Early Chinese immigrants frequently built temples to give thanks for their safe arrival in Singapore and to pray for protection from harm and sickness. Opera and puppetry performances were often presented as offerings in return for blessings from deities such as Ma Zu (the goddess and protector of seafarers), Guan Yin (the goddess of mercy) and Guan Di (the god of war and protector of tradesmen).This handwritten opera script and titles tablet belonged to Sin Teck Gerk, a Henghwa (Xinghua) string puppet troupe established around the 1920s. The titles tablet has two wooden blocks enclosing 21 folded sides, on which the titles of 44 plays are listed. The play to be performed was “decided” by the temple deity, through a ritual involving a pair of kidney-shaped divining blocks.
