History of the Folk Religion of Tin Hau

Tin Hau worship is popularly practised in the southeastern coastal regions of China. The deity is variously referred to as “Mazu”, “Ah Ma”, “Empress of Heaven”, etc. Legend has it that she was born as Lin Mo, on the 23rd day of the third lunar month in the 1st year of the Jianlong reign (960) of the Northern Song dynasty, on Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian. There were many stories about how she saved lives from stormy seas, so when she died, the fishermen on Meizhou Island built a temple and dedicated it to her, with the reverent title as “Mazu” (“Mother Ancestor” or “Grandmother”). From the Song dynasty (960 - 1279) on, through the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, “Mazu” continued to receive imperial recognition and be honoured with titles such as “Furen” (Lady) and “Fei” (Royal Concubine) of the Song dynasty, “Tianfei” (Heavenly Consort) of the Yuan dynasty, and “Tianhou” (Empress of Heaven) in the 23rd year of the Kangxi reign (1684) of the Qing dynasty. The last, which is “Tin Hau” in Cantonese in Hong Kong, has become the most commonly known title today.

As a port at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong has always been the hub of maritime traffic. Because of this, the cult of Tin Hau worship was introduced to Hong Kong very early on. The oldest temple honouring Tin Hau is in Tei Tong Tsui, Joss House Bay in Sai Kung, built in the Southern Song dynasty (1127 - 1279). There are more than eighty Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong, with locations covering Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and the outlying islands. Most of them were rebuilt after the Great Evacuation Order was lifted in the Qing dynasty. Every year, on the birthday of Tin Hau (commonly called “Tin Hau Festival”), the communities in different districts of Hong Kong would hold the celebration festivities. Those of the most well-known are at Joss House Bay and High Island in Sai Kung, Shap Pat Heung in Yuen Long, and on Po Toi Island.