Tin Hau Temple at Joss House Bay

The temple at Joss House Bay, known as Tai Miu, is said to have been built in 1266 by Lam Tao-yi, and it is the oldest and largest of the many Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong, dedicated to the sea goddess whose protection fishing communities relied on. It stands above a bay on the southern tip of the Clear Water Bay peninsula, plain and weathered, with a courtyard, ship models and centuries of votive offerings. On a rock nearby is an inscription dated to 1274, the oldest dated inscription known in the territory. At the Tin Hau festival in the spring, hundreds of decorated fishing boats converge on the bay in the largest gathering of its kind here.

History

The temple is said to have been built in 1266 by Lam Tao-yi. On a rock nearby is an inscription carved in 1274, the oldest dated inscription known in Hong Kong (Wikipedia, Tin Hau Temple, Joss House Bay).

The main sights

• A temple founded in 1266 - the oldest Tin Hau temple in Hong Kong.
• The 1274 rock inscription - the oldest dated inscription in the territory.
• Votive ship models - offerings from fishing families over centuries.
• The spring festival boat gathering - hundreds of decorated vessels in the bay.

When to go

October to April for a quiet visit; the Tin Hau festival in spring is the spectacle but the site is then packed and transport is by special boat. Two hours.

Before you go

It is remote and awkward to reach without a taxi or the festival boats. The temple is small and weathered rather than grand. On the festival day the crowds are enormous. There are almost no facilities nearby.

Nearby

Clear Water Bay beaches are north; High Junk Peak rises behind.

Key facts