Zi Yun Kai Ji Gong

Location

56 Hougang Ave 3

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Completed in 1996, Zi Yun Kai Ji Gong’s (紫云开吉宫) complex houses three temples, Kai Hock Tong (开福堂), Keat Sun Beo (吉山庙) and Chao Ying Kong (朝云宫), which were relocated from their original sites at Wolskel Road, Lorong Chuan and Yishun respectively. All three temples were founded by Hokkien communities.

Kai Hock Tong started as a family shrine for its founder Lim Loh (1852-1929) and his kinsmen from Nan An, Fujian, China. Lim Loh was a pioneer builder and businessman, and the father of war hero Lim Bo Seng. Initially housed within Lim’s brickworks factory at Wolskel Road, a permanent temple was erected to house the shrine and the growing number of worshippers in 1919. The temple relocated to its current location in the 1990s.

Keat Sun Beo was established in 1898 at Lorong Chuan by Hokkien immigrants with the surname “Tan”. It functioned as a family shrine for the Tans before opening up to devotees from other clans and dialect groups. Aside from its religious functions, the temple also disburses bursaries to needy students living in the Hougang area.

Chao Ying Kong, the newest temple of the three, was established in 1988 in Yishun with incense ash brought from the mother temple of the same name in Nan An, Fujian by the temple’s leaders. Today, the temple continues to maintain a strong relationship with the mother temple in China through exchange visits.

From National Monuments to memories of diverse communities who call Hougang home, these three thematic trails are designed to bring you on a journey of discovery. Explore Hougang beyond its modern housing estates, trace its stories through its built heritage, and get to know how it transformed from kampongs into the suburb it is today.