iSee Tin Hau Temple

Pirates’ temple

This is no ordinary Tin Hau Temple. Almost all of the temples dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess were built to protect fishermen, but not this one! Locally known as ‘Ma Miu’, the over 200-years-old temple was built by pirates who needed an outpost.

Pirate of the town

The mastermind behind this disguised outpost is pirate Zheng Lian Chang (鄭連昌). He was a descendant of a famous Chinese pirate family fighting the Dutch in Taiwan. Chang seized Devil’s Peak, set up this outpost and dressed it up as a temple to monitor fleets coming into the channel and avoid attacks from government soldiers. Even though Ma Miu was not intended to be a Tin Hau temple, Lei Yue Mun residents religiously celebrate the birthday of the goddess here every year with elaborate ceremonies and festivities.

The hidden rock

Have you seen the boundary stone at the back of the temple? It was placed here in 1937 by the British government to indicate the boundary between Kowloon (then British Territory) and New Territories (then Chinese Territory). While here, also keep your eyes peeled for stones engraved with calligraphy on the shore. It's the work of the quarry carvers.