Discover the lost art of Daoist effigy-making
Discover the craft and craftsmen behind Say Tian Hng Buddha Shop, a 6th-generation family business that has been hand-crafting wooden statues of Daoist and Buddhist deities since 1840.
Time & Location
Pick your own date
35 Neil Rd, 35 Neil Rd, Singapore 088821
About the event
Hidden among Tanjong Pagar's skyscrapers and hipster bars, you'll find a small 6th-generation family business that has been hand-crafting wooden statues of Daoist and Buddhist deities since 1840.
Say Tian Hng ("Garden of Western Heaven" in Hokkien) is filled from floor to ceiling with hundreds of statues, some as large as a chair, some as small as an iPhone.
Among them are fearsome warlords and fair maidens, drunk monks and steely-faced magistrates, infants in arms, serpents, tigers and parrots.
Conducted by docents trained by the Ng family, the tour will introduce you to the origin stories of some of these deities, the ancient craft of statue-crafting and the religious iconography, such as the attires, facial features, accessories and weapons used as identifiers of each deity within the vast pantheon.
You will also learn how Grandma Ng brought up 7 kids while running the business, the impact of rapid urban renewal…