Reflections | Popular Chinese god in Singapore and Malaysia turns up in a surprising location
- Gili Tepekong island off Bali’s coast was named after the Great Earth God, Tua Pek Kong, a guardian deity among Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia
- Historians believe the primeval form of Tua Pek Kong is the god to whom hundreds of thousands of small shrines all over Hong Kong are dedicated
Please do not hate me, but earlier this month I went on a week-long holiday to Bali, where I did absolutely nothing but enjoyed myself.
There were days when I sat for hours by the private pool or, when the sun got too hot, on a comfortable chair in the villa, reading a book with a cold drink and a gorgeous view of the Bali Sea. I cannot remember the last time I was able to just sit and read for hours, which, to me, is the ultimate luxury.
On a boat trip that rounded the eastern tip of the island, we came across a small island called Gili Tepekong. From the boat, it looked like giant lemon drop floating on the Lombok Strait, but apparently the waters around it host one of the most dangerous dive sites in Bali.
What interested me more about Gili Tepekong was its name.
A quick online search and a reference in a diving guide confirmed what I thought had sounded familiar: Gili Tepekong was named for a Chinese temple or shrine that used to be on the island, one that was dedicated to the deity Tua Pek Kong.
First of all, a note on the name Tua Pek Kong, which is based on the Minnan-Hokkien pronunciation: in Mandarin, it is Da Bo Gong and in Cantonese Tai Pak Kung. The name literally means the Great Earth God.