Thian Hock Keng stands on what was once the edge of Telok Ayer Basin, where seafarers came to give thanks for safe passage. Its richly worked southern Chinese temple architecture preserves the memory of a shoreline now reclaimed into the city.
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The temple stands on dry land today, but its position makes more sense if you imagine the former shoreline close by. Thian Hock Keng began as a place where Chinese migrants arriving by sea could give thanks to Mazu, associated with protection for seafarers.
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- Construction of the present temple began in 1839 and finished in 1842.
- The temple is dedicated to Mazu.
- It was gazetted as a National Monument in 1973.
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