Telok Ayer Street once ran along the shore, and here early immigrants stepping ashore gave thanks to Mazu for a safe voyage.
Hokkien immigrants built Thian Hock Keng, the Temple of Heavenly Happiness, on what was then the shore between 1839 and 1842, dedicating it to Mazu, Goddess of the Seas, with every building material shipped from China. Tan Tock Seng was the largest donor. Chongwen Ge, Singapore’s first Chinese school, stood beside the temple, and the two were gazetted together as a National Monument in 1973.
A restoration from 1998 to 2000 won an honourable mention in the 2001 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards. The shoreline itself, Telok Ayer Basin, has long since been reclaimed. The temple is free to visit and open daily from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm, close to Telok Ayer MRT, and fits easily into a morning among Chinatown’s temples.
