Kwan Tai Temple, Sham Shui Po - Chinese Temples Committee

This is the only temple in Kowloon which worships Mo Tai as the main deity.

Origin of Temple

Kwan Tai Temple was built around 1891 in recognition of the deeds of Mo Tai (武帝) / Kwan Tai (關帝), a great general of Shu Kingdom (蜀國) during the Three Kingdoms (三國) period. He is revered as the God of War and Righteousness. This is the only temple in Kowloon which worships Mo Tai as the main deity.

Mo Tai /Kwan Tai (also named as Guan Di) - God of War (關帝 / 武帝)

Mo Tai/Kwan Tai was a great warrior under Emperor Liu Bei (劉備) of the Three Kingdoms period (三國). He was a brave and upright person with a passion for reading the historical writings of Confucious about the warring period in East Zhou Dynasty. One day, while he was travelling on the road to get away from the unrests, he met Liu Bei and Zhang Fei (張飛) and became sworn brothers in the Garden of Peach (桃園) to re-establish the Han Dynasty (漢朝) . In the battle of Mak Shing (麥城), he was defeated and killed. It was said that after his death, his spirit had performed many miracles to protect the natives in the vicinity of Mount Yuk Chuen (玉泉山). In gratitude for his help, the natives built a temple to worship him.

Architectural Setting

Historical & Cultural Relics

The giant bell and the altar of the temple, made in 1891, display a high level of craftsmanship.

Other Deities

Apart from the main deity Mo Tai, the temple also houses Man Cheong (God of Literature & Bureaucracy), Tai Sui (Sixty Lords of Time), Kwun Yum (Goddess of Mercy), Pau Kung (God of Justice).

Mo Tai ( Kwan Tai ) Festival

There are two festivals each year which fall on the 13th day of the fifth lunar month and 24th day of the sixth lunar month.

Major Renovations

This temple underwent renovation in 1891, 1894 and 2010