Wo Hing Society Hall, Chinese society hall in Lahaina, US
The Wo Hing Society Hall was a two-story building with a main assembly space and an adjoining cookhouse that housed Chinese artifacts from the early 1900s. The structure had a simple but functional design, with the upper floor reserved for religious and social purposes while the lower level served communal needs.
The hall was built in 1912 to serve Chinese workers employed in sugarcane operations on the island. Migration patterns in the 1940s shifted when many residents relocated to Honolulu, diminishing the active role the building had once played in community life.
The hall served as a gathering place where Chinese residents maintained their customs and beliefs in a new land. The second floor held the only public Taoist temple on the island, where people came to honor spiritual traditions through altars and ceremonies.
The site is open to visitors who want to walk through the restored building and explore both levels at their own pace. Plan to spend time examining the interior layout and understanding how different rooms once functioned in daily community life.
The cookhouse section once operated as a movie theater, showing films recorded by Thomas Edison during his travels in Hawaii. This blend of early cinema technology with community gathering created an unusual entertainment venue for island residents.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
