Who, or what is a Tua Pek Kong?

 

Throughout Southeast Asia, the Tua Pek Kong, or the “God of Prosperity” in English, is a Chinese deity who has been believed to bring luck and prosperity to those who worship it.Devotees in Singapore often pray to the Tua Pek Kong in hopes of getting lucky number combinations to strike the lottery (otherwise known as 4D or Toto).

The Tua Pek Kong is not only a deity of worship to the religious Chinese, but to non-Chinese as well. 

This is Samy.

Occasionally, he prays to Tua Pek Kong for good luck.

Stories of non-Chinese who dreamt of the Tua Pek Kong then striking 4D the next day is not one that is uncommon here in our cosmopolitan city. 
While the Tua Pek Kong was known to be the religious emblem of the Malaysian-Singaporean Taoists, it is clear that it is also one that is able to tie Singaporean races together.


Little did you know, this sacred symbol has been stolen from its altar more than once, with news of missing Tua Pek Kongs occasionally hitting the headlines. 


That was where Director Goh Ying Sheng drew his inspiration from, a news article from Shin Min Daily News which reported that a Tua Pek Kong statue was taken but returned to its rightful place ten days later. Queer, but true.

The film, Who Stole Tua Pek Kong?, is an exploration about how neighbours in the community come together to solve the crime of a missing Tua Pek Kong, while giving you a few laughs along the way.

While the film portrays solving “crime” in a light-hearted manner, the underlying narrative highlights how we often have preconceptions of other people around us, and brings to light the unspoken stereotypes which may not always turn out to be what it seems. When it comes to solving a mystery, people can often become clouded by their prejudice.

One can see Singaporean Chinese mother, Nelly, as the ‘tiger mom’ who has big aspirations for her son, Gabriel, when he grows up.

Farhan, a humble and hardworking student in Nanyang Polytechnic, takes up a part-time food delivery job to earn extra pocket money.

As he cares for his family, he hopes to reduce his family’s financial burden.

However, without conversing with Farhan, Nelly thinks that the job of a food delivery man is for the ones who did not study hard or that it was for the ex-convicts who were unable to secure a good job due to their status - a notion that is completely untrue.

Mei Lan is the friendly drinks stall assistant from China.

She often finds herself unable to understand the Singaporean culture but still does her best to fit in.

Whether or not these stereotypes are true, the film Who Stole The Tua Pek Kong? tells us that it is not about the implicit views that one has about someone but the fact that one should take the time to get to know an individual before making any judgement on the person’s social status, occupation or behaviour, as a quick judgement may just create a cycle of discrimination.

Will Nelly, Mei Lan, Samy and Farhan be able to put aside their personal opinions and find out who stole the Tua Pek Kong?
Watch the film on STOREYS and help solve the mystery of the missing Tua Pek Kong!