The Teochew Story – Green Dragon Temple 青龍古廟

Along the river banks of River Han in Chaozhou is a very old temple that dated back to Ming Dynasty. According to my dad, he prayed to the deity here for safe passage and then boarded the ferry that brought him to the ship for Singapore.

We are a very traditional Teochew family, and like many others here in Singapore (and other ASEAN countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam) we can trace our origins to Chaozhou 潮州. It is difficult to pinpoint what’s Teochew outside of China as there are the diaspora from Chaoshan 潮汕 (which is the modern way of grouping Chaozhou City and Shantou) as well as Ba-yi 八邑 (or “eight counties”)², we are all different but same-same.

Because of this affiliations, Teochews identify ourselves with a few things that are common among us – the dialect (which is quite the same in Singapore but distinctly different back in the hometown), the cuisine (my favourite bar none), and the traditional worship of ancestors and gods.

“拜老爺” Living on a Prayer

Teochews are huge on praying to gods, which we say in Teochew “拜老爷” (“bai-lao-yah“). “Gods” here refers to the local deities, including Taoist and Buddhist gods, as well as local gods that include shamanistic gods, Chinese heroes (which is the lao-yah in this temple), and ancestors.

This custom is performed according to the lunar calendar cycle. On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, people worship the Earth God and the Heavenly God at home. The ceremony is most grand during the first month of the lunar calendar, requiring people to go to the Gods’ Temple to offer sacrifices such as three kinds of meat and rice cakes, accompanied by activities such as “welcoming the Gods” parades and opera performances. During this time, people communicate with the gods by throwing divination blocks.

And annually, these temples will also conduct a procession which is known as 营老爷³ (“yang-lao-yah“), or “Deity Procession”. “Deity Procession” is the grandest and most typical community activity in the Chaoshan region’s “bai-lao-yah” (or “Worshiping the God”) custom. It refers to carrying the deity’s image on a procession, which is usually held around the first month of the lunar calendar. I used to see this quite often around Singapore, but as the government consolidated the temples, there are lesser occurrences except by the bigger ones.

由來的傳說 Mythical Origins

So who are we worshipping in this particular temple? Chinese temples like this are polytheist, but there’s always a main god. In this case, he is Wang Kang 王伉, a Shu Han (221-263) Prefect of Yongchang Commandery who was venerated by the people because of his righteousness and honesty during his office. He was posthumously given the title 「安濟聖王」An Ji Shen Wang (Ang Chee Sia Ong) and a temple was built to honour him.⁴ Hence this temple is officially known as 安濟王廟, or “Lord Anji Temple“.

Green snakes were often spotted at the temple and when the people of Chaoshan saw one at the battlefield, they would invariably emerge victorious.⁵ They believed that the green snake was the transformation of Ang Chee Sia Ong, whose spirit provided a protection of them against disasters. Hence Ang Chee Sia Ong was also known as Sacred Lord Green Dragon (Qing Long Shen Wang) and the temple, Qing Long Gu Miao 青龍古廟.⁶

A figure appeared in the sky on day one and spread a large black cloth which subsequently turned into a huge patch of dark cloud, shielding Xie from the elements. Xie survived and was released. Praying at the local temple of Ang Chee Sia Ong in gratitude, he realised that Wang Kang’s statue bore a resemblance to his mysterious saviour. So when he returned to Chaozhou, he brought the statues of the deity along and built a temple in his honour.

OK, the previous origin story was too mythical. Here’s a more probable one that has documented evidence in terms of steles and official records in local annals of history. In 1589, the 17th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, Shi Suoxue, the Assistant Magistrate of Chaozhou’s Coastal Defense, rebuilt the Qinglong Ancient Temple to ward off floods. He enshrined a statue of Wang Kang, who was then known as the Ang Chee Leng Ong (King of Peace and Salvation). From then on, Wang Kang became the Ang Chee Sia Ong (Holy King of Peace and Salvation). Because a green snake was often seen slithering in and out of the temple, harmless and elusive, it was named the Qinglong (“Green Dragons”) Ancient Temple.

Every year on the 24th day the first month of the lunar calendar, when the Holy King Anji goes on a tour, the city is deserted as everyone rushes to welcome the divine procession. Those who travel overseas or do business especially regard him as the guardian deity for their success. And here’s the 2023 Green Dragon Temple Yang-Lao-Yah (Procession of the Gods).

The procession is usually held in three main parts: First, “Inviting the God,” where respected elders in the village lead the villagers to carry the palanquin out of the temple and place it in the village’s “divine field” which is a specially constructed altar in an open field; second, “Worshiping the God,” where villagers come to “divine field” to worship the “God,” with very rich offerings; and third, “Parading the God,” which means carrying the palanquin on a procession through the whole village, and then sending the God back to the temple after the procession.

Other gods share the temple as An Ji Shen Wang’s guests, like this Sanxian Shigong 三仙师公⁷ (middle) and Wan Empress 輓娘娘. Typically these temples have many deities depending on the local customers and beliefs. Most of them were “human” that contributed to the welfare of the locals while some performed a miracle, pretty much like the Catholic Saints. Unlike the Catholics who has a strict process of canonisation, these deities were mostly made a deity by emperors of the past. Like the Taoist Sanxian Shigong conducted an altar prayers for rain and ended a drought and was given “immortalised” by Emperor Renzong of Song in 1048.

The number of worshippers grew and they moved the statue to a bigger temple at the south bank of River Han. The place now contains an opera stage as well as a sheltered altar for “Tee-Gong” 天公, or “Heavenly Emperor”, whom does not have a statue in these type of temples and usually worships outside the temple.

傳統屋簷 潮州雕刻與嵌瓷 Chaozhou Wood Carvings and Porcelain Mosaics

Among the many handicrafts of Chaozhou, wood carving undoubtedly reigns supreme in terms of exquisite detail. Unfortunately, wood carvings are best preserved indoors, but the Teochew spared no cost to make sure that these carvings cover every inch of the beams, mortise and tenons under the roof, often painted and plastered with gold foil.

Generally, wood carvings need the shelter of a roof to avoid rain and sun damage. Therefore, the exquisite detail of architectural wood carvings can only be truly appreciated from inside the building. Chaozhou mosaic, on the other hand, is displayed outdoors, often existing on the eaves and roof ridges, exposed to the elements.

Exploring the ancient streets and alleys of Chaoshan, one can almost always find various forms of Chaozhou mosaic on the roofs of any old house. Porcelain inlay mosaic, a Teochew folk craft with distinctive local characteristics, is characterised by the use of glazed ceramic shards, which are cut, hammered, and then inlaid with various decorative patterns or three-dimensional paintings. They are commonly found in temples, ancestral halls, and residential buildings. These mosaics protrude high from the eaves, making the traditional roofs appear even more imposing.

Most of the time, Chaozhou mosaic is made without blueprints, relying entirely on the craftsman’s improvisation. The materials used are fragments of ceramic bowls, plates, jars and pots, cut into various shapes, sizes, and colours with pliers, then polished and pieced together. No two pieces of broken ceramic are exactly alike, so each piece is a completely new creation by the artisan, making Chaozhou’s inlaid porcelain mosaics incredibly diverse. Consequently, no two Chaozhou mosaic works are identical.

Traditional Teochew Culture, the Newest Internet Craze

Due to the recent blockbuster movie “给阿嬷的情书” (lit “Love Letters to Grandma”, but released as “Dear Her”), everyone got really nostalgic about Chaoshan. I wasn’t spared as the movie brought back all the childhood memories of Dad sharing his diaspora stories with us. The river wharf has since been moved to the upper river and a promenade was built along here. But the temple remained one of the major temples in Chaozhou.

Visited Sep 2019

 Footnotes :

1. 潮州人的“天公”就是民间信仰和道教中的玉皇大帝。祂是众神之王，代表至高无上的天，掌管天界与凡间的一切事务。
   在潮汕传统文化中，拜天公还有以下几个独特之处：
   天地父母：除了“天公”，潮州人常将“天”与“地”结合，称为“天地父母”。天公代表天，地母代表地，被视为化育万物的至高神灵。
   无神像崇拜：由于天公地位尊崇，潮州人家中通常不设玉皇大帝的神像，而是以写有“天地父母”的牌位或特设的“天公炉”来代表敬拜。
   天公生：每年正月初九为天公诞辰（俗称“天公生”）。潮州人会在初八深夜至初九凌晨举行隆重的拜祭仪式，祈求新的一年阖家平安。 ↩︎
2. “八邑”通常指中国广东省潮州府下辖的八个县（潮安/海阳、揭阳、澄海、潮阳、普宁、惠来、饶平、南澳）。 ↩︎
3. 营神的营，是潮汕和海陆丰方言词，在这个短语里，它保留着回绕(《汉书颜注》)和畛域(《文选薛注》)的古义。上神的祭祀而称作“营大老爷”，是因为祭祀过程，必有土神巡土安境的仪式。 ↩︎
4. 廟中有正廳，仙師殿和官廳。正廳祀安濟聖王、大夫人、二夫人；兩旁祀捨人爺、福德老爺、花公花媽；廳外兩頭，一為「仙師殿」，祀三仙師公、 輓娘娘；一為官廳，官廳前座供謝少滄牌位。誰是王伉？安濟靈王封號什麼來的？傳說蜀漢年間（221-263）諸葛征蠻，永昌太守王伉守城捍賊，歿為神明。
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5. 據沈存中《彭蠡小龍》記載，北宋仁宗皇佑年間，廣源州依智高僭稱南天王，改元景瑞。由於廣源地連潮州，故叛軍依澗據險，皇帝趙禎（在位1067-1085）派楊文廣來平南蠻十八洞。宋軍行軍沿江南下時有青蛇附於舟上而征途順利、徵戰皆捷而諸洞俱平，班師時楊文廣奏知宋仁宗。趙禎便封潮州青蛇為「安濟靈王」。 ↩︎
6. 由來的傳說
   青龍古廟在潮州市韓江大橋西端南堤上，廟門東向，面臨韓江，正廳門上題額「青龍古廟」，大門橫額則題「安濟聖廟」，因此廟又名安濟王廟。但是潮州人都稱之為「大老爺宮」。它的由來有兩個說法：
   (1) 據傳，明代潮州人謝少滄在雲南為官，恰逢大旱飢饉，他為免延遲時日先開官倉濟災而後上奏朝廷，獲罪問斬；按滇俗，處決囚犯吊於大樹三天尚活者可免其死。其地白天日炙而夜、司風寒，誰知「天降神人」，張開大黑布化為烏雲頂住烈日風霜，三天後謝競死裡逃生，即備祭品到神廟祭拜，見正中端坐者就是搭救自己的神人——蜀漢永昌郡太守「安濟聖王」王伉，自此日夜焚香拜之，並於回潮時，將王伉及大、二夫人偶像帶回家設點供奉，後立於此廟祭拜現正廳中供奉王伉及大、二夫人神像。（傳說，除了人物、其他無歷史根據。可信度0%，但是因為精彩而被廣為傳說）
   (2) 明萬曆十七年（1589）潮州海防同知施所學重修青龍古廟鎮水患，奉入王伉神像，號安濟靈王，自此，王伉就成了安濟聖王。因常見青蛇蜿蜒出沒於廟，不傷於人而來去無蹤，故名為青龍古廟，歷代迭次修葺；（文獻史記，明朝文獻頗為完整，可信度95%）
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7. 據《汀州府志》載：「黃幸三仙師，上杭人。鐘寮場未立，縣前有妖怪、虎狼為害，黃七翁與其子及婿幸姓者三人，有異術，治之，群妖遂息。因隱身入石。」 紫金山烏兜隔仙師祠旁，清光緒乙酉年（1885）所立的《黃老仙師實跡紀略》碑的碑文有黃幸三仙師「驅妖至潮陽，見士人求雨不應，仙師代為祈禱，大獲甘霖。步回紫金山，遂同隱阮身入巖穴，不復見」的記載。而三仙師何時到潮州祈雨，潮人何時以何種形式為其立祠，包括獨立為廟，或奉入青龍廟與青龍一廟二殿祭拜等具體細節，均未見記載。宋慶歷年間（1041~1048）「三仙師」被敕封為「感應護國愛民三大真仙」。敕封是為潮州祈雨以後的事，那麼三仙師到潮州祈雨至晚應該是在宋慶歷八年（1048）以前。 ↩︎