Step into the underworld amid the glittering night lights of downtown Singapore!
In this first-of-its-kind tour, we will share with you the ancient legends from Chinese folk religions that locals held dear as we stroll along the historic Singapore River, using touristy landmarks as the unlikely backdrop for the underworld stories.
We will take you down a nameless back alley amid the skyscrapers, to see ramshackle Taoist street shrines nestled next to dumpsters and air-conditioner compressors, where the statues have aged and peeled, but the daily fruit offerings are still fresh.
We will share with you the heart-breaking story of the heart-stoppingly grotesque underworld gods, the 1st and 2nd Granduncles (aka Black White Impermanence), and why labourers and cops were particularly fond of them.
We will learn about worship rituals that use everyday objects supercharged with poetic meanings, such as umbrellas, abacus, opium pipes and good old Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.
We will spy a Goddess of Mercy statue, perched uniquely on a roof ledge at a restaurant.
We will develop an appreciation of the place of gods in the heroic nation-building story of Singapore, as we stroll from sunset into night, Yang into Yin.
The tour is developed by Say Tian Hng Buddha Shop, one of Singapore's oldest heritage businesses (est. 1896), in partnership with local tour operator Offbeat Tours
We really enjoyed this tour hosted by May and Say Tiang Hng. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to explore the Singapore River and learn about Taoism.
An insightful story about the two Deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. We enjoyed how the story is juxtaposed against the setting of the Singapore River which transforms beautifully from day to night. Highly recommended for anyone who just wants to explore Singapore downtown and learn more.
May’s tour has filled me with fascination and awe of taoism and the origins/stories behind them.Finally Learning about the meaning behind Taoist rituals gives a different perspective to relatives’ beliefs and habits and festivals like Hungry Ghost.
Very informative and interesting tour. Thoroughly enjoyed!