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)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

's oldest and largest Tin Hau Temple. 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 (), on the shore of Joss House Bay, near the south end of Clear Water Bay Peninsula. Joss House Bay derives its name from the temple, or joss house. 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's birthday, the 23rd of the third moon on the

Chinese calendar The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for officia ...

, upwards of 40,000 to 50,000 people attend celebrations at the temple. Thousands of people hike their way, via the High Junk Peak Hiking Trail, to the Temple to pay their respects. Thousands of others sail into Joss House Bay in hundreds of vessels. 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, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

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 managemen ...

. Formerly a Grade I historic building,List of Graded Historic Buildings in Hong Kong (as at 6 November 2009)
the temple was declared a monument on October 20, 2023.

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 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 Public Transport Interchange and Po Toi O. Visitors should alight at the Tai Miu Wan stop (near the entrance to Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club) 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 Declared monuments of Hong Kong