Our world changes so fast nowadays. We may not even remember or recognise something created 10 years old. In Sandakan, there is a Sabah temple that remains standing after 130 years. Built in 1887, Sam Sing Kung (Chinese Name: 三聖宮) Temple is the 3rd oldest Chinese temple in Sandakan. It was facing the sea in the beginning, and now it’s facing and blessing the Sandakan City.
Sam Sing Kung Temple (三聖宮), the third oldest Chinese temple of Sandakan. The oldest temple is Goddess of Mercy Temple (1868), followed by Tam-Kung Temple (譚公祖廟) built in 1876.
Sam Sing Kung witnesses the history of Sandakan, from the era of North Borneo (now Sabah) colony, formation of Malaysia in 1963, to a famous nature tourism destination of Borneo today. Sam Sing Kung is also one of the attractions in Sandakan Heritage Trail.
Entrance to Sam Sing Kung Temple (三聖宮)
The temple was built by the four Chinese communities, namely the Hakka, Cantonese, Hainanese and Teochew, mainly from the Guangdong Province of China. In late 19th century, thousands of Chinese admitted by British rulers to work as labourers, farmers, and merchants to develop Sabah. As the old saying goes, “wherever there is Chinese, there is temple,” naturally these Chinese immigrants also brought in their religions and established Sam Sing Kung as a religious centre in Sandakan, which is also known as the “Little Hong Kong” .
Altars of Lord Guan (关云长), Goddess of Tin Hou (天后 / 妈祖), and Min Cheong Emperor (文昌帝君)
Deities in Sam Sing Kung
Literally Sam Sing Kung means the Temple of the Three Saints, who are:
Lord Guan (关圣帝君) – Saint of Righteousness, a symbol of justice and loyalty
Mazu (天后妈祖) – Worshipped by fishermen (especially Hokkiens) and seafarers for protection
Wenchang Emperor (文昌帝君) – Wanna do well in exam, or your children are addicted to gaming? Let him helps
Left: tablet that records the history and story of Sam Sing Kung Temple. Right: Front door of Sam Sing Kung Temple
The three saints are great combination because they can answer prayers on prosperity, peace and protection, and health, which cover most wishes of their followers. There are other deities that serve more specific roles. For example, if you want to have a baby, you may ask the Gold Flower Goddess (金花娘娘 / 送子娘娘), or me.
Guanyin (观音), Buddha (佛祖), and the Bodhisattva of the Great Vow (地藏王菩萨)
Sam Sing Kung is a Taoist temple that practices polytheism, which believes that there are multiple gods or deities, they are like the officers of heaven and underworld. About 20 deities are sitting in Sam Sing Kung, to name a few, Confucius (孔夫子), God of Earth (福德), Protector of Carpenters and Construction (鲁班先师), and City God (城隍爷). Taoism and Buddhism have been influencing each other for thousand of year in China, so you can find altars of Buddha such as Guanyin in this temple.
Left: Lukang Shigandang (石敢当) that drives evil spirits away. Right: list of deities seated in the temple
Artifacts
Sam Sing Kung is truly a temple of memories and heritages. Many items, from desk, bell, calligraphy, pillar beam, divine poems board to plaques are artifacts with historical values. Even after a century, Sam Sing Kung is still a popular temple for local devotees, who visit this temple for blessing and divination, like what their great grandparents used to do.
In the middle is the palanquin of Mazu, which is as old as the temple. At the right is the time stamp of the palanquin.
When you enter the main door, you would see the palanquin of Mazu, which is used in Chingay parade and is as old as the temple. Another interesting antique is a bronze chime bell donated by the first Kapitan Cina of Sandakan, Fung Ming Shan (馮銘山) about 100 years ago. Kapitan is a leader officially appointed by British rulers to look after the local Chinese community.
The drawing of Qilin (Chinese Unicorn) on top of banner seems really old.
Feel free to tour around or light up some incense sticks to worship the deities (if you are a believer). The staffs there are accustomed to tourists and would share some stories with you. This temple seems like an ideal filming location of mid-twentieth century drama due to its nostalgia vibe.
How to get there
Sam Sing Kung Temple is located at the edge of the town field at Singapore Road (Jalan Singapura), in the city centre of Sandakan (see Location Map). e-Hailing service (e.g. Grab) is readily available in the city, in case you need one.
Religion has been a source of inspiration for making of remarkable architectures and artworks, but the ideas need the devotion of followers to turn into a reality. Peak Nam Toong (Chinese name: 碧南堂), one of the most beautiful Chinese temples in Sabah, is a perfect example of such outcome.
Peak Nam Toong looks like a palace in the heaven.
Chinese people are highly adaptive and willing to adjust their lifestyle to blend into the local society, but their cultures and religion are the cores that always remain intact. Therefore, a visit to a Chinese temple is a good starting point to see the dragon in their hearts.
Peak Nam Toong (碧南堂) is surrounded by houses and situated 300 feet away from the highway, but its towering 9-tier pagoda can been seen from miles away.
Even if you are a non-believer or atheist, your world view and values are more or less influenced by religions. For example, the karma, you wish good people go to heaven and your ex goes to hell right.
Peak Nam Toong temple is really photogenic and you can find many excellent spots for taking pictures.
History of Peak Nam Toong
Visitors would be impressed by the magnificent golden temple and 9-tier pagoda of Peak Nam Toong, so it’s hard to believe that Peak Nam Toong was just a humble stilt house in the water village of Tanjung Aru Beach about half a century ago.
In 1972, Peak Nam Toong was a small wooden building in water village and located about 300 feet away from the shore.
However, this first temple in the sea was so popular that it had to expand to accommodate more devotees. The temple was moved to Taman Fortuna less than 5 KM from Kota Kinabalu City and operated in 1984, this time it’s upgraded with bricks and cement structure. In the beginning, the new location was mostly empty ground. Now the temple is fully surrounded by residential housing.
Left: the 9-level pagoda of Peak Nam Toong; Right: The relief sculpture of five dragons
Wherever Chinese lives, there is a temple. In the bygone era of North British colonization, thousands of Chinese sailed across the South China Sea to work as labours and farmers in Sabah. Away from their hometown and working in a foreign country, religion gave these ancestor pioneers from China some hopes to protect themselves against insecurity.
Watch the video for a tour at Peak Nam Toong
Most of the Chinese immigrants are Hakka and Hokkien from Guangdong and Fujian provinces respectively, so naturally Guanyin (观音), Tua Pek Kong (大伯公) and Guang Ze Zun Wang (广泽尊王) are the three most common deities being worshiped in Sabah.
Lion decorations for the Chinese New Year. The place is clean and peaceful.
The Golden Temple
Taoism has a vivid vision of how a heaven looks like, so their temple is a mini replica of the palace. Peak Nam Toong fully incorporates the design of traditional Chinese architecture. The auspicious red and gold form the main theme colours. The area between the arch and temple are guarded by dozen of dragons and lions.
Day and night view of Peak Nam Toong (碧南堂)
The most prominent structure of Peak Nam Toong is the 9-tier pagoda, one of the tallest in Sabah. For Chinese, a 9-tier pagoda is a Feng Shui tower that can transfigure negative energy. Pagoda is a symbol of stability and wealth too because it was used to be a place for safekeeping of sacred relics, literature and treasures. This 200-feet-tall pagoda is a spectacular sight at night when its colourful LED light glows.
You can move the slider on photo to compare the day and night scenes of Peak Nam Toong
The front of Peak Nam Toong is facing at the direction of the sea. For people who’ve never been to a Chinese temple, there would be many things that pique their interest. Every elements in the sculptures, murals, motif, reliefs, statues, all have a story or meaning.
Sculptures of 12 Chinese Zodiac. They all look very rich.
Peak Nam Toong welcomes all visitors, even to non-followers who are respectful. The colourful statues of 12 Zodiac animals and Eight Immortals (八仙) at the compound are favourite spots of visitors for taking photos. For praying to the deities, the opening hours of the main prayer hall is from 6am to 6pm daily.
The Eight Immortals (八仙) in Chinese mythology. They represent eight main categories of people.
Under financial constraint, the construction of new Peak Nam Toong would be impossible without the support by the community through fund-raising, donation, and sponsorship. Just a trivia. When deciding the scale of the temple, the committees determined to go grand, as Taoism in Sabah needs a majestic landmark to project their faith and status.
Left: door of Peak Nam Toong; Right: booth for hanging wish banners
Main Prayer Hall
Taoism is a polytheistic religion, so there are about 16 deities housed in three altars and different areas of Peak Nam Toong. Sitting in the middle altar is Guang Ze Zun Wang (广泽尊王 / 圣王公), the main patron deity of Peak Nam Toong, together with his wife, Miao Yin Xian Fei (妙应仙妃) and 13 children, Thirteen Taibao (十三太保). You can find 24 drawing on the wall of the main prayer hall about the journey of Guang Ze Zun Wang to becoming a deity.
Altar of Guang Ze Zun Wang (广泽尊王) in the middle. He existed in Nan’an, Quanzhou, Fujian Province for over a thousand years.
The altar of Qing Shui Zu Shi (清水祖师) is at the right and Guanyin (观音菩萨) is at the left. They are accompanied by other deities such as Goddess Tian Hou (天后娘娘), Qi Xian Niang Niang (七仙娘娘), Lord Guan (关圣大帝), Tua Pek Kong (大伯公), Nezha (哪吒三太子), Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏王菩萨) and Daode Tianzun (太上老君).
Altar of Qing Shui (清水祖师)
Each deity acts like an officer in heaven and has different roles and ranks. Most of them can answer general prayers about wealth, health, relationships, and some can handle specific requests like academic achievement and getting a baby. (Tip: For money matters, ask Tua Pek Kong.)
The altar of Guanyin (观音菩萨)
Usually devotees pray to Guang Ze Zun Wang to wish for blessing and a peaceful life. Guang Ze Zun Wang also has the power to ward off the evil spirits, and able to travel between heaven and hell. There are 13 Guang Ze Zun Wang temples in Sabah.
Praying on the birthday of Qing Shui (清水祖师). Note the three altars in the hall.
Taoism believes that kind-hearted human can transform into a deity, if she / he practices Taoism and does a lot of charitable works to help the people. Many deities were used to be a Taoist or legendary figure who is deeply respected as a philanthropist or hero.
Events & Celebrations
Peak Nam Toong would organise special celebrations on important dates to pay homage to the deities. If you enjoy watching vibrant cultural events, you could check out the following grand events:
Chinese New Year celebration and stage performance at Peak Nam Toong
Pray to Tian Gong (拜天公)
Birthdays of Guang Ze Zun Wang (广泽尊王), Qing Sui Zhu Shi (清水祖师), Guanyi (观音)
Hungry Ghost Festival (孟兰节)
Devotees pray to King Guangze in the main prayer hall
Some events come with entertainment programmes including dragon, unicorn and lion dance, music and dance performances, grand parade, offering of various popular Chinese dishes to the deities, etc.
