Sarawak Heritage Titbits are contributions by Sarawak Heritage Society members or friends, in the form of illustrated, easy reading features on Sarawak heritage assets. We inaugurate this series with a presentation of Betong’s Shang Ti Temple, provided by the Editorial board of Betong Chinese Temple Charitable Trust Board, assisted by SHS Committee member Paulyn Yam.
砂拉越木中上帝庙
Shang Ti Temple, Betong, Sarawak
木中上帝庙信托委员编辑小组：沈宫辉，薛学华，郭惠珊，温燕秋整理
by the Editorial board of Betong Chinese Temple Charitable Trust Board
compiled and edited by: Sim Khung Hui, Sik Sua Hua, Kueh Hui Sun, Voon Yann Chiou
座落于泗里末河畔的上帝庙，是砂拉越早期华人移民与聚落的重要见证。庙宇与昔日泗里末河岸生活紧密相连，反映了早期华人南来时所携带的信仰、坚毅精神与文化传统。
Quietly nestled along the banks of the Saribas River, the Shang Ti Temple stands as a vital testament to the early history of Chinese immigrants and settlements in Sarawak. Deeply intertwined with the riverine life of old Betong, the temple reflects the faith, resilience, and cultural traditions carried by the early Chinese pioneers who journeyed south to Nanyang.
木中上帝庙，主要供奉玄天上帝。玄天上帝广受华人社会敬奉，象征着保护、力量、正义，以及驱邪避凶的能力。信众亦相信祂能够带来福气、兴旺、安定与平安。
The Shang Ti Temple primarily enshrines Xuan Tian Shang Di. Widely worshipped across Chinese communities, Xuan Tian Shang Di symbolizes protection, strength, righteousness, and the power to ward off evil and misfortune. Devotees also firmly believe the deity brings blessings, prosperity, stability, and peace.
每逢初一十五，善男信女都会到庙里上香祈福，以祈求健康、平安、好运与家庭和谐。每年农历三月初三是玄天上帝圣诞，九月初九则纪念玄帝成道日。届时，庙宇都会准备丰盛的贡品为之大事庆祝。
On the 1st and 15th day of every lunar month, devotees gather at the temple to offer incense and pray for blessings, seeking health, peace, good fortune, and family harmony. Two major annual events are celebrated here:
. the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month: Birthday of Xuan Tian Shang Di;
. the 9th day of the 9th lunar month: Commemoration of Xuan Di’s Ascension (Day of Enlightenment).
During these sacred occasions, the temple prepares lavish offerings to host grand-scale celebrations.
早期先驱与奠基阶段（1888–1925）
据父老相传，早在中国清朝光绪十四年间（1888年），便已有华裔先贤从中国迁居到泗里末河。据悉，当时的木中，只有七间亚答高脚屋商店，经营日用品及收购土产。1915年的开埠初期，亚答店屋惨遭祝融光顾。火灾后，商家们重建16间亚答店屋。郭发为先贤自创瑞盛商号，经营土产，并购置两艘帆船来往古晋及木中两地运载货物，据悉，目前保存在古晋博物院的鲸鱼骨骸，是当时搁浅在泗里末河后用瑞盛商号的帆船运送至古晋砂拉越博物院保存的。十年后，即1925年，当时的亚答店铺再次遭大火洗劫，夷为平地，商人损失惨重。
Early Pioneers and the Foundation (1888–1925)
According to oral history passed down by local elders, as early as 1888 (the 14th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign during the Qing Dynasty), Chinese pioneers had already migrated from China to the Saribas River. At that time, Betong consisted of only seven attap-roofed stilt shophouses that sold daily necessities and bartered for local native produce. In 1915, during the early days of the town’s founding, these attap shophouses fell victim to a devastating fire. Following the disaster, local merchants rebuilt 16 attap shophouses. Among them, a prominent pioneer named Kueh Huat Wee established the “Rui Seng” trading company, dealing in local produce. He purchased two sailboats to transport goods back and forth between Kuching and Betong. It is said that the whale skeleton currently preserved in the Sarawak Museum in Kuching was transported there from the Saribas River—where it had run aground—using the sailboats of the Rui Seng trading company. Ten years later, in 1925, the attap shophouses were once again ravaged by a catastrophic fire and leveled to the ground, causing severe financial losses to the local merchants.
神像的起源
为了保佑大家的财产和安全，瑞盛宝号东主甲必丹郭发为于1924年间回乡省亲时，在中国汕头市定制了一尊“玄天上帝”金身，再托薛松好先贤从中国护送到木中，并安奉在瑞盛宝号。当时，许多坡民都会到瑞盛商号上香膜拜，甲必丹郭发为见状于河边兴建一座小庙，公开给坡众膜拜，木中上帝庙才正式出现在木中埠。 木中玄天上帝金身曾遭窃，于是，在2012年间，庙方负责人向坡众筹了大约一万二千令吉，又从中国恭请第二尊体积较大之金身来安奉，当时的市值是七千多令吉。然而，原金身却在一个多月后被送回上帝庙口，并以红布包裹金身，金身修复后至今依然供奉在玄天上帝庙。除了主神玄天上帝，庙里还配祀了玄天上帝的左右护法和地主神。（左护法——华光大帝，右护法——赵大元帅）。
The Origins of the Sacred Deity Statue
To pray for the protection of everyone’s property and safety, Kapitan Kueh Huat Wee, the proprietor of the Rui Seng company, commissioned a golden statue of Xuan Tian Shang Di when he returned to his hometown of Shantou, China, to visit relatives in 1924. He then entrusted another pioneer, Sik Song Ho, to safely escort the sacred statue from China to Betong, where it was initially enshrined at the Rui Seng premises. Seeing that many local residents flocked to the Rui Seng trading company to offer incense and pray, Kapitan Kueh Huat Wee built a small temple by the riverbank to open it for public worship. This marked the official establishment of the Shang Ti Temple in the town of Betong.
The golden statue of Betong’s Xuan Tian Shang Di was once stolen. Consequently, around 2012, the temple management raised approximately RM 12,000 from the local community and respectfully invited a second, larger golden statue from China to be enshrined, which had a market value of over RM 7,000 at the time.
However, just over a month later, the original golden statue was mysteriously returned to the entrance of theShang Ti Temple, wrapped carefully in a red cloth. Following its restoration, this original statue continues to be enshrined and worshipped in the Xuan Tian Shang Di Temple to this day. In addition to the principal deity, Xuan Tian Shang Di, the temple also enshrines the left and right guardian deities of Xuan Tian Shang Di, as well as the Earth Deity (Di Zhu Shen). (The Left Guardian is Emperor Huaguang, and the Right Guardian is Grand Marshal Zhao).
重建与文化传承的岁月（1950年代至2000年代）
日战结束后的五十年代，鉴于上帝庙已相当陈旧，坡众合资重建，将亚答屋顶改建为盐木瓦木板庙宇。
1970年初，木中中华公会发起重建上帝庙，一座钢骨水泥庙宇在1971年中旬落成。
1975年末，本地善男信女也为庙宇赞助了十七幅神话和二十四孝为题材的壁画，由古晋刘福刘龙兄弟画社承包，并由画家刘福绘画。除了本地善心人士，当时的地方领袖，尊敬的拿督 查布(现在是前砂拉越副首长丹斯里亚弗烈查布博士)也赞助了一副题为“精忠报国 ”的壁画。此举充分展现出他对本土文化和各族宗教信仰的支持与重视。
Decades of Reconstruction and Cultural Preservation (1950s–2000s)
In the 1950s following the end of World War II, as the Shang Ti Temple had become considerably dilapidated, the local community pooled their resources to rebuild it, replacing the old attap roof with a wooden structure featuring belian (ironwood) shingles. In early 1970, the Betong Chung Hua Association initiated another reconstruction of the Shang Ti Temple, and a reinforced concrete temple structure was successfully completed by mid-1971.
Till end of 1975, local devotees also sponsored 17 murals themed around traditional mythology and the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars. This project was contracted to the Liew Fook & Liew Long Brothers Art Studio from Kuching, with the murals hand-painted by the renowned artist Mr. Liew Fook. The above mural was generously sponsored by Yang Berhormat Dato’ Alfred Jabu anak Numpang (Now Yang Berbahagia Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr.) Alfred Jabu anak Numpang) in support of preserving the temple’s cultural heritage.
上帝廟内展示的求签签诗板。在华人民间信仰与道教庙宇中，求签是一种常见的传统习俗，善信通过抽取签枝或签纸，向神明祈求指引、祝福或解答疑问。对应的签诗通常包含诗句与解释，被认为能够为信众提供精神上的启示与人生方向。
Display board of Qiu Qian (求签) fortune papers inside Shang Ti Temple. Commonly practised in Chinese folk religion and Taoist temples, the Qiu Qian tradition involves devotees drawing numbered fortune sticks or papers to seek guidance, blessings, or answers from the deity. The corresponding fortune papers contain poetic verses and interpretation believed to provide spiritual advice and direction for devotees.
1985年间，木中中华公会名誉顾问曾应悦为神庙题字赞颂神恩，祈福纳吉，大殿两侧的立柱上镌刻的石雕楹联，门边和庙里的三对木制对联都出自其手。
1998-2000间, 公会再为上帝庙修筑篱笆与门楼，使之飞檐翘角，雕梁画栋，古刹重辉，更添气势。数十年来，上帝庙经历了多次修缮与改建，但仍保留着传统建筑与宗教文化元素。庙內的木制书法匾额、彩绘壁画、横彩、灯笼及雕刻神龛，皆体现了早期华人移民所带来的工艺与艺术传统。这些元素不仅富有宗教象征意义，也承载着过去依靠河流贸易与生活的世代记忆。如今，上帝庙已不仅仅是一座宗教场所。它更象征着移民历史、信仰、坚毅精神与集体社区记忆，是早期华人移民对砂拉越社会与文化发展所留下的深远影响与历史遗产。
In 1985, Mr. Chang Eng Juak, an honorary advisor to the Betong Chinese Association, inscribed calligraphic pieces for the temple to praise divine grace, invoke blessings, and welcome auspiciousness. The stone couplets engraved on the pillars on both sides of the main hall, as well as the three pairs of wooden couplets by the doorway and inside the temple, were all penned by his hand. Between 1998 and 2000, the association further constructed a perimeter fence and an ornate gateway for the Shang Ti Temple, adorning it with sweeping upturned eaves, intricately carved beams, and painted rafters, which brought a renewed grandeur and majestic aura to the ancient sanctuary. Over the decades, though the Shang Ti Temple underwent numerous renovations and alterations, it meticulously preserved its traditional architectural and religious heritage elements. The wooden calligraphy plaques, painted murals, embroidered silk banners (heng cai), lanterns, and intricately carved shrines inside the temple all showcase the exquisite craftsmanship and artistic traditions brought by the early Chinese immigrants. These elements carry deep religious symbolism while harboring the generational memories of a life once heavily dependent on riverine trade. Today, the Shang Ti Temple has transcended its role as a mere place of worship; it stands as a monument to migration history, faith, resilience, and collective community memory, embodying the profound legacy left by early Chinese pioneers on the social and cultural landscape of Sarawak.
扩建与搬迁工程（2010–2026）
2010年间，在当时木中中华公会会长，本曼查郭图德带领下，成功获得州政府拨出位于上帝庙旁的一片空地（LOT 1290，Jalan Temenggong Datuk Montegrai，用于建筑两层新玄天上帝庙。在前任副首长 Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr.) Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang 在位时的鼎力支持下，并于2016年获得由已故前首长 Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr.) Adenan Haji Satem 在任内的开明政策倡议批准一百二十万令吉的建庙款项，随后由于图纸修改以及新冠疫情等原因，历经十年的筹备与建设，终于在2026年正式落成启用。
The Expansion and Relocation Project (2010–2026)
Around 2010, under the leadership of Pemancha Kueh Tu Teck, the then-president of the Betong Chinese Association, a parcel of vacant land located next to the temple (Lot 1290, Jalan Temenggong Datuk Montegrai) was successfully secured from the state government for the purpose of constructing a new double story Xuan Tian Shang Di Temple. Backed by the steadfast support of the former Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr.) Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang during his time in office, a building fund of RM 1.2 million was officially approved in 2016 under the enlightened policy initiatives of the late former Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr.) Adenan Haji Satem during his administration. Subsequently, due to factors such as revisions to the architectural blueprints and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project spanned a decade of preparation and construction, culminating in its official completion and inauguration in 2026.
配合新庙宇落成，上帝庙信托委员会为新庙宇添置多一尊体积更大的玄天上帝金身及四尊护法，即华光大帝、赵大元帅、康元帅和王灵官。同时，也为第一尊和2012年购买的第二尊玄天上帝金身各配上王灵官和康元帅两尊护法金身，再为旧庙原有的香炉添购铁元帅和广泽尊王两尊神像。总共添置了十一尊新的金身。
To commemorate the completion of the new temple, the Betong Chinese Temple Charitable Trust Board has acquired an additional, larger deity statue of Xuan Tian Shang Di along with four guardian deities: Emperor Hua Guang, Grand Marshal Zhao, Marshal Kang, and Spiritual Officer Wang.
Meanwhile, the original (first) statue and the second statue of Xuan Tian Shang Di (purchased in 2012) have each been paired with two guardian statues—Spiritual Officer Wang and Marshal Kang. Additionally, two more deity statues, Marshal Tie and Guang Ze Zun Wang, were added to accompany the original incense burner from the old temple.
神明巡境与百年传承
上帝庙从成立至今已有约102年历史，它不仅是木中民众民俗活动的圣地，也是成为探索历史的物证，更是木中坡的文化古迹，具有非常高的历史价值。木中坡所供奉的玄天上帝极其低调，理事会曾多次在神诞日或其他传统节庆时恭请玄天上帝圣驾绕境巡行，却在祈求玄天上帝赐予圣杯恩准游行时，被赐予笑杯谢绝了众人的美意。
The Divine Processions and Century-Old Legacy
Since its establishment, the Shang Ti Temple has accumulated a history of approximately 102 years. It serves not only as a sacred sanctuary for the folklore and cultural activities of the Betong populace but also as physical evidence for historical exploration and a prominent cultural monument of Betong town, possessing immensely high historical value. Interestingly, the deity Xuan Tian Shang Di enshrined in Betong has always been known for being exceptionally low-profile. On multiple occasions in the past during the deity’s birthday or other traditional festivals, the management committee sought divine permission through divination blocks (jiaobei) to host a grand procession around the town. However, the deity repeatedly gave a “laughing block” (xiaobei), gently declining the committee’s kind intentions.
终于在2018年初，在木中华社领袖本曼查郭图德率领公会执委问卦请示后，于三月初三（4月18日）首次盛大出巡。原定于每三年一次的出巡因疫情因素被迫取消，于2024年间才进行第二次出巡。
Finally, in early 2018, under the spiritual guidance requested by Chinese community leader Pemancha Kueh Tu Teck and the association’s executive committee, the deity granted his approval. On the third day of the third lunar month (April 18, 2018), the temple held its first-ever grand divine procession. Although originally intended to take place once every three years, subsequent processions were put on hold due to the pandemic, leading to the second grand procession eventually being held in 2024.
2026年1月23日，上帝庙正式从原址迁移至新建庙宇。虽然庙宇已迁往新地点，但庙方仍致力于保存原有建筑中的重要文化遗产元素，以确保庙宇的历史精神与文化延得以保留。
On January 23, 2026, the Shang Ti Temple officially completed its relocation from the original site to the newly constructed temple complex. Although the temple has moved to a modern location, the management remains fully committed to preserving key cultural heritage elements from the original structure, ensuring that the historical spirit and cultural continuity of the temple are kept fully intact for generations to come.
图片鸣谢
除特别注明外，本书所刊载之照片均蒙木中上帝庙信托委员会编辑小组提供，谨此致谢。
Photo Credits
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are provided courtesy of the Editorial Board of the Betong Chinese Temple Charitable Trust Board.