Tin Hau Temple, Tai Po Kau Hui, Temple of the Sea Goddess in Tai Po District, Hong Kong.
Tin Hau Temple, Tai Po Kau Hui is a temple on Tin Kwok Road in the old market of Tai Po, Hong Kong, dedicated to the sea goddess Tin Hau. It serves as the ritual centre for Luen Yick Heung, covering Tai Po Tau, Nam Hang and San Wai Tsai. Its side halls house the Tam Sin Palace and the Hip Tin Palace, and the temple preserves the bronze bell cast at its founding.
The temple was built in 1691, in the 30th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty, by members of the Li clan. It originally stood on the waterfront; land reclamation over the years has left it in the middle of Tai Po's urban centre. A documented restoration in 2009 was the sixth on record, marked with a reopening ceremony held on Tin Hau's birthday.
The temple is dedicated to Tin Hau, the goddess of the sea, and local fishermen have long come here to ask for safe journeys and good catches. On festival days, the courtyard fills with incense smoke and paper offerings, giving the place a very different energy from an ordinary weekday visit.
The temple sits in the heart of Tai Po District and is easy to reach by public transport or on foot from the town center. Visitors should dress modestly and keep noise low, especially if a ceremony is taking place when they arrive.
The temple's side halls house separate shrines to Tam Sin and Hip Tin, so several deities are honoured under one roof. Inside, a bronze bell cast when the temple was founded in 1691 is still kept, along with inscribed plaques and steles from later repairs.
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