About Yueh Hai Ching Temple
Yueh Hai Ching Temple (also transcribed as Wak Hai Cheng Beo) is a Chinese temple in the Financial District of Singapore. It is said to be the oldest Taoist temple in Singapore. It was built by the Teochew community, where they came to worship and give thanks to its deity for safe passage from China. The name of the temple means "Temple of the Calm Sea".
The Yueh Hai Ching Temple is believed to have been founded around 1826, and started off as just a humble attap shed. At that time, Philip Street was overlooking the sea. Successive reclamation has extended the shoreline, so that the temple appears surrounded by dry land today. The brick temple was constructed in the 1850's.
The temple was built in the Teochew style. It is in the form of a courtyard entered through an entrance gate, which faces the east (somewhat east, I say, because I find that it is not exactly aligned). In front of the temple building is a paved forecourt. From the foreyard, you can see the looming skyscrapers of Singapore towering all around the temple, an immediate reminder that Singapore has changed dramatically since the time Yueh Hai Ching was first built. The beauty of the temple is somewhat marred by the numerous strings tied across the courtyard to suspend coils of spiral incense. The roof is richly ornamentated with figurines and porcelain models depicting life in Teochew villages "back home".
There are two principal deities at Yueh Hai Ching Temple, each housed within its respective shrine. The shrine to the right houses the Xuan Tian Shang Di, the Heavenly Emperor, which I believe is akin to the Jade Emperor, the most important deity in the Taoist pantheon. The shrine to the left houses Mazu, also known differently as Tian Hou (Mother of Heavenly Sages), and variously written as Matsu, Ma Chor Po among the Hainanese in Penang and A Ma in Macau. Mazu is the patron deity of seafarers, and is commonly worshipped in other Taoist temples in Singapore including the nearby Thian Hock Keng.
The Yueh Hai Ching Temple is open daily from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Contact
Yueh Hai Ching Temple
30B Philip Street, Singapore 048696
Tel: 6533 8537
Getting there
The nearest MRT stations are the Raffles Place Station (EW14 / NS26).
Where to stay
There is a wide selection of accommodation providers in Singapore. They range from budget inns and guesthouses to luxurious boutique hotels and branded chains. Your choice is entirely dependent on your budget and level of comfort expected. For mainstream hotels, check out hotels in Singapore for the best online prices, sourced from all the major providers. For guesthouses and other budget providers, check out hostels in Singapore for those with online booking facilities.
| |
Yueh Hai Ching Temple
author: Sengkang, for unrestricted distribution
Location Map of Yueh Hai Ching Temple
Yueh Hai Ching Temple courtyard
author: Sengkang, for unrestricted distribution
Spiral incense, Yueh Hai Ching Temple
author: Sengkang, for unrestricted distribution
Main entrance at Philip Street, Yueh Hai Ching Temple
author: Sengkang, for unrestricted distribution
|
