Yueh Hai Ching Temple
30B Phillip St, Singapore 048696
Yueh Hai Ching Temple also known as Wak Hai Cheng Bio in the Teochew dialect, is a Chinese temple in Singapore located in Rafffles Place, Singapore’s central business district. The temple, whose name literally means “Qing Dynasty styled Temple of the Cantonese seas” was the first stop for Chinese immigrants to Singapore in the early 19th century.
Yueh Hai Ching Temple is Singapore’s oldest Taoist temple. It was constructed between 1850 and 1855, and was rebuilt in 1895. The temple holds a special significance for the Teochew community, whose way of life was closely associated with the sea.
Designed by Chinese craftsmen, the temple was constructed with rosewood imported from China. It is the only temple in Singapore to have detailed three-dimensional moulded ornaments on its roof as well as legendary Chinese figures engraved on its walls. Wooden plaques depicting auspicious characters, donated by traders and devotees, can be seen within its perimeter. The Guangxu Emperor presented a plaque to the temple in 1907.
The Yueh Hai Ching Temple is divided into two parts, one dedicated to the Jade Emperor (Heavenly Father), the other to Mazu (Heavenly Mother). The temple is especially busy during the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month, as well as the third and twenty-third days of the third lunar month, which celebrate the birthdays of the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.
After nearly a century and a half in existence, and following a painstaking two-year restoration by artisans from China ending in 1997, the temple was gazetted as a National Monument.
Today, the impressive temple attracts not only devotees who pray for safety and luck, but also many tourists.
Source : Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Iz00-CqDok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp44sqoq_Qg
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Opening hours : 08.00AM to 05.00PM
Getting there : MRT : Raffles Place, Exit D
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