Tam Kung

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This is a Chinese name; the family name is 譚 (Tan).

Tam Kung (譚公, literally "Lord Tam") is a sea deity worshiped in Hong Kong and Macau.

A temple dedicated to this deity is located at the end of Shau Kei Wan Man Street East, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong, and was originally a small shrine. Local people raised money to construct it in 1905 and reconstructed it many times afterwards. The statue of Tam Kung, which was first worshipped among the other gods in the temple, was formerly positioned in the Tam Kung Temple in Tam Kung Road in Kowloon City. There is a big rock in front of the temple and is believed to be Tam Kung's magic stamp. Local residents and fishermen are the sincere worshippers. On the birthday of Tam Kung (8th of April in Lunar calendar), they will have a celebration and play a so called "kung fu" show which is a major part of the celebration. There is also a Tam Kung Temple at Rua de Cinco de Outubro in Coloane, Macau.

[edit] Tam Kung Procession

In Chinese folk legends, Tam Kung was one of gods who could forecast the weather. He was born in Huizhou Prefecture. It was said that he could cure patients in his childhood. Tam Kung became an immortal in heaven at the age of twenty in the Nine-dragon Mountain in Huizhou.

He was granted an honor in the Ching Dynasty. People whose ancestral home are in Huizhou or Chaoshan of Guangdong province worship Tam Kung most sincerely. They built a temple for Tam Kung in A Kung Ngam. On Tam Kung's birthday on the 8th day of the 4th month in Chinese calendar, a special ceremony including parade and dragon dance is held in honor of him.