, image = Tua Pek Kong Temple - February 2019.jpg
, caption = The Tua Pek Kong Temple
, location =
Sibu
Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of , the city is positioned at the conf ...
, coordinates =
, religious_affiliation =
Taoism
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
, district =
Sibu District
Sibu District is an administrative district in Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia covering a total area of 2229.8 km2. It can be divided into Sibu Town area (129.5 km2) and the rural areas (2,100.3 km2). The satellite township ...
, state =
Sarawak
Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
, country =
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, established = 1850s
, architecture_type =
Chinese temple
Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as:
* '' mi� ...
,
pagoda
A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...
Tua Peh Kong Temple () (also called Sibu Eng Ann Teng Tua Peh Kong)
in
Sibu
Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of , the city is positioned at the conf ...
,
Sarawak
Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
is the oldest
Chinese temple
Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as:
* '' mi� ...
in the town with a 7-storey
pagoda
A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...
with the temple history dates back to 1850s.
History
The temple history dates back to early 1850s,
and later being mentioned in the
Kingdom of Sarawak
The Raj of Sarawak, Kingdom of Sarawak or State of Sarawak, was a kingdom founded in 1841 in northwestern Borneo and was in a treaty of protection with the United Kingdom from 1888. It was formed from a series of land concessions acquired by ...
Government's Report of "''Sarawak Gazette''" in 1871.
In 1897, the temple was rebuilt into a typical Chinese
Taoist
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...
temple architecture designed with tiled roof, stone block floor and all the decorative purlin and fixtures which were imported from
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
; the statue of
Tua Pek Kong
Tua Pek Kong (; Tâi-lô: ''Tuā-peh-kong'') is a Taoist deity in the pantheon of Peranakan folk religion practiced by ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of Indonesia.
Throughout Southeast Asia, Tua Pek Kong is referred as the "Go ...
deity was specially sculptured and imported from
Xiamen
Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...
.
After the building was completed, the list of donors and details of expenditure were recorded in two pieces of stone tablet which are still well preserved in the temple. On 8 March 1928, Sibu town was destroyed by a big fire with the temple survived and remain unscathed. The temple however destroyed through the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
despite its
deity
A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
remained unharmed. After the end of the war, the wooden structure temple was rebuilt.
In 1957, the temple was reconstructed into a concrete structure and was declared open by the then Governor of Sarawak,
Sir Anthony Abell.
It was a grand occasion for the Sibu Town as the British Royal dignitaries including the
Resident
Resident may refer to:
People and functions
* Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country
* Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training
* Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...
attended the ceremony. Another renovation on both wings of the temple was being carried out in 1979 and the roof of temple was changed from "belian" (''
Eusideroxylon zwageri
''Eusideroxylon'' is a genus of evergreen trees of the family Lauraceae. The genus is monotypic, and includes one accepted species, ''Eusideroxylon zwageri''. It is known colloquially in English as Bornean ironwood, billian, or ulin.
It is nativ ...
'') wood into concrete with glazed roofing tiles; the ridge or roof and column were decorated with traditional
dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
and
phoenix statues.
In 1982, the temple management committee planning to re-build the rear part and construct a 7-storey
pagoda
A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...
for the worship of the
Goddess of Mercy
Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...
where the plan is being realised in 1987 through the aid from Sarawak state government and the temple worshippers.
The new pagoda followed closely the traditional
Chinese pagoda architecture and subsequently became one of the landmark for Sibu. The renovated building was declared open in 1989.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Pagodas in Malaysia
Chinese-Malaysian culture
Taoist temples in Malaysia
Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1850s
Sibu
Buildings and structures in Sarawak
Tourist attractions in Sarawak
19th-century Taoist temples
Towers completed in the 1850s