Go Back
Soon Thian Keing Temple, SingaporeSoon Thian Keing Temple 顺天宫 (GPS: 1.31486, 103.88572), also known as Tua Konsi, is a Chinese temple in Geylang, Singapore. This otherwise unassuming temple has a surprising hold to Singapore history.
Soon Thian Keing was originally located at Malabar Street, which is not incorporated into Bugis Junction. In 1981, a pair of stelae was discovered in this temple. It was embedded into the back wall of the temple, whose temple structure dated to 1847. Inscription on the stelae places the founding of the temple to the year 1812. It was a major surprise to historians, for Singapore was only established as a British settlement in 1819. How then could the temple pre-date Singapore? So far, the authenticity and veracity of the stelae have not been challenged, but it caused a shift in understand on the history of Singapore.
Until then, it had been assumed that Singapore was largely uninhabited, with the only people living there being local sea gypsies. The discovery of the stelae pointed to the possibility that there has been a Chinese community in Singapore pre-dating the arrival of Raffles.
Despite its significance, in 1984 Soon Thian Keing Temple had to make way for the construction of the Bugis MRT Station, for the East West Line. It relocated to nearby Albert Street before relocating again to Geylang, to its present site at Lorong 29 Geylang, and was officially opened on 25 February 1994.
The principal deity at Soon Thian Keing is the Tua Pek Kong, along with a host of subsidiary deities.
Taking the MRT to Soon Thian Keing Temple
On foot, Soon Thian Keing Temple is 550 meters from Aljunied MRT Station (EW9).Soon Thian Keing Temple on Google Street View (Aug 2019)
Soon Thian Keing Temple is 
on the Map of Geylang
Soon Thian Keing Temple is 
on the Map of Chinese Temples in Singapore
List of the Chinese Temples in Singapore; Discover Singapore
Sights in Singapore
Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips
Streets of Singapore and Map of Singapore Streets
Singapore MRT and Map of Singapore MRT
Postal Districts of Singapore and Map of Singapore Postal Districts
Planning Areas of Singapore and Map of Singapore Planning Areas
Songs about Penang
About this website
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.
Copyright © 2003-2024 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.
Sights in Singapore Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips Streets of Singapore and Map of Singapore Streets Singapore MRT and Map of Singapore MRT Postal Districts of Singapore and Map of Singapore Postal Districts Planning Areas of Singapore and Map of Singapore Planning Areas
Copyright © 2003-2024 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.