Man Mo Temple Hong Kong

Man Mo Temple, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong 文武廟

Established in the mid-18th century
Dedicated to the gods of literature and war
Located on Hollywood Road on Hong Kong Island
Atmospheric, incense-filled temple in Sheung Wan
Administrated by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

Man Mo Temple, Hong Hong. — Incense Coils, Man Mo Temple (文武廟), Sheung Wan, Hong Hong

History

The Man Mo Temple in the Sheung Wan district, to the west of Central, is one of Hong Kong's oldest temples, dating from 1847.

Man Mo is dedicated to the Taoist deities Man Tai and Mo Tai. Man is the god of literature and Mo the god of war. Both deities were thought to have been real people: the 3rd century bureaucrat Cheung Ah Tse and the 2nd century warrior Kwan Wan Chung.

Statues of the two gods stand in the temple, the god of literature holds a calligraphy brush and the god of war a sword. The military deity, also known as Kwan Yu, is also the patron of restaurants, pawnbrokers and the secret Triads. Inside the main hall are two sedan chairs used to carry the gods during festivals.

Located on the corner of Ladder Street and Hollywood Road the temple is known for its huge coils of incense and has a distinctly local feel.

Huge brass urns are fed paper offerings for the dead including Hell bank notes - paper money, usually in huge denominations, used in Chinese ancestor worship to honour departed family members.

The Man Po Temple was used as a courthouse and community centre in the 19th century and is now run by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals as a charitable institution, with proceeds from temple donations financing local schools. Man Po Temple is open from 8 am-6 pm daily.

The complex consists of three buildings. These are Man Mo Temple, Lit Shing Keung for the worship of all Chinese gods and Kung Sor, a community centre.

Access - Getting to Man Mo Temple

Take an MTR to Sheung Wan Station (Exit A2) then walk up Hillier Street to Queen's Road Central and Ladder Street. Alternatively from Central MTR Station use Exit D2 then right to Theatre Lane, then walk along Queen's Road Central towards The Center. Take the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator to Hollywood Road.

Take any of the following buses: #1, #5B, #18, #26, #85M, #91, #94.

Man Mo Temple
124-126 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel: 2540 0350

Man Mo Temple, Sheung Wan district, Hong Hong. — Man Mo Temple (文武廟) is one of the oldest temples in Hong Hong

Nearby

The temple is close to Cat Street, a shopping street for antiques and souvenirs and PMQ shopping mall. The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum and the privately-owned Liang Yi Museum are all within easy walking distance.

Other notable temples in Hong Kong include the 10000 Buddhas Temple in Sha Tin, Po Lin Temple with its enormous Buddha statue on Lantau, Tin Hau Temple in Stanley and Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon.