By: Parkavi Loganathan 1D Source 1: An account on the religious life of the Chinese community and their practices of their religion.
The Chinese practiced Chinese popular religion, a distinctive and complex syncretic religion that incorporates some elements from canonical Buddhism … In Singapore known as Vesak Day and celebrated as marking the birth of the Buddha; the festival of the hungry ghosts in the seventh lunar month, a major Hokkien holiday, marked by domestic feasting and elaborate public rituals to feed and placate the potentially dangerous souls of those with no descendants to worship them;
Inference: The source tells me that Buddhism was the major religion in among the Chinese in Colonial Singapore. Although there were other religions that were also popular among the Chinese, Buddhism was the major religion. This can be seen from ‘' The Chinese practiced Chinese popular religion, a distinctive and complex syncretic religion that incorporates some elements from canonical Buddhism.' In conclusion, Buddhism was the major religion in among the Chinese in Colonial Singapore before WWII. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Source 2: An account about the origination of religious life of Chinese in singapore.
Inference: The source shows me that the Chinese religions were brought to Singapore through the Chinese who came from South China. When the Chinese from South China arrived, ‘they brought along their cultures and religion then reproduced them in a Colonial environment’ together with the ‘knowledge of a syncretic Chinese belief system’ that was a ‘composite mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese folk beliefs’ and other religions. In a nutshell, the Chinese religions were brought to Singapore through the Chinese who came from South China. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Source 3: An account of Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer Street, 1880s
Inference: The source tells me that the Chinese visited this important temple to pray to God to praise God and give thanks to God as part of their religious life. Due to the grand and beautiful design and architecture, many Chinese people would be visiting this temple. Thus the “2 rickshaw pullers are waiting for the devotees outside the temple” to earn a living by riding them on their rickshaws. Therefore, the Chinese visited this important Thian Hock Keng Temple to pray to God to praise God and give thanks to God as part of their religious life. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________