Hau Wong or Hou Wang (侯王) is a title that can be translated as "Prince Marquis" or "Holy Marquis". It is not any one person's name.[1] Hau Wong refers usually to Yeung Leung-jit (楊亮節), a loyal and courageous general. Despite his failing health, he remained in the army to protect the last emperor of Southern Song Dynasty when he took refuge southwards in Kowloon.[2]
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There are several temples dedicated to Hau Wong in Hong Kong, including six temples in Yuen Long.[3] These temples can be named Hau Wong Temple or Yeung Hau Temple. The table provides a partial list of these temples:
| Location | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| Tai O, Lantau Island | The "Yeung Hau Temple" in Tai O was built in 1699.[4] It is a Grade I historic building.[5] Pictures of Hau Wong Festival: [1][2] | |
| Tung Chung, Lantau Island | [3] This Hau Wong Temple was built in 1765.[6] It is a Grade II historic building.[5] | |
| Kowloon City. At the junction of Tung Tau Tsuen Road and Junction Road, right opposite the Kowloon Walled City Park. | This Hau Wong Temple was built around 1730.[7] If coming off Lai Chi Kok Station, the temple is at the end of Tung Tau Tsuen Road near Kowloon City Plaza. Historic characters in the temple is said to have been worked on by Chang Yu-tang, Commodore of Dapeng, general of Kowloon Walled City. It is believed that Emperor Bing of Song and his brother Emperor Duanzong of Song made their last stance in the Song Dynasty.[8] The temple is a Grade I historic building.[5] | |
| Hang Tau Tsuen, next to Sheung Cheung Wai, Ping Shan, Yuen Long District | This Yeung Hau Temple is partly dedicated to Hau Wong. The temple is part of the Ping Shan Heritage Trail.[9][10] It is a Grade III historic building.[5] | |
| Tong Yan San Tsuen, Ping Shan, Yuen Long District | Situated to the east of Tong Yan San Tsuen near Sha Tseng Road, this temple was built before 1711.[11] It is a Grade III historic building.[5] | |
| Tung Tau Tsuen, Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long District | [4] [5] This Yeung Hau Temple is a declared monument of Hong Kong.[12] | |
| San Wai, Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long District | This Yeung Hau Temple was renovated in 1901. It serves as the social venue which plays the dual roles as a temple and an ancestral hall of San Wai. Basin meal feasts are organized in front of the Temple during Yeung Hau Festival and Lunar New Year.[13] | |
| Yeung Hau Temple, Sik Kong Wai, Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long District | This Yeung Hau Temple is situated at Sik Kong Wai, a Tangs' walled village in Ha Tsuen with its name recorded in the Xin'an Gazetteer of 1820.[14] | |
| No. 26C Cheung Shing Street, Yuen Long Kau Hui, Yuen Long | This Tai Wong Temple was probably built between 1662-1722. It is the main temple of Nam Pin Wai as well as Yuen Long Kau Hui.[15] It was built for the worship of the two "Tai Wongs", Hung Shing and Yeung Hau.[16] Other than for worship, the temple was a venue for solving disputes and discussing market affairs among the villagers.[17] It also once served as a yamen and the officials lived there.[15] Grade I Historic Building. | |
| Wong Uk Tsuen, Yuen Long District | No Grade. Yi Shing Temple (二聖宮) in Wong Uk Tsuen is conventionally called Tai Wong Temple. It is mainly for the worship of Hung Shing and Yeung Hau deities. Renovation was carried out in 1924. It still acts as an alliance temple of the Tung Tau Alliance formed by the seven villages around Tai Wai Tsuen. In the old days, the temple operated a credit society serving the alliance villages.[18][19] | |
| Tai Wai Village, Tai Wai, Sha Tin District | Built in 1983.[20] It replaced an earlier temple, probably built in 1884 and demolished in 1982.[21] Pictures of Hau Wong Festival: [6] |
A Hau Wong Temple in Shek Pik, Lantau Island was inundated by the Shek Pik Reservoir in 1960.[6]
The Hou Wang Temple in Australia is dedicated to bodyguard commander Yang Liang Chieh in 1280 AD, who was responsible for the life of the 8 year old Emperor Bing of Song losing to the mongols in the falling Song Dynasty[22]