LifeStyle Updates: Taoist temple in Singapore offers blind boxes to attract young visitors

Source:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/taoist-temple-in-singapore-offers-blind-boxes-to-attract-young-visitors

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A Taoist temple in Singapore has tapped into the popular blind box trend to attract younger visitors during Chinese New Year 2026. Following the craze for collectible toys like Labubu and Sonny Angel, the concept has made its way to places of worship, with deity-themed figurines and amulets now offered as surprise prizes.

At Hiang Tong Keng, a century-old temple now located in Tampines Link, visitors can collect “blessings” blind boxes after completing a quiz-based challenge. For a $2 donation, participants receive a foldable card with questions about Taoist deities. The answers can be found around the temple grounds, encouraging exploration and learning. For every three tasks completed, visitors can redeem one blind box, with a maximum of four boxes per person over multiple visits.

Each box contains one of 13 possible items, including figurines of Guanyin and Guan Gong, deity stickers, a phone amulet, and symbolic items such as Patriarch Lu’s wisdom brush. The initiative is part of the temple’s broader strategy, launched in 2024, to widen its appeal amid declining Taoist identification among youth. While 8.8 per cent of Singapore residents aged 15 and above identify as Taoist, the proportion drops to 4.9 per cent among those aged 15 to 24.

Temple priest Master Eugene Choy said the idea was inspired by stamp rally culture and the popularity of blind boxes, especially during festive periods when young people accompany older relatives to temples. The temple has also stepped up bilingual social media outreach.

The initiative has drawn visitors of all ages, including teenagers and first-time visitors, who describe the activity as interactive and educational, helping them learn more about Taoist deities while having fun.

Comments:

Wonder when the blind box trend will last 😗