SSA Temple Report: Hong San Temple (凤山宫) - Singapore ...

SSA Temple Report: Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

              Tutorial Group D7

             Anastasia Zakharova
                   Cindy
                 Lim Jun Yi
                Vanessa Teo

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

   1. History of the Temple
       This report focuses on the Hong San Temple which our group visited on 15 Feb 2017. The
temple is located at 49 Defu Lane 12, and this is its only location. It is a standalone temple with
no linkages with other temples. Hong San Temple’s history begins in the early 1900s. There are
three legends that describe the founding and origins of the temple. (葱茅园凤山宫, 2013).

       The first legend tells of a village that was once flooded. During the flood, a plaque was
seen floating on the water; it read 九皇大帝, which means “Nine Emperor Gods”. Villagers
affected by the flood saw the plaque as a sign of hope and thus, built a temple to worship the Nine
Emperor God.

       The second legend speaks of three cleaners from a village who spotted a record depicting
the origins of the Nine Emperor Gods while cleaning the out drainages. After the discovery, the
village head instructed for a temple to be built to worship the God.

       The third, and possibly most credible legend, is about three merchants who relocated to
Malaya from the southern coast of Fujian in 1906 and brought with them a censor of the Nine
Emperor Gods when they came to Singapore. They placed the censor in the middle of a standalone
cottage in Chang Mao Hng village in Tai Seng where from then, it acted as a place of worship for
the Nine Emperor God (NHB, 2016).

       2. Development Of The Temple
       A member of the temple whom we met on our visit recounted that the Hong San temple
started out as a small shrine. Over the years, it was built upon and upgraded by the true devotees
of the Nine Emperor Gods.

       The Hong San temple organizes many events, which we will discuss shortly. As these
events became more popular, Hong San caught the attention of a renowned businessman and
worshipper of the Nine Emperor Gods. He decided to give the temple an upgrade and began
construction in 1927. The temple was completed by 1928. A feng shui master was also engaged in
the construction process. He discovered the temple was located directly in front of a ‘Phoenix

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

Home’, and decided it was appropriate to name the temple 凤山宫, or “Hong San Temple”. The
temple quickly gained more popularity and even established a Hong San Public School, which is
known today as the Feng Shan Primary School, as well as a village cooperative society. The temple
subsequently went through four other renovations in 1952, 1976, 1987 and most recently in 2003.
From a shrine, this 100 year old temple is now a two storey building with the upper floor being an
accommodation for the caretakers of the temple. Today, the temple continues to provide
scholarships to the students of the Feng Shan school regardless of religion (Feng Shan Primary
School, n,d).

       3. Temple Lease
       All temple leases in Singapore last for 30 years, and the lease of the Hong San Temple is
no different. Hong San’s lease ends in 2020. A caretaker that we met at the temple informed us
that the temple holds a celebration dinner to commemorate the founding of the temple and raise
funds to extend the lease. This dinner celebration is known as 千人宴, or “Qian Ren Yan”. Across
the street from the temple, there is a large open space which is used as a location to set up a
temporary stage for opera. The owner has shown interest in buying the land so that they can
continue holding temple community activities there.

       On a separate note, we also learned that the impressive tree which towers over the side of
the temple has been there since the temple was built.

       4. More About The Temple

       Main & Secondary Gods
       The main god of this temple, which is the Nine Emperor Gods, is said to have originated
from the Fujian province in China. They are the nine sons of Father Emperor Zhou Yu Dou Fu
Yuan Jun and Mother of the Northern Dipper, Dou Mu Yuan Jun, who holds the Registrar of Life
and Death. Their sons became the gods of the 9 stars surrounding the Northern Dipper, and are
thus known as Bei Dou Jiu Xing (北斗九星). The Nine Emperor Gods are believed to bestow
wealth, longevity and good health upon their worshippers (National Library Board, 2011).

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

       Besides the Nine Emperor Gods, there are various other secondary gods in this temple;
including the Goddess of Mercy, Confucius, Land God, Great Grand Uncle, Tai Sui, General Guan
Yu, Monkey God, Buddha, the God of Fortune, and the Tiger God, which can be found outside of
the temple.

       Nine Emperor Gods Festival
       One of the principal and biggest festivals celebrated annually by the Hong San Temple is
the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. This festival begins on the eve of the 9th lunar month of the
Chinese calendar and lasts for nine days.

       On the last day of the 8th lunar month, the Jiu Qu Deng, also known as the “Nine Wicks
In Oil Lamp,” will be raised to invite the gods into the temple. The lamp will remain lighted for
all nine days to signify their divine presence. A vegetarian ritual will also begin on the same day.
Throughout the nine days of the festival, devotees will adhere to this strict vegetarian diet in order
to purify themselves and relieve them of their sins. Additionally, devotees will pray to receive
blessings and to ward off bad luck.

       A welcome ritual consisting of a street procession is held by Hong San temple on the first
day of the ninth lunar month (Figure 1). The procession begins at East Coast (near Marine Parade),
where the Taoist priest recites a series of chants to invite the nine emperor gods from the sea to
descend into the sacred urn. Interestingly, it is said that the tides will rage and the urn will flame
when the deities arrive. Nine sedan chairs are also prepared in order to receive the spirits of the
gods (Figure 2). The procession is accompanied with lion and dragon dance troupes (Figure 3).
Dressed in white, the devotees join in the procession, bearing incense and candles. As the temple
is a distance away from East Coast, the statue of the gods will be carried on the sedans for some
distance before being transported all the way to the temple by car.

       During the festival, daily prayers and rituals are performed in the temple (Figure 4). The
temple also prepares complimentary vegetarian food for the worshippers. Another interesting

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

activity organised by the temple during the festival is xi tai, which are stage performances to
honour the gods (Figure 5).

       On the last day of the festival, the temple prepares a sending-off ritual. The gods are invited
onto the sedan chairs and the procession starts from the temple to East Coast sea. The procession
is once again accompanied by lion and dragon dances. At the sea, the Taoist Priest will conduct a
ceremony to send off the gods. Many devotees attend the sending-off ceremony to give their final
prayers. A dragon boat made of paper is alighted and set adrift in the sea, symbolising the gods’
departure (葱茅园凤山宫, 2013).

       Jade Emperor’s Birthday (Bai Tian Gong)
       Another grand festival celebrated by the temple is the Jade Emperor’s birthday which falls
on ninth day of the Chinese New Year. In the Taoist theology, the Jade Emperor is regarded as the
supreme deity as he is the Ruler of Heaven, Creator of Universe and the Lord of the Imperial Court
(Nations, n.d.). The celebration at the temple lasts for two days. During the festival, the temple
prepares a huge feast consisting of a whole roasted pig, duck, chicken, longevity buns, prosperity
cakes, ang ku kueh, and fruits such as bananas, apples, oranges and pineapples to offer to the Jade
Emperor (Figure 6). Many incense papers are burnt during that day and the temple tends to be
filled with worshippers coming to pray (Figure 7).

       Other Festivals
       Other festivals that the temple celebrates annually include: the Hungry Ghost Festival
(Zhong Yuan Jie), the praying to Tai Sui and the Mid Autumn Festival (Yuan Xiao Jie).

       Blessing Lanterns
       During our visit, we also noticed that there were rows of lanterns hung from the ceilings
above the courtyard. Upon asking the caretaker of the temple, we found out that these lanterns
were hung up after the Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao Jie), which falls on the 15th day of the Lunar
New Year. It is customary to buy a lantern and have the temple workers write names of the family
members, and well wishes to ask the gods for good luck and blessings for the year ahead. We
learned that there were two types of lanterns for patrons to choose from: smaller, yellow lanterns

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

that cost $30 each, and bigger, red lanterns that cost $100 each. These lanterns are then hung at
the temple for one whole year before being taken down.

       5. Reflections
       As none of us are frequent temple goers, we had many questions regarding the rites and
rituals that were done at the Hong San Temple, as well as why they were done these particular
ways. For example, when we asked the temple caretakers why the offerings for the Tiger God is
pork and beancurd, the answer was that it has always been done this way and there was no other
explanation on how this came about. It was compelling to note that a set of disciplined actions
marked by precise repetition can be passed down from generations to generations unquestioned
like this. It is interesting to think about these tendencies of humans to accept explanations (or the
lack thereof) from someone with experience, especially when it comes to culture and traditions.
When such traditions are so deeply rooted and ingrained in the people who practiced them, can a
repeated practice lead to a point where there is no thought preceding the action?

       Regardless, such actions and doings constitutes part of the living heritage of the
Singaporean Chinese. The caretaker at the temple mentioned that most of the visitors to the Hong
San Temple were the elderly who have been going to the temple since they were young. While
there is the rare occasion of some visitors from the younger generations, he said that they are
usually brought by their parents. The caretaker lamented on the possible dying of such living
heritage as the younger generations are no longer interested in Chinese culture and its practices.
Often, when the older generation passes away, their descendants stop coming to the temple.
Reflecting on what he said, we wondered if it was possible for the number of temples to slowly
decrease in their numbers, and for the traditions to fade away into history? Furthermore, the 30
year leases on religious buildings makes it difficult for temples to survive who cannot afford the
high rent. Fortunately for Hong San temple, despite their lease ending soon in 2020, their strong
membership of over 300 people has made it easier for them to survive to this day. While other
temples may not be so lucky, we hope that Hong San Temple continues to stand tall.

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

References

         Feng Shan Primary School, (n,d). Retrieved from
http://fengshanpri.moe.edu.sg/fengshan-family/partnership/sac/

         National Heritage Board [NHB]. (2016). Fengshan Estate. Retrieved from
https://roots.sg/Content/Places/landmarks/bedok-trail/fengshan-estate

        National Library Board [NLB]. (2011). Nine Emperor Gods Festival. Retrived from
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1849_2011-10-21.html

        Nations, (n.d.). The Jade Emperor. Retrived from
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/Jade_Emperor.htm

     葱茅园凤山宫. (September, 2013). 葱茅园凤山宫三庆大典纪念特刊.
Singapore, 新加坡大成巷.

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

Appendix
[Photos are retrieved from Hong San Temple’s Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/%E9%A3%8E%E5%B1%B1%E5%AE%AB/226402267372749]

Figure 1: Street Procession

Figure 2: Sedan Chairs to carry the Nine Emperor Gods

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

Figure 3: Lion and Dragon Dances

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

Figure 4: Devotees Praying to the Nine Emperor Gods

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

Figure 5: Stage Performances during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival

Hong San Temple (凤山宫)

Figure 6: Feast for Jade Emperor

Figure 7: Incense Paper Offerings for the Jade Emperor