |