Tua Pek Kong Temple, Bintulu民都鲁大伯公庙

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Malaysia · Sarawak (state) · Bintulu · Jalan Temple, opposite Kampung Jepak, at the mouth of the Bintulu River

First built

the 20th century · There is no reliable record of the exact founding date

Overview

The Tua Pek Kong Temple in Bintulu stands in the old town at the mouth of the Bintulu River, and is the principal temple of the local Chinese community, dedicated primarily to Tua Pek Kong (Fude Zhengshen), with Tianhou and Guanyin also worshipped. Bintulu was originally a small fishing port in central Sarawak; after natural gas fields were discovered in 1969 it developed rapidly into an industrial town, and the Chinese community expanded accordingly, with the temple likewise repeatedly enlarged. The temple faces the river and is a place where fishermen and boatmen pray for safety; the Zhongyuan (Ghost Festival) rites of universal salvation and the birthday of Tua Pek Kong are the major events of the year. Nearly every coastal town in Sarawak has a Tua Pek Kong temple — devotion to Tua Pek Kong is far more widespread in Borneo than devotion to Mazu, which relates to the fact that local Chinese there were engaged mainly in land-based agriculture, mining, and logging rather than purely maritime livelihoods, a clear example of regional variation in devotion across the Nanyang. There is no reliable record of this temple's founding date, and this entry makes no definite claim.

Highlights

• The principal temple of Bintulu's Chinese community, dedicated primarily to Tua Pek Kong
• Facing the mouth of the Bintulu River, a place where fishermen and boatmen pray for safety
• Reflects the greater prevalence of Tua Pek Kong devotion over Mazu devotion in Borneo
• Enlarged as the town expanded following the development of natural gas fields in 1969
• There is no reliable record of the founding date