Yueh Hai Ching Temple
Singapore's oldest Teochew temple, in the financial district, with roof ridges crowded with ceramic figures.
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Yueh Hai Ching, the temple of the calm sea, was built in the 1820s and rebuilt in the 1890s by the Teochew community, and like Thian Hock Keng it was a place arriving migrants came to give thanks for the crossing. It is two shrines side by side, one to Mazu and one to Xuan Tian Shang Di. Its roofs are the point: the ridges are packed with cut-and-paste ceramic figures, whole opera scenes in miniature, restored with craftsmen from Chaozhou.
What you actually see
- The roof figures - ridges packed with ceramic opera scenes in miniature.
- The two shrines - Mazu and Xuan Tian Shang Di side by side in one compound.
- The Teochew craftsmanship - work by craftsmen brought from Chaozhou.
- The financial district setting - a 1890s temple surrounded by banking towers.
When to go
Year round; the temple keeps daily hours. Weekday lunchtimes bring office workers. Mornings are quietest.
Honest expectations
Office towers surround it completely and there is no setting left. The temple is small and takes half an hour. The roof detail needs binoculars or a long lens to appreciate.
Nearby
Raffles Place is beside it, and Thian Hock Keng is southwest.
What to pack for Yueh Hai Ching Temple
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.