Chan, Margaret. Ritual is Theatre, Theatre is Ritual: Tang-ki: Spirit Medium Worship. Singapore: Wee Kim Wee Centre, 2006.

Based on the author's 2001 thesis, it is a useful resource for current local practices.

Rich in detail, it contains much useful material for those studying spirit mediums. The thesis looks at the spirit medium from the aspect of performance studies.

Covers the festivals on following dates: 1M1: New Year; 1M9: Jade Emperor's birthday; 1M15: lantern festival; Tsing Ming; 4M8: birthdays of Sakyamuni & Heavenly Prince (太子爺 [tai zi ye]); 5M5: Fifth Moon or Tuan Yang Chieh or Dragon Boat festival; 7M7: Chu Chiu (乞巧 [qi qiao]) festival; 7M15: Yu Lan Hui (孟蘭會 [孟兰会 / meng lan hui]) or Kwei Chih (story of separated couple drowning themselves); 8M15: Moon or T'uan Yuan Chieh (團圓節 [团圓节 / tuan yuan jie]) Festival; 9M9: Chung Yang (重陽節 [重阳节 / zhong yang jie]) Festival & birthdays of Tua Pek Kong & Kew Ong Yah (mentions people going to Kusu island to bai Tua Pek Kong); Tung Chi (冬至 [dong ji]) Festival; 12M8: La Pa Festival (臘八節 [腊八节 la ba jie]); 12M24: Sung Shen Festival (sending gods); 12M30: New Year's Eve. Mentions customs associated with the festivals, who celebrates, and also occasionally mentions where people go to pay their respects.

Cheu, Hock Tong (ed). Chinese Beliefs and Practices in Southeast Asia. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Pelanduk Publications, 1993. 17-57. (Call no: 299.510959 CHI)

This book has three articles of interest by Cheu Hock Tong, Ruth-Inge Heinze & Tadao Sakai.

Cheu, Hock Tong. The Nine Emperor Gods: A Study of Chinese Spirit-medium Cults. Singapore: Times Books International, 1988. (NLB call no: 299.5109595 CHE)

Cheu, Hock Tong. An Analysis of the Nine Emperor Gods Spirit-Medium Cult in Malaysia. Academic exercise for PhD. Ithaca, NY: Southeast Asia program, Cornell University, 1982. (NLB call no.: 299.514650951 CHE)

Detailed description at the Nan T'ien Kung in Ampang, Selangor. Mentions 35 other Nine Emperor Gods temples in Malaysia and four in Singapore.

Descriptive piece

Comber, Leon. Chinese Ancestor Worship in Malaya. Singapore: D Moore, 1954.

Short monograph of 42 pages.

Looks at the conceptual layout of traditional Singaporean Chinese, Indian and Malay homes and how the layout has changed to fit the layout of HDB flats.

Republished most recently by Athlone Press in 1990.

Elliott, Alan. "The Significance of Religion Among the Overseas Chinese". China Society Singapore Annual 1951. 28-32.

Comments generally on the state of religious practice and belief among the Singapore Chinese.

Heinze, Ruth-Inge. Trance and Healing in Southeast Asia Today. Bangkok: White Lotus, 1997. (NLB call no.: 306.6 HEI)

As that half her fieldwork was done in Singapore, the book contains quite a bit of case study information about Singapore's temples and devotees in the late 1970s. Written from an advocate's point of view.

Heinze, Ruth-Inge. "The Nine Imperial Gods in Singapore". Asian Folklore Studies. 40.2(1981):151-171.

Lee, Richard, Alan Chan & Timothy Tsu. Taoism: Outlines of a Chinese Religious Tradition. Singapore: Taoist Federation, 1994. (NLB call no: 299.514 LZR)

Brief history of Taoism in English and Chinese including a concluding chapter on history of Taoism in Singapore.

Attempts to do a brief description of Chinese religion. Interesting sentence in the article: "it is common knowledge among those who practice spiritualism that a Chinese resident of Circular Road in Singapore at the beginning of this century became a god in a temple in Balestier Road after his death, and up to now this local god appears quite regularly at certain spiritual writing exercises at an organisation in Singapore." (p15)

Collection of papers presented at a 2005 conference. Most deal with temples.

Looks at links with mediums in theatre, poetry, and mythology.

新加坡金鍛段殿道教協會 [Xin Jia Po Jin Duan Dian Dao Jiao Xie Hui]. 魏寳山河 [Wei Bao Shan He]. Singapore: 新加坡金鍛段殿道教協會, 1997. (NLB call no.: 299.514 WBS)

Bilingual. Explains some basic Taoist concepts, major sects and sacred mountains in China. Good English language account of Xuan Tian Shang Di (Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven).

Small 15th anniversary publication by the Singapore San Ching Taoism Association (新加坡三清道教会). Has a handful of basic articles about 道, 老子 & 三清.

Article covers Singapore as well.

Article does cover worship in Singapore.

Article about his refinding a deity, Qixing Dadi, in Singapore. He is not aware of the deity being worshipped anywhere else & had only seen it once before in the early 60s, also in Singapore.

Brief mention of a Ch'iu Ch'ang-ch'un image in a Telok Blangah temple.

Stevens, Keith. "T'i-Shen: Substitute for a Person". Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 30(1990):299-301.
<http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4400609.pdf>

Article describes the practice in Singapore.

Mostly about China, Taiwan & HK but does briefly describe some altars in Singapore.

This survey covers Singapore as well.

Mentions that there are "at least twelve [Sheng Gong temples] in Singapore." However, no other relevance to Singapore.

Stevens, Keith. "Three Chinese Deities: Variations on a Theme". Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 12(1972):169-195.
<http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4400212.pdf>

The three deities referred to are Yin Ch'iao aka T'ai Sui; Fa Chu Kung; & Cheng Ho. Singapore is among the communities this survey covers.

Description of a pair of puay or moonblocks and how they are used. The pair of divining blocks is said to be available in every temple. Description of the bagua includes things associated with each side.

Describes implements and ceremony. Ceremony includes mediums.

Simple illustrated book on setting up a home shrine meant for the lay devotee.

Describes the practices but does not mention which subculture practices which rituals. He argues that individuals select from a repertoire of available rituals rather than following a fixed template. I wish he had gone on to covered more about who knows what and who finds what acceptable/unacceptable.

Tong, Chee Kiong. "Child Diviners: Religious Knowledge and Power Among the Chinese in Singapore". Contributions to Southeast Asian Ethnography. 8(Dec 1989):71-86.

Tong, Chee Kiong. Trends in Traditional Chinese Religion in Singapore: Report Prepared for Ministry of Community Development. Singapore: 1988. (NLB call no.: 299.51 TON)

Results of a detailed survey in HDB estates on the practice of Chinese rituals: festivals, birth, marriage, death, and gods worshipped in the home. Includes data on age and education.

Discusses how Chinese religious practices have been modified by the HDB environment. Looks specifically at the positioning of the altar in the home, burning of 'joss paper' and funerary practices.

Topley, Marjorie. "Chinese Religion and Religious Institutions in Singapore". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 29.1(1956):70-118.

Summary article that offers some definitions of common words like 'miao'. Half the article is on Buddhism. At the end there is a list of Chinese characters for the various terms used.

Has accompanying photos.

Topley, Marjorie. "Some Occasional Rites Performed by the Singapore Cantonese". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 24.3(1951):120-144.

Tjandra, Lukas. "Folk Religion Among the Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia". Diss. Fuller Theological Seminary.

Written from an explicitly Protestant point of view and discusses the appropriate Christian response to various customs and practices. Available on microfilm at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library.

Coffee-table book. Originally published in 1967, the photographs are by Ronni Pinsler.

Short article about the origin of Mazu. Article also appears in Chinese.

Discusses impending relocation of the Daoyuan international headquarters in Hong Kong and the tension between the potential successors in Singapore and Taiwan.

The Lee Kong Chian Reference Library has two brochures produced by STPB in the 90s explaining the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. One is dated 5-13 Oct 1994 & the other 8-16 Oct 1991. The brochures concentrate on the Upper Serangoon Rd Kiu Ong Yah Temple celebration. Both mentions the end of the festival being at "at the Kangsar river near Punggol."

Directories:

庙宇文化:新加坡第1本民俗导览 [Miao Yu Wen Hua: Xin Jia Po Di 1 Ben Min Su Dao Lan]. Singapore: 焦点出版公司, 2005.

Directory of temples. Several have short feature articles.

Bilingual publication listing the clan associations in Singapore. Volume 1 lists the locality-based clan associations while volume 2 lists the surname-based clan associations. A brief history of each association is given and their activities. Mention is made of patron deities and the festival day(s) of the deities'.

One of the earliest Chinese language edition street directories.

Looks at the architecture of 25 of the more prominent temples in Singapore. Includes a short paragraph on the history of each of these temples. Mentions the type of preservation work done on Thian Hock Keng.

Features 25 old buildings in Singapore, half of which are temples. Histories are given for each place featured.

新加坡庙宇概览 [Xin Jia Po Miao Yu Gai Lan / Chinese Temples of Singapore]. Singapore: 南风商业出版社, 1951.

Directory of temples.

Temple Commemorative Publications:

后港斗母宫. 九皇圣迹: 后港斗母宫 [Sacred Site of the Nine Emperor Gods: The Hougang Dou Mu Temple]. Singapore: 后港斗母宫, 2006.

Describes the history, deities & architecture of the temple.

Bilingual publication about the history of the temple and the Palmer Road area. Puts forward arguments for the preservation of the temple. Also contains an article about 大伯公 belief in the Hakka culture.

Booklet giving history of temple.

First published in Chinese, it is a history of the Hokkien Huay Kuan from its beginnings as the Thian Hock Keng temple. The book is organised into five chapters: the first is about the founding of the temple and the rest covers the leadership periods of Tan Boon Liat, Tan Kah Kee, Tan Lark Sye & Wee Cho Yaw.

Commemorates the opening of Tampines Chinese Temple aka Tampines Combined Temple at 25 Tampines Street 21. Has articles on the history of each temple as well as the principal deities of each temple. Constituent temples are: Kiat Sing Ting (吉星亭); Foo Ang Tien (福安殿); Toh Tew Kang (后池厅) aka Por Ann Kong Keng (普庵古佛); Loong Paw Tien (龙宝殿); Tai Ling Kong (慈灵宫); Soon Hin Ko Beo (顺兴古庙); Tampines Tua Peck Kong Temple (淡滨尼九哩大伯公庙 aka 淡滨尼九哩福德正神庙); 新芭大伯公庙; 洛阳大伯公庙; 洛阳天公坛; 济阳堂. The oldest temple is reportedly Kiat Sing Ting, built in 1918.

Websites:

Aaron's Site. <http://aaron1974.multiply.com/>. Date first visited: 16 Feb 2007.

Chinese Temples. <http://chinesetemples.blogspot.com/>. Date first visited: 16 Feb 2007.

Historic Chinese Architecture in Singapore. <http://nanyangtemple.wordpress.com/>. Date first visited: 16 Feb 2007.

Jave's Religious Place. <http://javewu.multiply.com/>. Date first visited: 16 Feb 2007.

Sin tua 神坛 in Singapore. <http://sintuasingapore.blogspot.com/>. Date first visited: 16 Feb 2007.

Tan Wee Cheng's Mad, Mad World <http://twcnomad.blogspot.com/>. Date first visited: 16 Feb 2007.

獅城神壇出巡網站. <http://angeldust888.multiply.com/>. Date first visited: 16 Feb 2007.