Fu Lu Shou Complex is a

shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

built in 1983 located at

Bugis, Singapore Bugis (Kampong Bugis in Malay) is an area in Singapore that covers Bugis Street now located within the Bugis Junction shopping mall. Bugis Street was renowned internationally from the 1950s to the 1980s for its nightly gathering of transvesti ...

that specialises in

Daoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

religious paraphernalia.

Background

Like other Singapore malls which cater to a specific commercial market, the Fu Lu Shou Complex gathered together many tenants selling similar items; here tenants purvey items such as lucky stones and gems, ceramic

religious icons An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...

and so on. The mall is named after the Daoist concept of

Fu Lu Shou The Sanxing () are the gods of the three stars or constellations considered essential in Chinese astrology and mythology: Jupiter, Ursa Major, and Canopus. Fu, Lu, and Shou (), or Cai, Zi and Shou () are also the embodiments of Fortune ( Fu), pr ...

, meaning, respectively, good fortune (''fu'', ), prosperity (''lu'', ) and longevity (''shou'', ), clearly signalling its specialisation to consumers. While it houses many solely commercial ventures, the Fu Lu Shou Complex is particularly notable in that it also contains functioning religious

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

s integrated into certain stores. In their usage of the complex as a source of religious wares and as a site of religious practice, the tenants and

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...

s here blur the line between mall and temple. Thus, in visiting the Fu Lu Shou Complex, Chinese religion practitioners can obtain both religious paraphernalia and blessings from propitiated deities.

Gallery

File:Fu Lu Shou Complex, Jan 06.JPG File:Fu Lu Shou Complex.JPG File:Fu Lu Shou Complex 2.JPG File:Fu Lu Shou Icons.jpg, Buddhist icons File:Fu Lu Shou Si Mian Fo.jpg, alt=Fu Lu Shou Complex Si Mian Fo Shrine., Indoor

Phra Phrom Phra Phrom ( th, พระพรหม; from Sanskrit: ''Brahmā'', ब्रह्मा) is the Thai representation of the Hindu creator god Brahma. In modern Thailand, Phra Phrom is often worshipped outside of Hindu contexts by regular Buddh ...

Shrine.

References

External links

Map of Fu Lu Shou Complex

Fu Lu Shou Complex Website
{{Singapore malls Shopping malls in Singapore 1983 establishments in Singapore Shopping malls established in 1983 20th-century architecture in Singapore