OUR HISTORY

陈氏宗祠为什么被定名为“保赤宫”呢？四千多年前，中国五帝时代的舜帝，即陈姓宗 亲的老祖宗，是一位英明的圣君、杰出的贤人。“保”是保护，“赤”是初生儿，引申其意
谓之保护老百姓。宗祠因此被冠上“保赤” 二字，以表扬舜帝爱民如子的赤诚之心。

至于 “宫” 字的采用，则另有典故。宗祠的设立是以团结宗亲为目的，然而，这在英 殖民时期是很敏感的。据悉，有鉴于当时的局势，宗祠遂以 “宫” 命名。取其神庙之意
，便可掩人耳目。

So why is Tan Si Chong Su also known as Po Chiak Keng? The answer is packed with historical significance that can be traced back to the origins of Chinese civilization, to as early as over four thousand years ago, during the early mythological historic period of China under the reign of emperor Shun of the Five Emperors era. He was believed to be the great ancestor of the Tan clan ‘保’(Po) is the root word of protection, while ‘赤’(Chiak) signifies the new born. Thus, collectively, its meaning reflects the determination to protect the people. The clan ancestral assembly hall was thus named ‘保赤’ (Po Chiak) to glorify emperor Shun for his love of his people and his descendants.

There is another historical tale that explains why the word ‘宫’(Keng) was used. The clan ancestral assembly hall was built with the purpose of enhancing cohesiveness among its clan members. This, however, was a sensitive issue during the Straits Settlements days. In order to avoid unnecessary attention, it was identified instead as “Keng” simply meaning Temple.