The Tin Hau Temple in Joss House Bay, sometimes referred to as Tai Miu,Information on Proposed Grade I Items. Item #70
is

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

's oldest and largest

Tin Hau Temple 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 also said to be the most popular Tin Hau temple both for fishermen and for others in Hong Kong.

Location

The sea-facing temple is located at

Fat Tong Mun Fat Tong Mun () is a channel in Sai Kung District of Hong Kong located between the southern tip of Clear Water Bay Peninsula and the northern tip of Tung Lung Chau. See also * List of channels in Hong Kong * Tin Hau Temple, Joss House Bay ...

(), on the shore of

Joss House Bay Joss House Bay, also known as Tai Miu Wan, is near the south end of Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Hong Kong. The Cantonese name ''Tai Miu Wan'' means "the bay of large temple" after the oldest Tin Hau Temple in Hong Kong. Tin Hau Temple The ...

, near the south end of

Clear Water Bay Peninsula :''The Chinese name'' 清水灣半島 ''should not be confused with Oscar by the Sea, a private housing estate in Tseung Kwan O.'' Clear Water Bay Peninsula (), is a peninsula in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong. The peninsula separates Junk Bay fro ...

. Joss House Bay derives its name from the temple, or

joss house Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as: * '' miào'' () or '' ...

. The Chinese name of Joss House Bay, Tai Miu Wan (), literally means "the bay of the large temple".

History

The temple is said to have been built in 1266 by Lam Tao-yi (). There is a rock nearby, that was carved in 1274. It bears the oldest dated inscription known in Hong Kong.

Tin Hau Festival and events

Once a year, on

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 ...

's birthday, the 23rd of the third moon on the

Chinese calendar The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar ��曆; 农历; ''Nónglì''; 'farming calendar' Former Calendar ��曆; 旧历; ''Jiùlì'' Traditional Calendar ��曆; 老历; ''Lǎolì'', is a lunisolar calendar ...

, upwards of 40,000 to 50,000 people attend celebrations at the temple. Thousands of people hike their way, via the

High Junk Peak High Junk Peak () is a mountain inside Clear Water Bay Country Park, Sai Kung, New Territories, Hong Kong, with a height of . Geography High Junk Peak is the highest peak in the Clear Water Bay Peninsula region. To the north lies a mountain ...

Hiking Trail, to the Temple to pay their respects. Thousands of others sail into Joss House Bay in hundreds of vessels.

The police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

have the launching ceremony of their new cruisers held at the temple.

Conservation

The temple was managed by the Lam

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

until 1939. Since them, it has been managed by the

Chinese Temples Committee The Chinese Temples Committee () is a statutory body in Hong Kong established in 1928 under the Chinese Temples Ordinance () (Cap. 153). It is mainly responsible for the operation and management of twenty-four temples directly under its management ...

. It is a Grade I historic building.List of Graded Historic Buildings in Hong Kong (as at 6 November 2009)

Access

The temple is accessible via the High Junk Peak Hiking Trail. A shorter walk combined with public transportation is possible from the Clear Water Bay Country Club.Birthday of Tin Hau: Highlights
/ref> A ferry service to Joss House Bay is available annually from

North Point Ferry Pier North Point Ferry Pier () is a ferry pier in North Point, Hong Kong and it is near the site of the former North Point Estate (). It started operation in 1963. In 1979, a second passenger berth opened that is located west of the older one. Un ...

on the day of Tin Hau's birthday. Joss House Bay Public Pier is located just in front of the temple. Outside the Tin Hau Birthday Celebration, a regular green minibus (Route 16) operates between MTR

Po Lam station Po Lam () is the northern Train station#Terminus, terminus MTR List of MTR stations, station of the . It is located on Mau Yip Road, Po Lam, in the New Territories of Hong Kong, sandwiched by Phases 1 to 3 of Metro City (Hong Kong), Metro City. ...

Public Transport Interchange and

Po Toi O Po Toi O () is a small fishing village at Clear Water Bay Peninsula, Sai Kung, New Territories, Hong Kong. The village is situated at a bay shaped like a sack, thus earning its name Po Toi (meaning a "sack"). Administration Po Toi O is a re ...

. Visitors should alight at the Tai Miu Wan stop (near the entrance to

Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club () is a privately owned and run, members-only country club, located on the Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Sai Kung, New Territories, Hong Kong. The club hosts the PGA Tour China Clearwater Bay Open yearly. ...

) and walk for about 10 minutes down a flight of stairs to Joss House Bay, passing the rock inscription on the way down.Transport Department website: Green Minibus Route 16
/ref>

References

External links

{{coord, 22.2706, 114.2899, type:landmark_region:HK, display=title Clear Water Bay Peninsula Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong Grade I historic buildings in Hong Kong