Johor Ancient Chinese Temple  

From Johor Bahru Directory

The Johor Ancient Chinese Temple dates back to at least 1870.

The Johor Ancient Chinese Temple, as it stands today. Behind the temple and also to its right is the Ansar Tower.

The Johor Ancient Chinese Temple is a Chinese temple that was built by the Teochews at Jalan Trus in the heart of the Teochew area in Johor Bahru in 1870.^[1] Still standing today between the Kotaraya Plaza to its left and the Ansar Tower to its right, the one-and-a-half century temple remains a small modest structure surrounded by high walls, although it had been expanded at least three times since it was first built.^[2] Notwithstanding, its front courtyard has been substantially reduced in 1996, due to the road-widening of Jalan Trus. Seen in the context of Johor Bahru being made the capital of Johor only in 1855 under the name Iskandar Puteri before being renamed in 1866, the temple is of great historical value to Johor Bahru, being one of its earliest buildings, thus providing a physical record of time, place, and use. The temple is open to visitors from 7.30am to 5.30pm daily, with extended hours from 6.00am to 6.00pm on festive days and the first and 15th day of the lunar months.

2.   Uniqueness: Unlike other Chinese temples that usually bear the name of a deity or clan, the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple is believed to be the first Chinese temple in Malaysia to be named after a state.^[2] And unlike other Chinese temples that are typically dedicated to a single deity, the Ancient Temple is also unique in that it is dedicated to five patron deities, representing the five main dialect groups:

1. Yuan Tian Shang Di (Teochew);
2. Hua Guang Da Di (Cantonese);
3. Hong Xian Da Di (Hokkien);
4. Gan Tian Da Di (Hakka); and
5. Zhao Da Yuan Shuai (Hainanese);

and as such, has traditionally been the center of worship for all the Chinese who practises Chinese folk religion in Johor Bahru.

3.   Historical background: Credit for these unusual features must be given to Sultan Abu Bakar. In 1854, bad blood between the Ghi Hin and Ghi Hok provoked ferocious fighting between the Hokkiens and the Teochews in Singapore, killing some 400 Chinese and injuring many others during the 10 days of rioting. (A glass showcase in one of the Ancient Temple's pavilions displays the blades from the ancient swords used during the bloody clashes.) ^[2] Anxious to prevent the kind of destructive conflict that invariably happens when several secret societies coexist, the Sultan decided to recognize the Ngee Heng Kongsi as a legitimate organization and made it responsible for law and order among all the Chinese in Johor. All kangchus and cultivators were required to be members and the Ngee Heng was held responsible for the behaviour of its members individually and collectively. In this way, Johor was able to avoid the division that could be seen in places like Singapore and Penang, where the Chinese worshiped at different temples, sent their children to different schools, and buried in different cemeteries when they died. The early Chinese leaders in Johor, or more particularly Johor Bahru, took pains to foster a spirit of cooperation between the various Chinese communities, with Tan Hiok Nee and other Teochew leaders wisely deciding to open the Ancient Temple to all Chinese. This cooperative spirit is often referred to as the "spirit of the Ancient Temple", or alternatively "the spirit of the five bangs."

4.   Chingay procession: This spirit is most evident during the three-day Chingay procession held annually since the days of the Ngee Heng Kongsi more than a hundred years ago, as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations where the deities go on a tour to bless the city with peace, prosperity and harmony. The event is managed by the Ancient Temple committee which is itself a committee of the Chinese Association and is assisted by the respective bang associations, each responsible for its section of the procession. Starting on the 20th day of the first lunar month, the three-day Chingay celebration is both a carnival and a deeply religious event:

• Day 1: The five deities are taken from the Ancient Temple to the temporary accommodation at the Chinese community's Kongsi Shan Cemetery where altars are set up and operas are performed on temporary stages to entertain them, while numerous food stalls cater to the more mundane needs of the crowd. The order in which the deities travel during the three-day event is fixed by long-established tradition.
• Day 2: The deities are taken in procession round the city, starting at about 7 o'clock in the evening until the early hours of the morning, after which they return to the Kongsi Shan. The participants in the procession include all kinds of Chinese cultural bodies and commercial establishments, each contributing colorful lorry floats or lion and dragon dance troupe, turning the event into a carnival.
• Day 3: The deities return to the Ancient Temple in a shorter procession in the morning, each escorted by their respective bangs'  lion or dragon dance troupe and the attendant drum and percussion group. Arriving back at the Ancient Temple, there are more ceremonials, after which the deities are restored to their respective places.

Two days prior to the ceremony, a group of devotees will celebrate in the streets, hitting the gong in a symbolic "Street Washing" ceremony in preparation for the deities' city tour. Somehow, over the years, this symbolic gesture has mysteriously brought about rain as Nature cooperates to "wash" the streets with refreshing showers.^[2]