Chong Pang Combined Temple
Step into this building and you would see that it houses a number of temples under one roof. Many of these temples were from former Chinese kampongs (villages) in Sembawang and Yishun. The temples relocated here in 1995, after urbanisation. Here are some snapshots of the temples’ rich history and culture.
Dou Mu Gong
Believed to be established in the 1850s, this temple used to be one of Nee Soon Village’s many temples. Two other temples from Nee Soon – Chan Chu Kang Tua Pek Kong Temple and Feng Shan Si – combined with Dou Mu Gong to share this plot. One of the temple’s greatest prides is an intricately carved eighty-year old wooden sedan chair, used in temple celebrations during the ninth lunar month, when the birthdays of the Nine Emperor Gods are celebrated. During this festival, you can see devotees holding a procession to send the deities off at Sembawang beach. The statutes of the deities would be carried to the beach and a paper model of a boat as well as other offerings would be burnt.
Chin Kong Religion Fook Poon Tong
Formerly located in Chong Pang Village, Chin Kong Religion Temple’s worshippers used to be mostly Hakkas. Chin Kong Religion began in 1862 during the Qing dynasty, and was well-known for its work in treating opium addicts and establishing treatment centres in China and Southeast Asia. At its peak, there were 34 Chin Kong Religion temples in Singapore. This temple was started in 1955, by a Chin Kong Religion missionary who came to Singapore in 1918. It moved here in 1991 and is one of the seven remaining such temples in Singapore.
Hua Bao Siang Theon
When Teochew migrants came to Singapore, they brought along their religious beliefs from Swatow, China. One sect, which followed the teachings of Song Da Feng, an eminent Song Dynasty monk, strongly emphasised charity. Hua Bao Siang Theon, which began as a shrine in an attap house, is one such sect. Though it probably can trace its history to the mid-1800s, the temple was only registered in 1947. The temple played an important role in the religious and social life of the village then, providing funereal services for the needy and acting as a place for villagers to socialise.
Kwang Tee Temple
Started in 1975, this temple used to be located in a kampung at Thomson Road, near where Singapore Island Country Club stands today. The temple’s origins reveal insights into Chinese folk beliefs. According to the temple trustees, the temple began when a family in the village sent the statue of its deity for restoration, informing the deity to return at a specific date and time. However, when the time came, the statue was not ready. However, in another part of the village, a villager went into a trance. After consultation, the villagers concluded that the deity was made homeless when its statue was not ready at the agreed time, and thus appeased the deity by promising to build a temple with a new statue for it.