Man Mo Temple Review

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Man Mo Temple

  • Address: Hollywood Rd. at Ladder St., Western, Hong Kong, China

Fodor's Review:

It's believed to be Hong Kong Island's oldest temple, though no one knows exactly when it was built. The consensus is sometime around the arrival of the British in 1841. It's dedicated to the Taoist gods of literature and of war: Man, who wears green, and Mo, dressed in red. A haze of incense fills the small building—you first catch the fragrance a block away. Huge spirals of the stuff coil down from the ceiling, scattering ash on the worshipping old ladies. The temple bell, cast in Canton in 1847, and the drum next to it are sounded to attract the gods' attention when a prayer is being offered—give it a ring to make sure yours are heard. To check your fortune, stand in front of the altar, select a small bamboo cylinder, and shake it until a stick falls out. The number on the stick corresponds to a written fortune, the English translation of which is in a book that the temple will happily sell you.

  • Open: Daily 8-6
  • Metro: Sheung Wan, Exit A2
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