The Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay is one of the

Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong are dedicated to Tin Hau ( Mazu). Over 100 temples are dedicated (at least partially) to Tin Hau in Hong Kong. A list of these temples can be found below. Famous temples Famous Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong include: ...

. It is located at 10 Tin Hau Temple Road,

Causeway Bay Causeway Bay is list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, an area and Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, straddling the border of the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern and the Wan Chai District, Wan Chai ...

, east of

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

, in Eastern District, on

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

. The temple has given its name to the MTR station serving it (

Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...

), and consequently the neighboring area of

Tin Hau Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Re ...

History

The original temple dates back to 1747 (the date of the temple bell) and was built by members of the Tai family, a family of

Hakkas The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan ...

from

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, who first settled in

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...

. Legend has it, the family used to travel by boat to Causeway Bay to gather grass and discovered an incense burner found floating miraculously on the sea. This incident gave rise to one of the pre-colonial names for Hong Kong Island, ''Hung Heung Lo'' (Red Incense-burner island). The present building dates back to 1868 and despite renovations, is still largely in its original form. It is now located inland as a consequence of

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

, originally being on the waterfront.

Architecture and layout

The temple is famous for the fine Shek Wan figurines on its roof and eaves, and the quality of its stone carvings around the entrance. Inside the temple, the main altar and several side altars are dedicated to

, Goddess of the Sea and patron "saint" of seafarers. Additional side altars dedicated to Tsoi San, the God of Wealth, and Kwun Yum, the Goddess of childbirth. Finally there are side altars to the black-faced Pau Kung, the Lenient Judge of the Underworld. He is worshipped in the hope that he will be merciful to the souls in his care.

Conservation

The Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay became a

declared monument Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to receive the highest level of protection. In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Exec ...

Antiquities and Monuments Office The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) was established in 1976 under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance to protect and preserve Hong Kong's historic monuments. Housed in the Former Kowloon British School, the AMO is responsible for iden ...

Tin Hau Temple, Causeway Bay
/ref> in 1982.

References

External links

"Renovation Project for Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay"
September 2003 * *The Temple Trai
Tin Hau Temple Causeway Bay
2015 {{coord, 22.282187, N, 114.19276, E, type:landmark_region:HK, name=Tin Hau Temple, Causeway Bay, display=title Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong Tin Hau, Hong Kong Declared monuments of Hong Kong