Tin Hau is a Chinese goddess of the seas, especially revered by sailors and fishermen. Tin Hau was deified not so long ago—in the 17th century—yet the Chinese love and worship her on a par with the ancient gods.
In the 11th century, in one of the villages, there lived a girl who could predict the weather, warned of approaching storms, and died at the age of 20. Six centuries later, Emperor Kangxi canonized her and named her "Queen of Heaven," and since then she has protected everyone connected with the open waters.
Many temples were built for Tin Hau, one of which is located in Hong Kong's Lam Tsuen district, almost on the seashore, not far from the Jade Market. The temple was built in 1736, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty. The main building is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea, and nearby, forming a temple complex, is the Man Mo Hall, built in honor of the deities of literature and war—Man and Mo respectively. On the other side you can see the Temple of Justice.
Next to the Tin Hau Temple are the Wishing Trees—a very original attraction, bright and cheerful. For a wish to come true, it must be written down and the paper hung on one of the branches. As a result, the trees come to resemble Christmas trees, because there are many visitors and everyone wants their wishes to come true.
