When you reach the end of the industrial park, you will see a row of three temples. On the left is the temple of the Phua family, who migrated from Nan An County, China, in the late 1800s.
The first Phuas who migrated to Singapore brought along with them incense ash from their village temple in China as a form of protection for their families. These migrants first stayed at 7th milestone, Upper Thomson Road (near Ang Mo Kio today), and later Yio Chu Kang. In 1914, they moved to the area around the former Lorong Handalan (near present-day Springleaf) and Nee Soon Road, settling in a village called Heng Li Pah.
Heng Li Pah Village was named after a rubber plantation of the same name, but was commonly called “Phua Village” after the Phuas. When the Phuas settled down, they built a temple to house the ash, dedicating it to their patron deity, the Lord of the Phuas. It was named Hwee San temple, which meant ‘Temple on a horizontal mountain’ in Hokkien. This was derived from the Phuas’ family temple in China, which was built on a horizontal mountain plain.
The temple was the centre of village life. Villagers met there to socialise, resolve disputes and consult the deity on daily affairs. Single migrants stayed at the temple till they found shelter elsewhere. Temple funds were used to take care of the old and needy. Every ninth Lunar month, on the 27th and 28th days, the temple would celebrate the deity’s birthday. Former villagers recalled that festivities were grander than during Chinese New Year. Opera shows would be staged and feasts held.
Life in the village was simple. Most villagers were farmers. There was only one provision store and one bullock cart for transport during the early 1900s. The villagers established Xing Dun Primary School in 1936 and lessons were taught in Mandarin. By the 1970s, the village had begun declining as young members left to seek employment in other parts of Singapore. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the villagers were resettled in Yishun New Town and other estates in the north.
As for Hwee San Temple, it relocated to Yishun in 1997. Today, the Phuas still gather here to celebrate their festivals every ninth Lunar month.