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TANJONG PAGAR 4

Urban Redevelopment Association (URA) Gallery This enormous exhibit is perhaps of real interest only to Singaporeans and civil planners, but if you're in the neighborhood, it's worth a pop inside to see the giant plan of the city in miniature. Very cool. If you have time, sift through 48 permanent exhibits and 25 interactive displays that paint a historical picture of the development of urban Singapore.

Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple hike most of Singapore's Chinese temples, Wak Hai Cheng Bio had its start as a simple wood-and-thatch shrine where sailors, when they got off their ships, would go to express their gratitude for sailing safely to their destination. Before the major land reclamation projects ,liifted the shoreline outward, the temple was close to the water's edge, and so it was named "Temple of the Calm Sea Built by the Guangzhou People." It's a Teochew temple, located in a part of Chinatown populated mostly by the Teochews.

Inside the Taoist temple walls are two blocks. One is devoted to Ma Po Cho, the Mother of Heavenly Sages, who protects travelers and ensures a safe journey. The other is devoted to Siong Tek Kong, the god of business. Both are as impory ant to the Chinese community today as they were way back when. Look for the statue of the Gambler Brother, with coins around his neck. The Chinese pray to him for wealth and luck, and in olden days would put opium on his lips. This custom is still practiced today, only now they use a black herbal paste called ko_yo, which is conveniently legal.

Inside the temple you can buy joss sticks and paper for S$2.50. Three joss ~ticks are for heaven, your parents, and yourself, to be burned before the altar. I'hree corresponding packets of elaborately decorated paper and gold leaf are to he burned outside in the gourd-shaped kilns (gourd being a symbol of health). F he joss or "wishing paper," four thin sheets stamped with black and red characters, has many meanings. The red sheet is for luck (red being particularly auspicious) and the other three are to wash away your sins, for a long life, and for your wishes to be carried to heaven. Even if you are not Faoist, You're more than welcome to burn the joss.

The temple itself is quite a visual treat, with ceramic figurines and pagodas adorning the roof, and every nook and cranny of the structure adorned with tiny three-dimensional reliefs that depict scenes from Chinese operas. The spiral joss hanging in the courtyard adds an additional picturesque effect.

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