The Story of the Stones, Chapter 2: the Transformations of Singaporean Chinese Temples and Associations from 1911 to 2019

Drawing on over 1200 Chinese inscriptions dating from 1911 to 2019 and found in over 250 temples and associations in Singapore, this talk will tell the story of the transformations of the local Chinese social and religious landscape from the founding of the Republic of China to Singapore’s bicentennial. Themes to be explored include expressions of support for Sun Yat-sen, the rise of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the spread of the cult of the Nine Emperor Gods, and the expansion of the Teochew Shantang and Dejiao temple network. I argue that these institutions played a major role in the building of Singapore from the ground up. How these institutions negotiated new roles after Singapore’s independence is another topic that appears in the inscriptions. Today we let the stones tell their own stories.

 
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