Tam Kung
Tam Kung (Template:Zh) or Tam Tai Sin (Template:Zh) is a sea deity worshiped in Hong Kong and Macau.
In Chinese folk legends, Tam Kung was one of gods who could forecast the weather. He was born in Huizhou Prefecture. It was said that he could cure patients in his childhood. Tam Kung became an immortal in heaven at the age of twenty in the Nine-dragon Mountain in Huizhou. He was officially deified during the Qing dynasty. People whose ancestral home are in Huizhou or Chaoshan of Guangdong province worship Tam Kung most sincerely. Template:TOC limit
Temples in Hong Kong
Shau Kei Wan
The Tam Kung Sin Shing Temple (Template:Zh) is located along Tam Kung Temple Road, at the northern end of Shau Kei Wan Main Street East, in A Kung Ngam, Shau Kei Wan.<ref name="CTC SKW">Template:Cite web</ref> It was originally a small shrine. Local people raised money to construct it in 1905 and reconstructed it many times afterwards.<ref name="item 1053">Brief Information on proposed Grade III Items Template:Webarchive. Item #1053.</ref>
The statue of Tam Kung, which was first worshipped among the other gods in the temple, was formerly positioned in the Tam Kung Temple in Tam Kung Road (Template:Zh) in Kowloon City. There is a big rock in front of the temple and is believed to be Tam Kung's magic stamp.<ref name="CTC SKW"/> Local residents and fishermen are the sincere worshippers. On the birthday of Tam Kung (8th day of the 4th month in Chinese calendar), they will have a celebration and play a so-called "kung fu" show which is a major part of the celebration. A parade and dragon dance are also held on this occasion.
The temple has been managed by the Chinese Temples Committee since 1928.<ref name="item 1053"/> The temple is a former Grade I historic building. It is a Grade III historic building since April 2013.<ref>List of the 1,444 Historic Buildings in Building Assessment Template:Webarchive (as of 23 October 2015)</ref>
Happy Valley
A Tam Kung Temple is located on a small hill at No.9 Blue Pool Road, Happy Valley, at the intersection with Ventris Road. This temple was built in 1901 after the previous one located on a slope near the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital in Happy Valley, in the former Wong Nai Chung Village,<ref name="no grade happy valley">Brief Information on No Grade Items Template:Webarchive. Items #1404 and #1413.</ref> was demolished during urban development. According to a story, Tam Kung appeared to a young boy in a dream and guided him to the present site, which was regarded as selected by the deity for the new location of the temple.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A Tin Hau Temple, also relocated in 1901,<ref>Introduction to 1444 Historic Buildings Template:Webarchive. Items #1404 and #1413.</ref> is situated at the back of this temple.<ref>Chinese Temples Committee - Tam Kung Tin Hau Temple, Wong Nai Chung Template:Webarchive</ref> The temples have been managed by the Chinese Temples Committee since 1929.<ref name="no grade happy valley"/>
Southern District
The Tam Kung Yea Temple (Template:Zh) is located off Shek Pai Wan Road, in Tin Wan, Southern District.
Ping Chau
The Tam Tai Sin Temple (Template:Zh), in Sha Tau, Tung Ping Chau was built around 1877.<ref name="item 800">Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Tam Tai Sin Temple, Shau Tau, Tung Ping Chau</ref> Many early residents of Tung Ping Chau were from Shantou and they kept the tradition of worshipping Tam Kung after they settled on the island.<ref>Hong Kong Magazine "Island Time", March 16th, 2001 Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The Temple celebrates the Tam Kung Festival on the 8th day of the fourth Lunar month.<ref name="item 800"/>
Other places
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Macau
There is also a Tam Kung Temple at Rua de Cinco de Outubro in Coloane, Macau. It was built in 1862.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Canada
In Victoria, BC, Canada, there is also a temple to the deity, Tam Kung. The temple was erected in 1876. At 1713 Government Street is a tall, slim building established by the Yen Wo Society. Fifty-two steps up to the top floor is the oldest Chinese Temple in Canada.<ref>Canadian Register of Historic Places: Yen Wo Society Building</ref> The statue there was originally kept in a wooden box at Market Square, and it was moved to the temple by its keeper after Tam Kung appeared to him in a dream. Visitors are welcome most days from 10 to 4, and visitors can make donations for good health and the upkeep of the shrine.
Malaysia
There are several Tam Kung temples in Malaysia and these temples were mainly established by the Hakka community in Malaysia. One of the prominent temples is Tam Kung Temple, which is located at Mile 1.5 of North Road in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The temple was established in 1894 by Hakka immigrants in Sandakan.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
See also
- Tin Hau and Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong
- Hung Shing and Hung Shing Temple
- Kwan Tai temples in Hong Kong
- Hip Tin temples in Hong Kong
- Places of worship in Hong Kong
References
External links
- Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan
- The Temple Trail entry on Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan
- Pictures of Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan
- Pictures of Tam Kung Birthday festival in Shau Kei Wan
- Tam Kung Temple, Shau Kei Wan in the 1920s
- Tam Kung Yea Temple, Southern District
- Tam Tai Sin Temple, Ping Chau
- Pictures: [3]