For me, these rows of ancestral tablets at the Cheeng Hoon Teng Temple are the epitome of sadness. Unlike the memorial tablets of the rich which are intricately carved & gilded in gold, (preserved in another section of the temple), these modest, simple tablets belong to the poorer community. As if losing a loved one and not being able to afford a beautiful tablet to honor them was not tragic enough, a fire came and swept through their final memorial place. Although the fire was an accident, their photos are now burnt and bent over, as if they've been condemned to eternal doom.
However, out of the rows of singed expressionless faces, one in particular stood out. She was the only one that was thoughtfully placed in a fancy photo frame, and the only photo that gave us any inkling of the person that she was. Most of the deceased were represented with a formal, neutral, passport-like photo, but she was immortalized as a happy, confident, stylish woman - and playful even, posing flirtatiously with her beads. Despite their financial circumstance, it's obvious that the people who loved her wanted to celebrate her life, her personality. And I find the love and reverence they have for her most touching.