Built in 1847, it is the main Chinese temple on Hong Kong island. The temple is dedicated to the worship of the civil or literature god Man Tai and the martial god Mo Tai. These gods were often honored by scholars and students seeking advancement in their studies and/or ranking in the civil examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The temple complex is made up of three adjacent blocks: on the left (East) is the Man Mo Temple, in the center is the Lit Shing Temple (for the worship of all heavenly gods) and on the right (West) is the Kung So assembly hall where community affairs and disputes were settled. Instead of relying on the British legal system, those in dispute would meet in the King So hall and write their promises on a piece of paper. A chicken was then beheaded and its blood dripped on the paper. Finally, the paper was burned. Promises made thus were deemed to hold greater weight.
There are actually several Man Mo Temples in Hong Kong (on other islands), but this is the most important and historic one.
My gaze was returned no matter where I looked from a hundred tiny red embers, like eyes glaring at me from the past.
When I first arrived, I entered the central Lit Shing Temple, passed through a foyer selling incense and arrived in the main shrine room. Stepping across the threshold, I was transported back in time as the darkened room enveloped me in it’s smoky clouds of incense. As my eyes adjusted from the glare of the sun outside, I was able to make out the shapes of the wooden Buddhist figures clad in regal cloths (and layers of dust). My gaze was returned no matter where I looked from a hundred tiny red embers, like eyes glaring at me from the past. The embers were lit sticks and spirals of incense stuck in pots of sand and hanging from the ceiling. Each spiral on the ceiling was adorned with a red tag, holding a carefully written petition which the incense translates into wafting smoke presumably readable by the gods.
The silence was broken by the sounds of wooden blocks hitting the floor. Facing the altar was an elderly Chinese woman tossing wooden Jiaobei (divination) blocks to the ground repeatedly, in the hopes of achieving a favorable answer.
Stepping out of the temple and jumping forward 150 years, I was startled to see high rise apartment buildings surrounding and towering over the temple. It almost felt as if they sprouted from the ground while I was inside. Across the street, on the only other piece of ground not towering into the sky, I sat for a few moments in the shade of some trees in a park and pondered.
Why go?
- This is a beautiful historic, but still very active, temple.
- If you are interested in history, the temple dates to 1847, shortly after the British arrived in 1841. It is a core part of the Sheung Wan area, the center of the Chinese community of that time.
What you need to know:
- It is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm daily.
- It is about a 15 minute walk from the Sheung Wan MTR station (however, some of this walk is up hill).
- It is close to areas you may already be visiting: including the tram to Victoria Peak, Cat Alley, and the Soho shopping and dining area.
- This is an active Buddhist/Taoist temple, so please be respectful of worshipers.
Incense coils in the Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong Island. .
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Picture Taken: 8/2018
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Lanterns hanging in the Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong Island.
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Picture Taken: 8/2018
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Spiral incense coils hanging in the Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong Island.
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Picture Taken: 8/2018
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Shrine statues in the Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong Island.
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Picture Taken: 8/2018
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Man Mo Temple sign board at the Temple on Hong Kong Island.
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Picture Taken: 8/2018
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The center altar of the Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong Island.
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Picture taken: 8/2018
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One of the guardian lions outside of the Man Mo Temple on Hong Kong Island.
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A gateway to the left shrine of the Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong Island
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Picture taken: 8/2018
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The front entrance of the Man Mo Temple on Hong Kong Island
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Picture Taken: 8/2018
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