The Thian Hock Temple was built by the early Chinese immigrants as a place to thank the goddess Ma Zu, the protector of the sea and all seamen to thank for safe passage across the infamous South China Sea into the new land of Singapore. Also called the Temple of Heavenly Happiness it has its humble origins as a mere joss stick hut where the Chinese prayed and gave thanks near the sea shore and is one of the oldest and most important temples of the Hokkein community. The second temple at the back is dedicated to the bodhisattva of mercy, Kuan Yin.

This temple holds great significant to the Chinese community of Singapore and in the 1830s underwent heavy reconstruction where the community donated very generously to build the beautiful temple we see today. The best material was imported from China as well as skilled craftsmen to sculpt beautiful intricate designs in the temple. Built in the architectural styles found in Southern China, the temple boasts a grand entrance designed with bright coloured peacocks, roses and the Buddhist swastika which represents eternity, good lucky and immortality.

There are two courtyards as well as two pagodas on either side of the temple and tigers, lions and door Gods standing sentinel as seen in all Taoist temple. The intricately designed birds, dragons and flowers actually come from broken pieces of pottery and cutlery from ships and a specialty is that the mortifs and columns have been irrected without the single use of a nail. Even though it is a Chinese temple, there are statues of Indians holding up the beams of the temple and this is believed to be a way of thanking the many Indian workers who helped build the temple in 1834. Also during the 1998 restorations, workmen found a scroll in one of the high beams a scroll written by the Qing emperor Guang Xu written by him blessing the Chinese community in Singapore in 1907.

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