The Jaded Empress Chronicles

I t was only a matter of time before this Jade(d) Empress was drawn back once again to the 'Jade Emperor Pagoda' (as planned in my “Top Ten Must-Do's For My Saigon Grand Entrance” which, of course, you've read,   here ) after numerous visits spanning two decades. Why… A past love in another life? A distant ancestral family member? A kindred spirit? Who knows? Or just maybe, because the Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chua Ngoc Hoang) ranks as one of Ho Chi Minh City’s (Saigon) five most important shrines and one of its most evocative and stunning pagodas. A surreal feast for the eyes and jam-packed with fantastical décor, this little gem is certainly one of the most impressive pagodas in town. Well, what did you expect with a Jade Emperor involved?   General consensus is that the Jade Emperor Pagoda was built in 1909 by the Chinese Cantonese community, immigrants who settled in Saigon of old – although it looks much older. The richly decorated...

S ince the late 1980s, I’ve visited Singapore numerous times and, on many occasions, made a beeline for Chinatown – one of Asia’s most dynamic Chinese communities, a sprawling conservation precinct with an intoxicating tapestry of centuries-old heritage and hip modern additions. As a self-confessed temple addict, over the decades, I would assume I had ticked-off my Chinatown temple list, along with all its other well-known multi-faith religious sites. But after a long period of absence from Singapore’s best-known ethnic neigbourhood, once again wandering along Chinatown’s evocative streets, I was amazed to stumble upon the magnificent Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum (新加坡佛牙寺龍華院). Aerial view, in the heart of Singapore's Chinatown; copyright Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Close-up aerial view; copyright Buddha Tooth Relic Temple How on earth could I have missed this imposing five-storey Chinese Buddhist temple, which incorporates the finest cultu...