Tin Hau Temple

1 July is Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day, and a public holiday! (There are 19 public holidays here).





I took the MTR across to Tin Hau, to see the Tin Hau temple. This is thought to have been originally built in the early 18th Century by the Tai family. At this time it had a harbour front location, which is no longer there due to land reclamation.

Tin Hau is the Queen of Heaven and guardian of all those connected to the sea.





It it truly amazing inside. It is predominantly black and red, with flashes of gold in statues and carvings. Huge spiral incense burners hang from the ceiling, these burn for 30 days and are absolutely incredible.

Only the staff were there when I visited, giving the place a calm, tranquil feeling, the only noise being the quiet sweeping sound of the ash being swept continually as it falls from the coils of incense.



Parts of the temple have been rebuilt over the years but the bell (pictured) is thought to be the original temple bell which was cast in 1747.

The Temple continues today to be managed by the Tai family, but was declared a historical building in 1962.

The staff were kind enough to let me take a few pictures, but these do not do it justice.