Thean Hou Temple is quite new, it was completed in 1987 and officially opened in 1989. The temple belongs to the Selangor & Federal Territory Territory Hainan Association, which is a clan association for people of Hainan descent, who hail from the province from Hainan, in China. This temple was built by the local Hainan community and is dedicated to Goddess Tian Hou, or Heavenly Mother.
Near the outer entrance is the white statue of Kwan Yin, the famous Goddess of Mercy. There is a place for devotees to kneel down to touch the water that comes out of Kwan Yin’s magic jar. One could even see devotees trying to splash themselves with the holy water.
Beside him is a smiling old man holding a book and a cane. He is the Chinese deity of marriage, or a Chinese Cupid, if you prefer. This heavenly matchmaker is called Yue Xia Lao Ren, or ‘the old man in the moonlight’. Instead of using arrows like Cupid, he uses a piece of red thread that is tied to the feet of the man and woman. In fact, the red bag on the left is his bag of red strings. The book he is holding is the book of destiny; lists who he will meet and when he will marry. This deity is very popular with young people, who often offer him sweets and chocolates in exchange for the perfect match.
In the small garden on the left are the statues of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. There is the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the ram, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. As with the Western zodiac, the Chinese believe that people born in a particular year will take on the personality of the animal. But the Chinese lunar calendar starts on the Chinese New Year, which usually falls in January or February. So, if you were born in January or February, depending on the year, there is a chance that your zodiac is the one that precedes it. The best way to find out your zodiac is to check the Chinese calendar, which you can check online. According to a Buddhist legend, Lord Buddha summoned all the animals on earth to bid him farewell, but only twelve animals appeared. To reward them, the Buddha named each year after him, according to the order in which they had arrived, beginning with the rat and ending with the pig.
The Thean Hou Temple’s main entrance arch is a sight to behold. Above, there is a red sign with Chinese calligraphy. Unlike English, Chinese words are read from right to left and from top to bottom. The three words say ‘Tian Hou Gong’, which means ‘Palace of the Queen of Heaven’. If you look closely at the little characters on either side of the words, they tell you the name of the writer and when it was written. In Chinese calligraphy, writing is not just writing. It is an artistic skill, and each piece of writing is a work of art. In fact, it is said that the personality of a writer is reflected in his writing. On the right pillar, there are more Chinese characters. They are too poetic to be translated, but very vaguely, they urge us to praise the humility of the King of Heaven and that all bear his name with reverence. The pillar on the left exposes the goodness of the Queen of Heaven, that she defends those who suffer and that she is always present in times of danger. This type of greeting is important in Chinese architecture and each temple has its own unique greetings. If you get a chance to visit other Chinese temples, ask the locals to translate these wise words for you.
After going up the stairs, one will find themselves in a large courtyard, surrounded by many red pillars on all sides. A very unique feature of Chinese architecture is the concept of open space. Many do not realize that the patio is inside the building facing the outside. This is a very typical feature of Chinese architecture, and many temples are built like this. The courtyard is surrounded on all sides by several interconnected pavilions. This is often referred to as the ‘well of heaven’ because the roofs form a small opening to the sky. The width of the building is more important than the height and depth, which gives the width of the building a visual impact. The color red is used here very liberally, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. The spectacular orange and green ceiling, with its intricate carvings and large decorations, has various tiny objects lined up in a row at the corners of the upward curving ceilings.
There are many statues of dragons and phoenixes. The phoenix is often paired with the dragon, symbolizing yin and yang. A common description of the phoenix is that it has the head of a golden pheasant, the beak of a parrot, the body of a mandarin duck, the wings of a roc, the feathers of a peacock, and the legs of a crane. The phoenix is a symbol of virtue and grace, power and prosperity. It is said to be a gentle creature; so soft that his feet don’t crush anything and he only eats dew drops. It usually represents the female part of yin and yang, and in ancient times, only the Chinese empress can use the phoenix as her symbol. There is also the whooping crane, which is the most important bird in Chinese culture after the phoenix. Cranes are believed to be immortal, symbolizing longevity.
Nearby are the magnificently carved gray pillars with dragons coiling towards the sky. While in the West, dragons are considered evil, Chinese dragons represent power, might, and control over water. In yin and yang terminology, the dragon is yang, or male; while the phoenix is yin, or female. Dragons have their own hierarchy, and to know where the dragon is, count the number of claws. The highest order is the five-clawed dragon, followed by the four-clawed dragon and the three-clawed dragon. Since the five-clawed dragon is considered an imperial dragon in China, the farther it went from China, the fewer claws it had. This is why Korean dragons have four claws and Japanese three. And since Malaysia is considered an offshoot of China, it is only allowed to use four claws on its dragons. In ancient times, the misuse of the number of claws was considered treason, and the entire clan of the offender could be executed.
In the main sanctuary, there are three giant statues. They may look quite similar at first glance, but if you look closely, you’ll see that they are different.
On the left is the Goddess of the Coast. According to legend, on the island of Hainan in southern China, one day a fisherman caught driftwood in his net while he was fishing. He brought it back and strange things started to happen. The driftwood would turn into a girl every sunset. Her face would shine with an expression of benevolence. Soon the fisherman decides to build a temple using the driftwood as a centerpiece. However, he couldn’t decide on the best place to build it. As the villagers look to the sky for clues, a boy suddenly ran out of the crowd to another village eight miles away. The boy then pointed out the Qing-Lan Port waterfront, and they finally found the temple site.
The goddess in the center is Mazu, the goddess of the sea who protects sailors and fishermen. She is widely worshiped in the coastal areas of China and Southeast Asia, where many communities of seafarers live. According to legend, she was a real life person, born in 960 AD. C. as a girl named Lin Moniang. When she was born, she didn’t cry; hence her name, which means ‘silent girl’. She had many associations with the sea. One story of hers tells of her in a bright red dress, standing on the shore during bad weather to guide the fishing boats home. Another story told that she dreamed of her father and her brother, both fishermen, during a thunderstorm. But her mother woke her up at the exact moment she was rescuing her brother in her dream. As a result, only her father returned home. There were also many legends about her ability to accurately predict the weather, which saved many fishermen from drowning. At the age of 28, she climbed a mountain and flew to heaven, and she became the Heavenly Queen, or Thean Hou, the name of this temple. Although we are now about two hours from the sea, the Hainanese still built this temple in her honor to take care of her community. After her death, there were countless reports of a strange girl carrying a red lantern to guide ships home in stormy weather. Today, UNESCO has designated the Mazu belief as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’.
The last goddess is the goddess Kwan Yin, or popularly known as the Goddess of Mercy. The name Kuan Yin is short for Kuan Shiryin, which means “hear the cries of the world”. Highly revered by Buddhists, Kwan Yin’s story is long and complicated. Revered even in Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan, the stories of Kuan Yin have many connections with Taoism, Buddhism and Chinese culture. There are hundreds of stories about Kuan Yin, from healing the sick to saving the Dragon King’s son, saving animals and protecting crops; they all tell essentially the same thing: their compassion.
In the area in the middle of the room are some cylindrical shaped objects with red buttons and a bunch of sticks. They are the ‘kau chim’ oracles, or in English, Chinese Fortune Sticks. Many Chinese use these fortune sticks to predict their destiny for the coming year. First, shuffle the suits while clearing your mind. Then take the whole bundle of sticks, hold them up and put them back in the container. Look for the singular stick that sticks out – this stick carries your fortune. If a few sticks stick out, try again until only one stick sticks out of the package. Then look at the number that is written on the stick and find that number in the appropriate drawer. Each drawer contains strips of paper where your fortune is written for the year. That is your destiny for the year. I hope it is full of prosperity, or as the Chinese say, full of ‘fook’. Even if you don’t believe in it, it’s a fun thing to do.
On the balcony you can get a good view of the temple. The ends of the balcony are made up of some tiny objects: an old man sitting on a fish, followed by three Chinese mythical animals. The old man is Jiang Tai Kung, a highly revered historical figure and military strategist. One story says that he was fishing for three days and three nights, but to no avail. Finally, he caught a fish, and when he cut the belly of the fish, he found a cloth that prophesied that one day he would be a great military strategist. There is a popular story of him holding a bamboo stick with the hook hanging over the water, rather than letting it sink into the water. His reason was that the fish will come to him when they are ready. This act inspired the Chinese saying that good things come to those who wait. Therefore, he is often depicted sitting on a fish.
The second mythological animal is the Qilin, which is said to bring serenity whenever it happens. It is often mistakenly called the Chinese unicorn. A Qilin is a kind creature that can walk on grass without stepping on the blade, but breathes fire when confronted by an evil person.
The third mythological animal is the Chinese roc, which has the body of a bird but the legacy of a goat with scales like a fish. And the fourth is the famous Chinese lion, which has protective powers. They usually stand at the gates of imperial palaces and temples.
Back at the main shrine, there is a ladder to the left that leads to the turtle pond. The turtle is one of the four celestial emblems – along with the dragon, the phoenix and the white tiger – that guard the constellation. The tortoise guards the north, the phoenix guards the south, the dragon guards the east, and the white tiger guards the west. Of these four animals, the turtle is the only real life animal, so here you have the opportunity to see many of them in the turtle pond.
There is also an interesting shop selling religious items on the ground floor for tourists to buy souvenirs.