Table Of ContentDIVINE
CUSTODY
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DIVINE
CUSTODY
A HISTORY OF SINGAPORE’S
OLDEST TEOCHEW TEMPLE
YEO KANG SHUA
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Published with the support of the National Heritage Board
The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his
private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of
the National Heritage Board and/or any government agencies.
© 2021 Yeo Kang Shua
Published by:
NUS Press
National University of Singapore
AS3-01-02, 3 Arts Link
Singapore 117569
Fax: (65) 6774-0652
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://nuspress.nus.edu.sg
ISBN 978-981-325-144-1 (case)
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not
be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any
information storage and retrieval system now known or to be
invented, without written permission from the Publisher.
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing in
Publication Data
Names: Yeo, Kang Shua, 1975-
Title: Divine custody : a history of Singapore’s oldest
Teochew temple / Yeo Kang Shua.
Description: Singapore : NUS Press, [2021] | Includes
bibliographic references and index.
Identifiers: OCN 1252627218 | ISBN 978-981-325-144-1
Subjects: LCSH: Temples, Chinese--Singapore--History.
| Temples, Chinese--Social aspects--Singapore. | Temples,
Chinese--Singapore--Design and construction. Opposite: Wak Hai Cheng Bio’s entrance gateway, and its
Classification: DDC 726.1951095957--dc23 boundary wall that was reconstructed based on archival
records.
Printed by: Markono Print Media Pte Ltd Source: Photographed by Lim Shao Bin.
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Table of Contents
vii Note on Translation, Transliteration and Traditional Chinese Script
ix Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
7 Chapter 1: History of the Temple’s Property and Origins
31 Chapter 2: Changing Social Relationships with the Temple
across the Centuries
59 Chapter 3: Architectural Developments in the 19th and
20th Centuries
101 Chapter 4: The 2010 to 2014 Restoration
149 Chapter 5: Conclusion
153 Chapter 6: Bibliographical Appreciation
157 Endnotes
204 Appendix
208 List of Figures
215 Bibliography
236 Index
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Records of temple offerings on the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month in the 17th year of the Shōwa era (1942).
Source: Courtesy of the Ban See Soon Kongsi.
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Note on Translation, Transliteration
and Traditional Chinese Script
A number of translations have been provided throughout this research. Many
texts and/or phrases have been translated or transliterated previously. In the
selection and production of the translation or transliteration for this book, I have
chosen to observe a few principles and conventions.
Firstly, I have attempted, wherever possible, to use existing standard
translations with the original Chinese text appended in parenthesis alongside.
Secondly, if there is no standard translation or, for any reason, the standard
translation is not suitable, I will abide by the distinction between normative and
flexible translation in my translation. In general, normative translation will serve
well for technical terms or everyday objects. However, if one tries to render more
complex ideas unalterably with but a single English word, then one is usually
restricted to the most literal of translations. Therefore, in this book, I tend to opt
for flexible translation on the principle that one should employ the English word
or phrase that modern speakers would use to convey an idea. One should try to be
as literal as possible, but not at the expense of intelligibility. Lastly, when working
with standard translation, it has sometimes been necessary to introduce minor
editorial changes to make the passage read more smoothly or intelligibly.
In the case for transliteration, firstly I will use existing popular transliteration
of Chinese names. In most cases, these are rendered in the Wade-Giles
romanisation system which was the preferred transliteration system used widely
in the 20th century in which most of the historic materials of this book’s subject
are situated. The Hanyu Pinyin (漢語拼音) romanisation system, which was
officially implemented in China in 1979, will be used with its diacritics, where
names do not have an existing popular transliteration. In the case for Teochew
(Chaozhou) romanisation, the Diê5 Ziu1 uê7 pêng1 im1 huang1 ang3 (潮州話拼
音方案) or Chaozhou Dialect Romanisation Scheme issued in 1960 by the
Guangdong Provincial Education Department (廣東省教育行政部門) will be
used. The order of the Chinese naming system is also retained. That is, the family
name (surname) comes first, followed by the given name.
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viii Divine Custody
The movement to promote the usage of the
Chinese simplified script (簡體字) in Singapore
started from the mid-1950s.1 However, it was only
in 1968 that the Ministry of Education established
a committee (簡化漢字委員會) “to study and
make recommendations regarding the introduction
of simplified Chinese characters in schools”.2 The
following year, the Ministry issued a list of simplified
Chinese characters. This kickstarted the formal
transition process from traditional script (繁體字)
to simplified script and laid out the implementation
plans starting from 1970.3 In 1971, Chinese textbooks
for primary schools began providing Hanyu Pinyin
alongside the Mandarin Phonetic Symbols (注音符
號).4 And from 1974 onwards, Chinese textbooks were
progressively printed in the simplified script and the
layout of the text changed from vertical to horizontal.5
The process to switch from traditional to simplified
script continued for the next decade and by the mid-
1980s, the simplified script had established itself as the
standard form commonly used in Singapore.6 As most
of the historic materials used in this book are rendered
in the traditional script, for historical accuracy, it is
decided that the traditional script will be used.
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Acknowledgements
This book is the result of slightly over a decade of research. At every stage of
researching and writing this book, I have enjoyed the enthusiastic support of
colleagues, students, friends and family. I would like to express my gratitude to
the Ngee Ann Kongsi and its Wak Hai Cheng Bio Restoration Committee, led by
Mr Teo Miang Yeow. It is this restoration project that ignited the idea that a book
should be written on the temple.
Research and writing are challenging but rewarding. None of this would have
been possible without the assistance of many individuals. I am indebted to the
many craftsmen who worked on the restoration, and who have been my teachers
on traditional construction techniques. I am also grateful to the amiable Ms Tan
Siew Eng and Mr Chan Chee Wai, who provided administrative and technical
assistance on-site.
Special thanks are due to my remarkable wife and associate Wee Sheau Theng,
who is my fiercest critic, and to my capable former research assistant Ms Martina
Yeo. Both are adept at following research leads to locate important documents
housed in obscure locations. I also thank another former researcher, Dr Soon-Tzu
Speechley, who assisted in editing the draft manuscript.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Kwa Chong Guan for his encouragement and
interest in my work, and to Dr Kevin Tan for editing the manuscript. I also wish
to thank the anonymous reviewers for their very lucid insights and criticisms
that have improved the book, and to the team at NUS Press, namely Mr Peter
Schoppert, Ms Lindsay Davis and Ms Annie Teo for the editorial and design
support. I am also deeply appreciative of the kind assistance of photographers Mr
Lim Shao Bin, Ms Carolyn Lim and Mr Ung Ruey Loon. My gratitude also extends
to the assistance rendered by the libraries and archives from where the research
materials are drawn: the library of the Singapore University of Technology and
Design, the National Library Board, the National Archives of Singapore, The
British Library and The National Archives of the United Kingdom.
The publication of this book is also made possible with a grant from the
National Heritage Board.
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