The founding of Cheoh Thau Kong, dates back to 1850 when a fisherman unearthed a large stone that bore inscriptions honoring the deity Tua Peh Kong, a legendary, historical figure who was shipwrecked on Penang Island, Malaysia in 1746. The Hokkien fishermen and dockworkers who settled there built an archway, temples, homes, coffee shops and shrines, joss stick and ceramic shops. Hawkers and vendors provided a moveable feast of foods and goods.

Cheoh Thau Kong was home to clans and families numbering some 1000 people, living in 96 homes. They considered it a safe and peaceful place with good people, auspicious for fishing and for raising a family.

In 2003, after six years of land reclamation and highway construction, Cheoh Thau Kong was permanently landlocked by a four-lane expressway. Tides no longer ebb and sea breezes no longer cleanse the community’s water and air as they once did. Fishing boats rot far from the now distant shore.

In 2014, most of Cheoh Thau Kong’s homes, shops and shrines were razed to make way for luxury condos. All that remains is a lone temple hemmed in by 30 story tower buildings and three waterless jetties awaiting imminent demolition. The wrecking ball did not spare Cheoh Thau Kong’s tangible culture, neither the built nor the natural environment.