Tin Hau Temple

Tin Hau Temple

　In this part, we hope to introduce the development of Tin Hau Temple and its past use, to let participants understand the role traditional temples play in regional affairs.

　The exact construction date of the Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei cannot be verified, but the temple has been recorded in the government's literature on Yau Ma Tei in 1864. At that time, in order to develop Tsim Sha Tsui for commercial and military purposes, the British Hong Kong government relocated local residents to Yau Ma Tei, and this area gradually formed a new market. In 1870, residents and merchants of Yau Ma Tei worked together to complete the reconstruction of the Tin Hau Temple. The inscription in the temple recorded the names of more than 340 donors and businesses, including officials from the Qing government stationed in Hong Kong. This shows that there was already a certain amount of commercial development in this area.

　But 4 years later, the 1874 Hong Kong typhoon damaged the Yau Ma Tei community and the temple. After the typhoon, the government rebuilt Yau Ma Tei and opened up Temple Street, Station Street (now Shanghai Street) and Reclamation Street. The old Tin Hau Temple was located on the planned new street, so the authorities allocated the site to the site in 1876 to relocate the Tin Hau Temple.

　In the early days of governance, the British Hong Kong government implemented administrative segregation of Chinese and foreign populations, so the Chinese community had certain autonomy. Most of the regional affairs, including education, welfare, and arbitration, were handled by local gentry, while the large temples in the past served as a forum for discussing regional issues and education. After the relocation of Tin Hau Temple, a communal hall(公所) and a study hall(書院) were set up on both sides. The communal hall is for Yau Ma Tei Five Yeuk (約) to discuss district affairs (Yau Ma Tei Five Yeuk refers to Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kwun Chung, Mong Kok and Sham Po. Yeuk (約) is a traditional Chinese society’s method of dividing regions, which is similar to the meaning of district in English. Villages will set up autonomous organizations in their own regions to handle local affairs) . The study hall was built in 1897 to provide free education for poor children in the district.

　In 1914, the Chinese Affairs decided to refer to the management model of the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road and asked the Tin Hau Temple to transfer the management and properties to Kwong Wah in order to fund the hospital. The Hospital decided to build a new college on the south side of the office in 1920, forming the appearance of a series of five buildings centred on the ancient Tin Hau Temple as we see it today. In 1928, Kwong Wah Hospital formally took over the complex of Tin Hau Temple and its properties.

Today, the communal hall and study hall have already been repurposed as different temples. The public square in front of the temple used to be a local market and has now become a public area for residents.