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Hong San See Temple (Originally built 1829, rebuilt 1908-12)

Hong San See Temple serves the Hokkien community hailing from Nan An in Fujian province, China. It was originally built in 1829 on Trans Street in Tanjong Pagar, but was moved to its present location on Mohanmed Sultan Road when Trans Street was widened. The present temple was designed by Lim Loh, an architect who also worked on the Victoria Memorial Hall. The primary deity worshipped here is Guang Ze Zun Wang, the God of Fortune. Secondary altars are dedicated to Cheng Huang and Xuan Tian Shang Di (the Heavenly Emperor).

The architecture of the temple follows traditional southern Chinese design concepts. In accordance with proper feng shui, the temple sits on a low hill with the front of the main hall facing south toward the sea. Verses engraved on the columns flanking the entrance boast of the temple's excellent view of the ocean, though modern high-rise apartments have obstructed the view since the 1990s. The interior of the temple is heavily ornamented with 'chien nien' ornamentation created from mosaics of broken porcelain that form images of flowers, leaves, and animal figures.

In November 2010 the temple received top honors in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.

Location

The approximate location of the temple is 1.293125' N, 103.840910' E (WGS 84 map datum).