These lanterns were made of lacquered wood and gilded. The word 'Teng' is a Chinese (Hokkien) word for lantern. The 'Ting Kong' lantern was hung outside a Chinese house and it was one of the first things one would see in front of a traditional Peranakan Chinese ancestral house. The lanterns were used in worship of 'Ting Kong' – the ‘Heavenly Grandfather’. This is the Chinese folk name for the Jade Emperor, one of the most important deities worshipped by the Peranakan Chinese.
