Tam Kung () or Tam Tai Sin () is a
sea deity worshiped in
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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
and
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
.
In
Chinese folk legends, Tam Kung was one of gods who could forecast the weather. He was born in
Huizhou
Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyu ...
Prefecture. It was said that he could cure patients in his childhood. Tam Kung became an immortal in heaven at the age of twenty in the Nine-dragon Mountain in Huizhou. He was officially deified during the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
. People whose ancestral home are in Huizhou or
Chaoshan
Chaoshan or Teoswa (; peng'im: ''Dio5suan1'' i̯o˥˥꜖꜖.sũ̯ã˧˧ is a cultural-linguistic region in the east of Guangdong, China. It is the origin of the Min Nan Chaoshan dialect (). The region, also known as Chiushan in Cantonese, c ...
of
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 ...
province worship Tam Kung most sincerely.
Temples in Hong Kong
Shau Kei Wan
The Tam Kung Sin Shing Temple () is located along Tam Kung Temple Road, at the northern end of Shau Kei Wan Main Street East, in
A Kung Ngam
A Kung Ngam () is a village and an area in northeast Shau Kei Wan in the northeast of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. It contains a fish terminal market, several temples and the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence.
Name
''A Kung'' literally ...
,
Shau Kei Wan
Shau Kei Wan or Shaukiwan is a neighborhood in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island. The area is bordered by Chai Wan to the east, Mount Parker to the south, Sai Wan Ho to the west, and Victoria Harbour to the north.
Shau Kei Wan is cons ...
.
[Chinese Temples Committee - Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan](_blank)
/ref> It was originally a small shrine. Local people raised money to construct it in 1905 and reconstructed it many times afterwards.[Brief Information on proposed Grade III Items](_blank)
. Item #1053.
The statue of Tam Kung, which was first worshipped among the other gods in the temple, was formerly positioned in the Tam Kung Temple in Tam Kung Road () in Kowloon City
Kowloon City is an area in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is part of Kowloon City District.
Compared with the council area of Kowloon City District, the Kowloon City area is
History
As early as in the Qin dynasty (221 BCE – 206 BCE), ...
. There is a big rock in front of the temple and is believed to be Tam Kung's magic stamp. Local residents and fishermen are the sincere worshippers. On the birthday of Tam Kung (8th day of the 4th month in 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 ...
), they will have a celebration and play a so-called "kung fu" show which is a major part of the celebration. A parade and dragon dance
Dragon dance () is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance, it is most often seen during festive celebrations. The dance is performed by a team of experienced dancers who manipulate a long flexible ...
are also held on this occasion.
The temple 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 ...
since 1928. The temple is a former Grade I historic building. It is a Grade III historic building since April 2013.
Southern District
The Tam Kung Yea Temple () is located along Shek Pai Wan Road, in Tin Wan, Southern District.
Happy Valley
A Tam Kung Temple is located on a small hill at No.9 Blue Pool Road
Blue Pool Road is a road linking Happy Valley and Wong Nai Chung Gap on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.
Location
Blue Pool Road is divided into two sections. The first and longest section starts at Wong Nai Chung Road, opposite the southeas ...
, Happy Valley, at the intersection with Ventris Road. This temple was built in 1901 after the previous one located on a slope near the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital
Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, or HKSH, is a private hospital established in 1922 in Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
The hospital has more than 500 beds and various room types and facilities. It also has a 24 hours outpatient consultation service.
...
in Happy Valley, in the former Wong Nai Chung Village,[Brief Information on No Grade Items](_blank)
. Items #1404 and #1413. was demolished during urban development. According to a story, Tam Kung appeared to a young boy in a dream and guided him to the present site, which was regarded as selected by the deity for the new location of the temple. A Tin Hau Temple, also relocated in 1901, is situated at the back of this temple. The temples have 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 ...
since 1929.
Ping Chau
The Tam Tai Sin Temple (), in Sha Tau, Tung Ping Chau
Tung Ping Chau () is an island in Hong Kong, part of Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. It is also known as Ping Chau (). ''Tung'' (, meaning ''east'') is prepended to the name at times so as to avoid possible confusion with '' Peng Chau'' ...
was built around 1877.[Brief Information on proposed Grade III Items](_blank)
. Item #800. Many early residents of Tung Ping Chau were from Shantou
Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative ...
and they kept the tradition of worshipping Tam Kung after they settled on the island. The Temple celebrates the Tam Kung Festival on the 8th day of the fourth Lunar month.
Other places
Macau
There is also a Tam Kung Temple at Rua de Cinco de Outubro in Coloane
Coloane (Cantonese: Lou Wan) is a former island in Macau that is united with the island of Taipa by an area of reclaimed land known as Cotai. It is located at the southern part of Macau. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil pa ...
, Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
. It was built in 1862.
Canada
In Victoria, BC
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...
, Canada, there is also a temple to the Deity, Tam Kung. The temple was erected in 1876. At 1713 Government Street is a tall, slim building established by the Yen Wo Society. Fifty-two steps up to the top floor is the oldest Chinese Temple in Canada. The statue you will find there was originally kept in a wooden box at Market Square, and it was moved to the temple by its keeper after Tam Kung appeared to him in a dream. Visitors are welcome most days, and visitors can make donations for good health and the upkeep of the shrine.
Malaysia
There are several Tam Kung temples in Malaysia and these temples were mainly established by the Hakka community in Malaysia. One of the prominent temples is Tam Kung Temple, which is located at Mile 1.5 of North Road in Sandakan
Sandakan (, Jawi: , ) formerly known at various times as Elopura, is the capital of the Sandakan District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the second largest city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu. It is located on the Sandakan Peninsula and east coast ...
, Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...
, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
. The temple was established in 1894 by Hakka
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, Zhej ...
immigrants in Sandakan.
See also
* Tin Hau and 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: ...
* Hung Shing and Hung Shing Temple
Hung Shing Temples or Tai Wong Temples are temples dedicated to Hung Shing Tai Wong (). Hung Shing temples have been widely built in southern China, especially Guangdong province The table provides a partial list of these temples. Hung Shing F ...
* Kwan Tai temples in Hong Kong There are several Kwan Tai Temples () in 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 List of cities in China, city an ...
* Hip Tin temples in Hong Kong
* Places of worship in Hong Kong
Hong Kong counts approximately 600 temples, shrines and monasteries. While Buddhism and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions, most religions are represented in the Special Administrative Region.
Buddhist temples and monasteries
...
References
External links
{{Commons category, Tam Kung
Tam Kung Temples of Hong Kong
;Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan
The Temple Trail entry on Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan
Pictures of Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan
;Tam Kung Yea Temple, Southern District
* Pictures
Chinese gods
Sea and river gods
Taoism in Hong Kong
A Kung Ngam
Kowloon City
Religion in Macau
Coloane
Taoism in Guangdong