#010 – Historical Relics: Sam Tai Tzu and Pak Tai Temple in Sham Shui Po

The Sam Tai Tzu Temple and Pak Tai Temple are adjacent to one another in Sham Shui Po. The Sam Tai Tzu Temple in Sham Shui Po is the only temple in Hong Kong dedicated to worshiping the Sam Tai Tzu (Nezha), and is more than 120 years’ old. Both temples are Grade II and III listed historic buildings. In the 20th year of Guangxu’s reign (1894), an epidemic was rampant in Hong Kong. The Hakka stonecutters in Sham Shui Po invited the statue of the Sam Tai Tzu from their hometown of Tamsui, Huizhou to Sham Shui Po to suppress the epidemic. After the epidemic was driven away, the residents built a temple to worship Sam Tai Tzu in order to thank the gods for their protection. This can be seen from the couplet on the door of this temple: “What god can drive away the epidemic? If his merits bring prosperity to the people, then we must worship him.” The original Sam Tai Tzu Temple was built to the north of Yaliu Village and Anyou Village, and was completed in the 24th year of Guangxu (1898). In 1915, Sham Shui Po continued to develop, and the Sam Tai Tzu Temple was moved to its current location, and later merged with the Pak Tai Temple. The Pak Tai Temple was built by fishermen from Sham Shui Po in the early years. According to the temple’s gate size in 1920, the current Pak Tai Temple was built later and has a history of more than a hundred years. When they were built, the two temples were located on the seaside. However, with the development of Sham Shui Po, the land in front of the temple was reclaimed, and the two temples were now located inland.