The Pirate Slayer Who Became Guardian of Tsing Yi

No matter which area of Hong Kong you visit, chances are you will stumble upon a temple dedicated to Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea. The island of Tsing Yi, between Kowloon and Lantau Island, is no exception. However, Tsing Yi stands out as the only area in Hong Kong to also be protected by Emperor Chun Kwan (真君大帝).

During the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 AD), a man named Ng Gang-hau (吳庚候) and his brothers helped the imperial army fight off a band of ruthless pirates who terrorized the coastal regions of Guangdong Province. These, however, were no mere pirates; they were dangerous sorcerers possessing demonic powers.

Harnessing his own Taoist divine powers, Ng Gang-hau summoned a Giant Turtle that bit the pirate leader, breaking his spell and revealing his true identity: a demonic snakehead fish. Stripped of their mystical powers, the pirates were quickly disposed of, and shortly afterward, Ng Gang-hau vanished. In recognition of his bravery, the Song Emperor bestowed upon him the title Chun Kwan—meaning "True Lord"—elevating him to the status of a god.

Chun Kwan himself never visited Tsing Yi; he was originally a local hero from Shanwei in eastern Guangdong. However, when Hoi Luk Fung laborers migrated to Tsing Yi in 1910 to work in the island’s lime industry, they brought a statue of Chun Kwan to invoke his spiritual protection far from home. On the island's coastline, they constructed a small bamboo and stone shrine to house him.

In the mid-1980s, Chun Kwan’s original shrine was cleared to make way for land reclamation. A new, brightly painted temple was subsequently erected further inland to house the deity.