At the outskirts of the town they have established a bazaar, and built a joss-house or temple, which at the time of our first arrival was scarcely finished. Some of the carving of the woodwork in and around the building is beautiful, and cut with great taste and care; But the huge ungainly figures of devils and dragons, which stand in threatening attitudes around the altars, give a grotesque appearance to a place of worship that is found in no other religion but the Buddha. Placed between a blue and red devil, standing upwards of six feet high each, sits the figure of the Queen of Heaven, a gilded image richly dressed in embroidered China silks; this seemed to be the great object of their adorations; whilst on a high carved altar in front were sticks of incense burning in little pots filled with earth. 

The exterior of the building was tiled with green and blue porcelain, and the edges of the roofs ornamented with carving in the shape of animals, monsters, and flowers; each gable cod curling upwards was deeply cut like the cornice-work upon a Grecian pillar; and the whole, from the varied and gaudy colouring, and the high polish, had a novel and pleasing effect to the eye.

在市区外华人建了一座巴刹与一座庙宇。当我们第一次抵达时，它尚未完成建筑工程。在建筑内及其四周的木工非常华丽。雕工非常精细。但是围绕神龛的狰狞鬼怪与龙形雕刻，使这祭祀地方有一种怪诞的形象。这种形象只有佛教宗教才会有的。在各约有六尺高的一尊蓝色和一尊红色鬼怪之间，端坐着一尊金色天后塑像。她穿着绣满彩绘的中国丝绸。她似乎是这里华人最重要的崇拜目标。在一个高高雕刻的神桌上，装有灰土的小香炉烧着香。建筑外面辅有青蓝色瓷砖。屋檐饰以雕刻的动物、鬼怪以及花卉；每道山墙曲线向上弯曲，有如希腊柱子的嵌线。总之，从不同绚丽的色彩以及高度施工来看，建筑予人一种庄严悦目的感觉。

（译文修改自庄钦永，〈天南古庙–天福宫〉，杜南发主编，《南海明珠》（新加坡：福建会馆，2010），页444）