Established as a shrine in 1939, Yan Kit Village Chinese Temple enshrines Shui Wei Sheng Niang, 108 Brother Deities, Hong Xian Da Di and other Taoist deities. Previously located at Yan Kit Village on the 11 1/2th milestone of Changi Road, an area largely populated by Hainanese residents, the temple continues to practice cultural and religious customs associated with the Hainanese community today.
According to oral history, worship of the temple’s patron deity, Shui Wei Sheng Niang, was introduced to Singapore in the 1930s by migrants from Wenchang, Hainan, China. With many Yan Kit Village residents working as sailors or fishermen, the worship of Shui Wei Sheng Niang became popular as she was regarded as a protective deity of the sea.
During the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1941, many people sought shelter in Yan Kit Village and the temple. Despite its proximity to a British military base and surrounding artillery batteries, the village remained unscathed by Japanese bombing raids, and many believed that the temple had protected the area.
The temple’s festive celebrations include the Lunar New Year, Qing Ming festival and the birthday of Shui Wei Sheng Niang on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month. The latter celebration includes a practice of worshippers walking across a path of burning incense papers as a symbolic casting aside of ill-fortune and for personal purification.
