Siang Ti Temple, Kuching古晋上帝庙

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Malaysia · Sarawak (state) · Kuching · Jalan Carpenter, Kuching's old town

First built

Late 19th century · Generally dated to a reconstruction in 1889; there is no reliable record of its earlier history

Overview

The Siang Ti Temple is located on Jalan Carpenter in Kuching's old town, and is dedicated primarily to Xuantian Shangdi (Zhenwu, the Perfected Warrior, also called Shangdi Gong). The present building is generally dated to a reconstruction in 1889; there is no reliable record of its earlier history. Xuantian Shangdi is a Daoist deity of the north, widely venerated among Hokkien, Chaoshan, and Nanyang Chinese communities, and is often regarded as a protector against evil influences and a guardian of seafarers. The temple is administered by the Teochew community, and is one of the three major Chinese temples in Kuching's old town (the other two being Siew San Teng, the Tua Pek Kong Temple, and Hong San Si Temple); the three temples belong to communities of different native-place origin, and their distribution is itself a microcosm of the geography of dialect-group organization among Kuching's Chinese. The building is a mixture of Teochew and Hokkien styles, with an opera stage set before the temple, where Teochew opera is performed to honor the deity during the temple's birthday festival each year. It is a Chinese folk-religion temple, though its dedication to Xuantian Shangdi — a high Daoist deity — is relatively uncommon among Nanyang temples.

Highlights

• Dedicated primarily to Xuantian Shangdi, a Daoist deity relatively uncommon among Nanyang temples
• Administered by the Teochew community, one of the three major Chinese temples in Kuching's old town
• An opera stage stands before the temple, where Teochew opera is performed to honor the deity during its birthday festival
• Reconstructed in 1889; there is no record of its earlier history