In the second of these two episodes, Li Kim continues to investigate whether there is any evidence of spiritual presence at the sites of tragic deaths, and if so, how do they deal with it. She also travels to the island of Pulau Ubin where there is a mysterious shrine to a German girl. Who was this German girl and why is there a shrine to her? Watch this exciting episode and find out Li Kim’s conclusions.
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TVTranscript
00:00 I saw that there were two chairs.
00:01 I could actually see two persons sitting there.
00:05 They were all dressed in white.
00:06 (creature growling)
00:09 - A pregnant cat jumped over a body
00:11 and it stood up and started to jump.
00:14 The undertaker immediately took a broom and knocked it down.
00:17 - Are you able to speak with us?
00:25 Wow.
00:26 (clock ticking)
00:28 (dramatic music)
00:33 (creature laughing)
00:45 (creature laughing)
00:50 (dramatic music)
00:54 (creature panting)
00:57 (creature screeching)
01:00 (gentle music)
01:08 (speaking in foreign language)
01:17 - I have been staying in Pulau Ubin
01:19 for more than 30 years ago.
01:21 Everyone here knows about the German Girl Shrine
01:24 that has been around for more than 100 years.
01:27 She is known as Datuk Kunian.
01:30 Many people seek her for blessings,
01:32 ask her for help in career, business, relationships,
01:36 and also for wealth,
01:38 because she grants winning lottery numbers
01:41 to those who pray to her.
01:43 She also appears in some of her believers' dreams,
01:46 as she did in mine, but only for one time.
01:50 She didn't say anything to me,
01:52 but I could smell the fragrance of a burnt incense.
01:55 I underwent a major heart surgery 15 years ago.
02:01 It was a 50/50 chance that I would survive.
02:04 I prayed to Datuk Kunian to help me.
02:07 I believe that she did, and she also gave me blessings.
02:10 - Pulau Ubin is home to about nine temples and 11 shrines,
02:15 but the most outstanding would be the German Girl Shrine.
02:18 In 1914, the Imperial British Army
02:20 rounded a handful of German coffee planters living in Pulau Ubin
02:24 and sent them to mainland Singapore.
02:26 Legend has it that a young German girl escaped the British Army,
02:29 only leading to her tragic death when she fell over a cliff.
02:33 Her body was discovered by the locals who recognised who she was,
02:36 and decided to build a shrine to remember her by.
02:39 But as years passed,
02:40 this European girl was worshipped like a local deity by the Chinese,
02:44 and she was even identified as a local guardian spirit
02:47 known as Datuk Kunian.
02:49 Death has been given a new meaning
02:50 when a normal person is suddenly recognised
02:52 as a deity or a minor god after death
02:55 by the people in the community.
02:57 - There was a man who emigrated from Singapore to Australia
03:02 when he was a young boy,
03:04 and so he didn't know anything about Pulau Ubin at all.
03:08 But he dreamt about Datuk Kunian for three consecutive nights,
03:11 and she asked for a specific Barbie doll from a particular shop
03:15 to be placed on her shrine.
03:17 He called to find out if there was such a place known as Pulau Ubin,
03:21 and to his surprise, what the lady told him in his dreams were true.
03:26 He quickly went to the shop, and the moment he walked in,
03:29 he saw the Barbie doll.
03:30 He bought it and sent it to Singapore for Datuk Kunian.
03:35 This is not a temple, actually.
03:37 It is a memorial to remember this German girl
03:40 that we address as Datuk Kunian,
03:43 because this place has a deep historical value.
03:46 It is a heritage.
03:48 The tendency to immortalise and deify someone
03:51 who once lived as a human is common,
03:53 as seen in the worship of the god of war and justice, Guan Gong,
03:56 who could have been a historical figure known as General Guan Yu.
03:59 And instead of being just a normal ghost that is deemed scary,
04:03 certain individuals that were special
04:05 were afforded higher status even after death.
04:07 The question then remains,
04:09 does the recognition by people actually change the fate of these ghosts or spirits?
04:14 To understand more about this peculiar ranking of guardian spirits like Datuk Kunian,
04:18 I am meeting with Grand Master Chiew,
04:21 a senior Taoist priest and ghostbuster,
04:23 whom I hope can shed more light on this matter,
04:26 and maybe to communicate with her to ask for some answers.
04:29 Her death was tragic,
04:31 and the state in which she died was fear and possibly even anger,
04:37 because she was very young.
04:39 What happened, and also, at that point of death,
04:43 what changed whereby she can now be an object of worship?
04:50 She was chased by British soldiers,
04:53 and died as a result of a fall as confirmed by Dao Zing Ross.
04:59 After she died, the remains of her body, especially her hair,
05:03 that was how she was identified,
05:06 were discovered by the locals.
05:08 Because she died tragically at the place,
05:11 she has some attachment to the place itself.
05:16 And since the people there also helped her,
05:18 she wants to stay behind as a guardian,
05:21 or what we locally call a datuk,
05:24 and help these people by granting their wishes or protecting the place.
05:29 If we want to investigate further and try to communicate with her,
05:36 what do we need to do?
05:38 It is common for the people to give her offerings like cosmetics.
05:43 She wants dresses, raffia beri, red, and some perfumes and flowers.
05:49 What methods can we use when we go later
05:55 to investigate her presence in Pulau Ubin?
05:59 First of all, we can use the Dao Zing Ross
06:03 to indicate the presence of the spirits.
06:05 And secondly, we can also use some flowers to be sprayed over the floor
06:10 in front of the altar table to see whether there are prints
06:14 that could indicate her presence.
06:16 There are really no guarantees
06:20 when you're dealing with the spirit realm, the ghost, the unseen.
06:24 But we can try to see whether we can get through to her
06:30 and get some answers from her.
06:32 So stay with me and follow me to Pulau Ubin with Grand Master Chiew.
06:37 What will happen later tonight at Pulau Ubin?
06:41 Will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
06:44 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
06:46 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
06:49 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
06:52 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
06:55 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
06:58 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
07:01 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
07:04 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
07:07 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
07:10 Or will we get a glimpse of Nata Kunyang?
07:13 So what we're going to do now is going to take flour,
07:16 and sprinkle the flour around her altar area
07:19 so that her presence can be marked on it for us to witness.
07:24 Earlier, Grand Master Chiew had asked her
07:27 whether she would cooperate in this way,
07:29 and she had replied positively.
07:32 So now we're going to prepare the flour, and then we shall see.
07:37 (Footsteps)
07:39 (Music)
07:42 (Footsteps)
07:45 (Music)
07:48 (Music)
07:51 (Music)
07:54 We have now left the area of the shrine
07:58 because we're allowing Nata Kunyang her space
08:02 to see what she will show us.
08:04 (Music)
08:07 (Music)
08:10 (Music)
08:13 (Music)
08:16 (Music)
08:19 (Music)
08:22 (Music)
08:25 (Footsteps)
08:28 (Foreign language)
08:31 (Foreign language)
08:34 (Foreign language)
08:36 It could actually just be the different temperatures of the soil,
08:41 absorbing it differently to create a difference in the shade.
08:45 (Music)
08:50 This cover, the white plastic here, was taken off
08:54 to open just now as an offering,
08:56 and it was put down here, which is why there's an oil stain,
09:01 a perfume stain.
09:02 Now it's put back.
09:04 (Music)
09:08 After spending more than two hours at the German Girl shrine,
09:11 we did not get any conclusive evidence
09:13 that she was present with us that night.
09:15 However, I am not saying that she is either real or unreal
09:18 because the believers and worshippers never doubted her existence.
09:22 But for tonight's research,
09:23 I am disappointed that there were no formation of footprints on the floor,
09:27 and we were unsure who closed the lid of the perfume bottle on her altar.
09:31 (Music)
09:34 The German Girl shrine has become more than a memorial shrine,
09:37 but what remains a mystery is that her identity was never discovered with certainty.
09:42 Upon research, it was learned that two German planters and merchants
09:45 did own the coffee plantations in Pulau Ubin,
09:48 as their names, Herman Merlinghans and Daniel Brandt,
09:51 were on the land titles.
09:52 But there is no direct connection to the mysterious German Girl
09:55 as it was unclear if either of them had a missing daughter.
09:58 Despite uncertainty surrounding the Nata Kuliang legend,
10:01 she has still become entrenched to the heart of this island until today.
10:05 (Music)
10:16 I came across a case about a lady who was murdered in a park.
10:19 Unlike the German Girl or Nata Kuliang at Pulau Ubin,
10:22 this female spirit is suffering the same fate of a ghost and wandering spirit.
10:27 She is probably shunned, perceived to be awful,
10:30 and perhaps even hunted and captured.
10:33 While jogging, she was being attacked.
10:35 She was being dragged in the bushes, been raped, subsequently murdered.
10:39 Then since that day onwards, people have been claiming hearing sightings of a figure
10:44 and screams, cries.
10:46 Till now, the murder was never found.
10:48 Then while doing investigation, I saw something inside, a white mist.
10:54 It's standing on where the lady is.
10:56 (Music)
11:01 On the other hand, I was told that where the murder of the lady took place,
11:05 there exist also other beings like demons and devils.
11:08 What are they?
11:10 Their characteristics may influence our understanding of death
11:13 as these creatures are said to be from hell.
11:16 I am going to speak to an exorcist and demon slayer, Sheikh Zahurin,
11:20 about the demonic world.
11:22 (Music)
11:24 (Speaking in foreign language)
11:27 (Speaking in foreign language)
11:31 How do you define the difference between demon and lost soul and Satan?
11:38 Wouldn't Satan and demon be the same neighbourhood?
11:42 Demons is a being created from hellfire.
11:45 They are like us, only thing that they are unseen.
11:49 They have different type.
11:51 They live in a community.
11:53 They do have religion and they have families.
11:56 Once they won't come close to humans, they keep to themselves.
11:59 Some of them, they are mischievous, they will come and disturb us.
12:03 This is Satan. They behave in evil ways.
12:06 Normally, this Satan, they don't have any religion at all.
12:09 They will cause havoc and they will cause a lot of mischievous things
12:14 and misery to humans.
12:16 They come and possess.
12:18 It's different from the demons.
12:20 Satan, they enjoy to make a person to behave similarly like them.
12:26 Which is purely evil.
12:28 Yes, purely evil.
12:30 (Screaming)
12:32 (Music)
12:35 My purpose is to help them, so by ways of doing things, I will talk
12:39 and I will persuade these demons, talk to them and ask them to think about it,
12:46 to understand why I am here.
12:49 I give them an offer that they can't refuse.
12:54 It's either they leave peacefully and then don't ever come back
13:00 or I will kill them spiritually.
13:05 How does one kill one spiritually?
13:09 The process is so simple.
13:11 This is what I do.
13:13 I place my hand on this imaginary head.
13:16 I lift up my hand and I imagine that this is my sword.
13:21 What I do, I pull my sword back as though I'm going to swing the sword very hard
13:28 and I must look into the eye of the demon.
13:32 Then from there, I'll swing.
13:35 (Screaming)
13:40 Then after that, I will slit the throat.
13:45 This way, this way, this way.
13:50 On the head, on the head.
13:52 Okay, correct.
13:53 Your left hand is a knife.
13:55 Then when I'm done, I will pull.
13:59 And my patient will fall.
14:02 How do demons and satans fit into the territory of ghosts?
14:06 According to Sheikh, these creatures may distort our understanding of death
14:09 and even ghosts that were once humans, what he calls lost souls.
14:13 In our next investigation, I hope to get some answers from these beings themselves.
14:19 (Speaking in foreign language)
14:23 This cover, the white plastic here, was taken out.
14:48 I'm at a location that is said to be haunted by a female spirit,
14:52 a lady who was brutally raped and murdered.
14:55 I've invited both Singapore Paranormal Investigators and Sheikh Zahurin
14:59 and hopefully obtain some results about the existence of life after death
15:03 and possibly other unseen beings like demons.
15:07 Desmond, I believe you have done investigations here before.
15:10 Yes.
15:11 Can you share with me some of the findings you had previously?
15:14 A specific white cloth about this size that goes behind the volunteer
15:21 at a very high speed.
15:23 What was it?
15:38 The temperature is slightly lower.
15:41 How much lower?
15:42 It's still there.
15:44 Where?
15:45 It's still there.
15:46 Sheikh seemed to have picked up the presence of spirits in this area
15:51 and his hand was cold after feeling the energies here.
15:54 However, we have decided to move on to the next location
15:57 where the murder of the lady took place.
15:59 This is where the exact location where the lady jogger was being attacked,
16:04 inside the bushes.
16:06 So, last time, after the incident happened,
16:09 someone actually placed a goddess of mercy inside that area.
16:15 You said earlier that she was sexually abused.
16:20 Yes.
16:21 And then, when she was found, she was hanging at a cliff.
16:24 Yes, there's a cliff.
16:25 It's still there?
16:26 It's a cliff.
16:28 When you do what you do, calling and trying to communicate,
16:35 what am I expecting to see or what can be expected that goes on camera?
16:41 You may see lips start to move.
16:44 You can feel like there's a strong wind, I don't know where.
16:49 Or you can feel like something hot is passing through you.
16:54 And on your side, you'll be installing and putting the gadgets in place.
16:58 Alright, that sounds pretty clear to me.
17:01 Let's set up.
17:02 We have decided to set up our research point at where the assault and murder happened
17:07 and hopefully to establish a connection with the spirit of the lady.
17:12 What happened next was completely unexpected.
17:16 We were in the middle of a search.
17:18 We were in the middle of a search.
17:20 We were in the middle of a search.
17:22 We were in the middle of a search.
17:24 We were in the middle of a search.
17:26 We were in the middle of a search.
17:28 We were in the middle of a search.
17:30 We were in the middle of a search.
17:32 We were in the middle of a search.
17:34 We were in the middle of a search.
17:36 We were in the middle of a search.
17:38 We were in the middle of a search.
17:40 What happened next was completely out of my expectation
17:42 as I was hoping to communicate with the lady spirit.
17:45 Instead, the beings who showed up claimed to be forest demons.
17:49 Each time they spoke or answered my questions,
17:51 the ghost meter would blink and the CCTV camera received interferences
17:55 in the form of a hissing sound.
17:57 This is my unfiltered conversation with the so-called demons.
18:01 Do you understand when I am speaking?
18:07 Blink once for yes, blink twice for no.
18:12 Thank you.
18:18 I am told that many tragic deaths took place once in the year 2000 and 2008.
18:27 Can you tell me if the spirit of the dead lady is still here
18:35 or if she has reincarnated?
18:39 Here is one blink.
18:45 She has reincarnated.
18:49 Gone.
18:52 Is there anyone among you who saw the incident?
18:56 Yes, Mr Sharadjin.
18:59 Give me an answer.
19:01 One blink for yes.
19:15 Would it be a better question to say we should not talk about it anymore
19:21 and just let it pass?
19:24 Yes, one blink. No, two blinks.
19:28 Yes.
19:34 Okay. I understand.
19:38 Whether true or not, I felt compassion coming from the alleged forest demons.
19:43 When I asked about the murder of the girl,
19:45 they refused to cooperate or give direct answers
19:48 as they appeared a bit saddened by this tragic death.
19:51 The audio interferences picked up by the CCTV cameras
19:54 seemed to correspond with the timing of the questions asked and their response.
19:58 Did these demons really communicate with us that night?
20:01 As we were leaving the location,
20:03 we captured interesting photographs of a human-like figure hiding behind these pillars.
20:07 Was the lady spirit present to listen to our conversations?
20:12 My understanding of death and beyond has changed
20:15 as I begin to see how our personal fears of losing our lives and loved ones
20:19 have indeed created a series of colourful customs,
20:22 artistic works, ghost stories and hauntings.
20:25 I've also come to observe and learn that many a times,
20:31 a space could be just merely a space.
20:35 But then it becomes a recording machine
20:38 for what we input into that space,
20:41 what we want to label it - haunted, peaceful, cold, warm.
20:47 So sometimes we do have to learn or think about
20:51 whether a place is haunted because we say so or because it really is.
20:56 Like I always say, what we see may not be real and what is real we may not see.
21:02 What we see may not be real and what is real we may not see.
21:07 [Music]
21:11 [Music]
21:15 [Music]
21:18 [Music]
21:42 [MUSIC]