a tale from selat-pore: dance of the mer-dragon with the little red pearl

Many a tale has been written about the Merlion, and here is one more to add to the mythology.

Long long ago, feeling bored one day, the prince of the great kingdom of the archipelago decided to take leave of his princess one afternoon to venture beyond his shore to seek some adventure.

As the legend goes, when Sang Nila Utama, landed on the island with his retinue, he saw a strange & strong creature ambling on the shore. Not knowing what it was he asked his general whol told him that it was Singa-the-Lion. Sensing that this was a good omen, he decided to settle down on the island and name the place after the Singa – calling the ir Singa-pura - meaning the city of the Singa or the Lion-city.

Seeing that man had taken over his playground on the beach, the Singa-the-Lion got angry & ran off into the deep of the jungle. Lion vowed that he would never wander and play by the sea again as long as he had four legs.

Under the wise rule of the prince, the Singa-pura prospered Traders came from far and wide - from the land of the elephant and the land of the dragon. In the long and dangerous sea journey, these men from the different lands brought along their animals from their land of origin, well as mascots.

These animals feeling bored in a strange land, soon roam off into the jungle to seek play mates. They found Singa-the-Lion, and soon became great friends and companions.

Deep away in the tropical paradise, Singa-the-Lion and his new friends, Gajah-the-Elephant and Naga-the-Dragon would picnic by the refreshing stream. Singa-the-Lion introduced them to the thorny fruit of the jungle, the Duri-an which his new friends soon grew to love.

Meanwhile, the people having not seen Singa-the-Lion for such a long time forgot about Singa and soon change to call their place Selat, the Selat-pore. For selat - means the waterway between two land mass – that is the straits. And it was where their perahu and junks passed each day.

One fine day, Singa-the-Lion and his friends Gajah-the-Elephant & Naga-the-Dragon wandered into the lower reaches of the Rochor stream. After playing all day, they got tired. Lion & Dragon went to rest near the waters edge, while Elephant wandered further inland.

While they were napping, they suddenly felt that the earth shook violently and then heard a loud boom. They thought it was a bad dream. In fact a big earthquake happened in a neighboring land and it had together triggered a violent volcanic eruption. Black clouds soon overcastted the sky. The great chasm of the earth, generated a great wave that swept into the jungle, followed by a fierce storm of thunder and lightning.

Singa-the-Lion got very frightened and panic as they were caught in the waters gushing inland. In the avalanche of the Tsunami and the great turmoil and on the verge of drowning, Singa-the-Lion found a charged of energy when he was hit by a flash of lightning. Singa-the-Lion suddenly found that he could swim like a fish. On turning to look at his limbs, he found that his body was transformed into a fish tail, and he swam to safety.

Naga-the-Dragon too was struck by the lighting. He found that his lower body too was transformed into a fish tail while his upper pair of limbs was changed into a pair of wings. And well, Gajah-the-Elephant was resting further inland on higher ground and he was spared the wrath of the Tsunami.

In the confusion, the three good friends got separated – where are they now, you may ask?

Centuries past and fast forward to the 21st century –

Singa-the-Lion, became the Mer-the-Lion – 鱼尾狮 - yuweishi – literary a lion with fish tail. He had kept his vow. No longer has he his limbs and he has his proud fish tail to display as he returned to frolic by the sea. He has moved house not so long ago to a new spot further out by the river mouth,that has been turned into a bay. He daily sprouts water from this lion’s mouth – welcoming friends from afar – what joy!

Mer-the-Lion has a great influence on the land. The water he sprouts into the bay while standing in a north-easterly direction enhances the meridian forces and brings wealth and prosperity to its people.

Lately a huge wheel went into operation and that deem affecting the fengshui - 风水- the wind and the water elements – of the land. As it was rotating in an outwardly direction from the bay, the Fengshui master – 风水师傅- fengshui shifu - observed that all the good fortune that he sprouts was being wheeled away - in the wrong direction!

It would be bad business for the Flyer, as well as affecting the Qi – 气- in Shenton, the financial district beyond. Thus a six figure sum was paid to re-program and change the direction and have it rotating in-ward towards the bay.

Gajah-the-Elephant has settled up river in the land of the Rangoon bird. He too has brought life and prosperity to the place and continues to welcome his relations from afar.

Whence, then Naga-the-Dragon?

Last week, while traveling along Jalan Besar on the way downtown and while looking out from the upper deck of the double deck bus, I found him there. He has a full grown fish tail and with a pair of wings, he is now the winged Mer-the-dragon-鱼尾龙-yuweilong. He has become a straits born Selat-pore dragon, just like his good old friend Mer-the-Lion, a tru-blue specie of Selat-pore.

While his friends have moved on and made it big in a new environment, he is in a little laid back habitat, perching on the front of the old straits shophouses – waiting for his chance to swim & soar.

When the Fengshui master saw him, he portends that the days of Mer-the-dragon is soon near – all the auspicious elements in heaven, on earth and in man are aligned for his resurgence.

Meanwhile, Selat-pore, in the great Tsunami had been reduced into a little red dot. However, out of the calamity and with the baptism of the volcanic fire it had also been transformed. It has metamorphosed itself into a little red peal. This pearl would soon soar above the bay, stirring Mer-the-Dragon out of his long slumber.

For the Fengshui master says - that when Mer-the-Dragon soars to the sky to dance with the red peal, it will stir up waves in the bay, and the whole land will be churned into – 风生水起 - feng sheng shui qi - literary the rising of the wind & the gushing of water – a metaphor for vitality, good fortune and prosperity. For in he cycle of the five elements, the water element symbolises weath.

Mer-the-dragon will soon join his friend the Mer-the-Lion by the bay. He will display his skills soaring high into the sky just like the Black Knight, and diving deep into the sea while tango-ing with the red peal. His act of - 飞鱼尾龙吐珠 – fei yuweilong tu zhu – will invigorate the yin –阴and the yang- 阳 - elements of the land and bring it to an unprecedented level of prosperity and abundance.

Whoever has the good fortune to chance to get a glimpse of Mer-the-Dragon in his dance at the bay will win big at the casino, and hit every jackpot!- the Fengshui masters tells.

In no time, Mer-the-Dragon will come the twin symbol of Selat-pore, together with Mer-the-Lion.

Fast forward 2108 – a century hence –

The way of the Tao that gave birth to Mer-the-Dragon & Mer-the-Lion, was soon lost among the descendants of the dragon of Selat-pore. For they no longer understand the interpretation of the five elements and the inticate working of the forces of the meridian, nor able to harbor the energy of the yin-and-yang forces for the good of the land. They no longer could decipher the way of the ., and out of ignorance, called the Tao the Tao.

Not knowing the way of the Tao – the roots of the descendants of Selat-porean, got shallower and shallower, and this has the Jade Emperor worried. For, when the next Tsunami hit the shores of Selat-pore, they would not have much to cling on to.

Well, so much for the tale, time for Saturday lunch date, and catch Kung-fu Panda…


Postscript:

a) Straits shophouses

It’s uniquely a local flavor, and you know that you are on home ground when you see them – the straits shophouses. Many of them are embellishment with traditional motifs with Chinese, Western and Peranakan influence.

There is a good collection of Straits shophouses along Jalan Besar and in the vicinity of Syed Alwi Road. Though most of the building is a little run down, they have continued to retain the ‘soul’. With, the business and family life together, they intermingle into a lively and authentic atmosphere. These shophouse from post war or re-build after the wall, and more than half a century old.

b) Decorative motifs - winged mer-dragon.

The winged mer-dragon - 鱼尾龙 - is found on the shop front along Jalan Besar, together with the neighboring shops decorated with a winged tiger and winged Qilin – 麒麟 – another mythological animal。 These are auspicious animals in the Chinese mythology, symbols that brings good fengshui and help to stabilize & balance the Qi – 气 – energy forces - surrounding the building.

As to the mer-dragon, I believe its inception is earlier than that of the mer-lion. Though the dragon is considered a hybrid mix of a reptile, fish and deer (with horns) or what ever – its body has scale of a fish, but its tail is flare like a gold fish in traditional Chinese form, and with four clawed limbs.

This mer-dragon has no limbs, and its body is that of a fish and the tail in the shape of a dolphin. Perhaps inspiration that created the mer-dragon is the same source that inspired the creation of the mer-lion. It is not the mermaid sitting in Copenhagen harbor. It’s rooted in Chinese mythology.

Singapore a port city – with the tail of the fish to represents the maritime aspects, and the dragon head its Chinese roots.

3. Selat-pore - 石叻坡 –

The old name for Singapore as the early migrant Chinese would call it, instead of - 新加坡 – xinjiapo - as I learnt, was : Selat-pore.

Selat – is the Malay name for straits. The first inhabitants of Singapore were the Orang Laut – the sea gypsies – of the Malay Archipelago. They could have been the first to refer to Singapore as Selat – the straits – i.e the water mass separating the peninsula land mass from the main island, or the water ways between the islands, where they took shelter.

This photograph of the palanquin for the gods – was taken at Hong Lim Food Center, behind the Chinatown Point complex. It’s at a celebration of the the month of the Hungry Ghost – seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This festival in actual fact should be called by its proper name, namely - zhongyuan jie – 中元节 – the Zhonguan Festival . It has its origin in Taoism, a mid year summer festivity

In Japan this festival is celebrated as Ochuugen - お中元 - a mid-year gift exchange season, which culminated in the visit to ones hometown to pay respect to the ancestors at the family’s grave.

On the plaque in the center in the center of the palanquin is written -石叻坡- 唐朝府
(written in the original way of writing Chinese, from right to left). 唐朝府 – tangchao fu - a Taoist temple group that organized the celebration.

Well again, story short, with a discerning sight, one can find nuggets of the past, here and there buried in the concrete jungle.

4. IR by the Bay -perhaps STPB could consider building a statue of the Mer-Dragon dancing with the pearl at the IR, to complement the Mer-Lion tale. It will be one more fengshui tales for the tour guides to enthall the casino guests from the land of the dragon.

Reference:

1. Tao - 道 - Dao (pinyin)

Lao Tzu – The Book of Tao and Teh.
Translated by : Gu Zhengkun
Peking University Press, Beijing 1995

老子道德经 – 汉英对照
辜正坤译
北京大学出版社

Quote:

道可道，非常道
名可名，非常名

Dao ke dao, feichang dao
Ming ke ming, feichang ming

The Tao that is utterable
Is not the eternal Tao;
The name that is namable
Is not the eternal Name.

The opening quote in Chapter One, from the Book of Dao and De (pinyin ) .

Lao Zi -was the head of the imperial library of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256BC), and believed to live around the same period as Confucius (551-479BC) .This is a good book to start on the Tao – the Way. It is very readable and with an excellent introduction to Lao Zi and his philosophical system.

Purchased at :
World Trade Centre – World Book Fair ; 世界贸易中心- 舒展
1997.June.22 , $7.00. The Commercial Press Limited – Clebrates 100 years – 1897 to 1997




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