Oblique view of a red, gold dragon screen, incense coils behind, protecting the entrance to the Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong

---

Sheung Wan's Man Mo Temple (1842) is one of the oldest and most famous in Hong Kong. Man Mo (literally 'civil' and ' martial') is dedicated to two deities: Man Cheung, the civil deity or god of literature, holding a writing brush and originally a Chinese statesman of the 3rd centurty BC; and Kwan Yu, the military deity or god of war, red-cheeked and holding a sword and originally a Han-dynasty soldier born in the 2nd century AD. Kwan Yu is also the patron god of restaurants, the police force and secret societies such as the Triads. Incense coils, hanging from the entrance roof, are kept alight by attendants to appease the spirits.

---

Size: 3341px × 5032px
Location: Man Mo Temple, Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, China
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: altar, altars, ancestor, carvings, china, chinese, coils, cupboard, daoism, daoist, deities, doors, dragons, effigies, entrance, god, gods, gold, hong, incense, interior, joss, kong, man, mo, ornamental, ornate, red, religion, religious, room, screen, sheung, shrine, shrines, spirits, sticks, taoism, taoist, temple, temples, wan, worship, worshipping