Siew San Teng (Tua Pek Kong Temple), Kuching古晋寿山亭大伯公庙
- Type
- Overseas Daoist Temples
- Location
- Malaysia · Sarawak (state) · Kuching · Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, on the Kuching waterfront, opposite the Chinese Heritage Museum
- Coordinates
- 1.5586, 110.3457 Map ↗
- First built
- c. 1770 · The temple's own history dates it to 1770; it underwent repeated restorations in 1856, 1965, and 2002, though there is no independent documentary evidence for the early dates
- Heritage status
- Listed site on the Kuching Heritage Trail
Overview
Siew San Teng, the Tua Pek Kong Temple in Kuching, stands on the bank of the Sarawak River. According to the temple's own history it was built in 1770, and it is generally regarded as the oldest Chinese temple in Kuching, though there is no independent documentary evidence for dates before the Brooke dynasty. It is dedicated primarily to Tua Pek Kong (Fude Zhengshen), with the Buddhist bodhisattvas Guanyin and Dizang also worshipped there, a typical example of the fusion of Buddhism and Daoism found in Southeast Asian Chinese temples. It has undergone three major restorations, in 1856, 1965, and 2002. The temple survived the great fire of Kuching in 1884 and was not destroyed during the Japanese Occupation, and is regarded by the Chinese community as a symbol of protection. It is a stop on the Kuching Heritage Trail, and the Sarawak Chinese Heritage Museum (housed in the former courthouse building) stands opposite it. The birthday of Tua Pek Kong in the third lunar month and the Zhongyuan (Ghost Festival) rites of universal salvation in the seventh lunar month are major annual events at the temple. It is a Chinese folk-religion temple, not a Daoist monastic institution.
Highlights
- The oldest Chinese temple in Kuching (dated by the temple to 1770)
- Dedicated primarily to Tua Pek Kong, with Guanyin and Dizang also worshipped, blending Buddhism and Daoism
- Survived both the 1884 Kuching fire and the Japanese Occupation
- Underwent major restorations in 1856, 1965, and 2002
- A stop on the Kuching Heritage Trail, opposite the Sarawak Chinese Heritage Museum