This hanging belongs to a group of textiles and vessels that were used on the altars set up during Zhongyuan Jie 中元节 (more popularly known in Singapore as the Hungry Ghost Festival) by the Hougang Sixth Mile Stone 7th Month Committee (后港六条石大公司中元会) during their annual prayers. Commissioned by the committee from Chaozhou, China, this finely embroidered panel was hung on the altar dedicated to Da Bo Gong/Tua Pek Gong (大伯公). He is depicted in the centre of the panel, dressed in a lavish gold robe and holding a ruyi sceptre. He is revered as a tutelary deity and god of prosperity by the Chinese communities living in Singapore, Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia. Embroidered along the lengths of the panel are the Eight Immortals (八仙 baxian), an eclectic group of figures in Chinese mythology who had achieved immortality through personal cultivation and effort. They were depicted as a group from around the 13th century in China and became popular symbols of happiness and longevity in Chinese art and culture.
