Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay

Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay

Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay, also known as Lantern Island Tin Hau Ancient Temple or simply Tin Hau Ancient Temple, is located at No. 10 Tin Hau Temple Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. The temple was first built in the early Qing Dynasty by Dai Shibei, and its ownership remains with the Dai clan to this day. The main deities worshipped here are Tin Hau (Goddess of Heaven), along with Guanyin, the God of Wealth, and Bao Zheng. This building has been designated as a declared monument of Hong Kong.

The temple is a traditional Chinese two-courtyard structure, three bays wide, constructed with grey bricks and topped with green-glazed tiles, featuring a symmetrical layout. The front courtyard serves as the entrance hall, with the main gate designed as a front-eave corridor. Behind the main gate is a partition used for feng shui purposes, and the space between the two courtyards is covered to form an incense pavilion. The rear section is the main hall where the deity statues are enshrined, featuring a stone altar dating back to the second year of the Guangxu reign. On either side are auxiliary halls: the left one is called “Dai Fuk Tong,” and the right one is the “Hundred Gods Hall.” Each side hall has its own courtyard and independent exit leading outside the temple, or through the left and right moon gates labeled “Zhan Yun” (Gazing at Clouds) and “Long Hua” (Dragon Transformation), and “Jiu Ri” (Approaching the Sun) and “Hu Bian” (Tiger Transformation) to reach the incense pavilion.

The horizontal plaque above the temple gate bears the four large characters “Tin Hau Ancient Temple.” The exterior stone beams of the gate bear the inscription of the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign. On both sides are stone lions carved in the 25th year of the Daoguang reign (1845) with the inscription “Xing Yi Diao Jue,” as well as a bronze treasure basin and incense burner from the 28th year of the Guangxu reign (1902). The central ridge of the entrance hall features three tiers: the upper tier depicts “Two Dragons Fighting for a Pearl,” the middle tier is a Shiwan ceramic-tiled ridge decorated with Chinese opera figurines, and the lower tier is painted, though most of the paint has peeled off. The ends are adorned with classical motifs featuring Ao fish.

Tin Hau Temple, Causeway Bay

Must-visit reason: One of the most exquisitely built Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong

Lin Mo, also known as Mo Niang, was affectionately called “Auntie,” “Mother Goddess,” or “Mazu” by the people. She was from Putian.

Born on March 23 of the first year of the Jianlong era during the Song Dynasty (960) into an official family on Meizhou Island, Putian County, Lin Mo did not cry even once until she was one month old, hence she was named “Mo” (meaning silence), also called “Mo Niang.” Her great-grandfather Baoji served as a military commander under the Zhou Dynasty but later resigned and lived in seclusion on Meizhou. Her grandfather Fu inherited his family’s honors and served as the Fujian Governor. Her father Yuan held the position of Fujian Patrol Inspector in the early Song Dynasty. Mo Niang was exceptionally intelligent; by the age of eight, while studying under a tutor, she could already grasp the essence of the texts. As she grew older, she enjoyed chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha. … More details about Lin Mo ++