Man Mo Temple

Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road (really) was built in the middle of the 19th century. The name comes from the fact that the road was built through an area of holly trees. It is located in the older commercial part of Central (see another post) where things are more traditionally Chinese.
The temple is dedicated to the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo).
I'm told that the significance of this temple is historical and cultural. In addition to the worship of the 2 dedicatory gods and the worship of ancestors, it was a center if dispute resolution. The idea of jurisprudence as we understand it wasn't known in Hong Kong before the colonial period. All disputes were settled before the elders of the temple and before the gods, with a ritual confirming the settlement. The result was a communal method of maintaining local harmony as no one was willing to break vows made before the gods. And it kept the colonial powers out of local issues.
The 1st picture looks at the temple from across the road, and the others are inside the temple. The 2nd picture are the bell and drums that are sounded by someone entering and wanting to get the gods' attention.
The space is very smokey with incense. The smoke is considered a channel of communication to heaven. The longer one's smoke channel lasted, the better the communication. Most incense sticks are rather short with a corresponding burn time. The 3rd picture shows spiral, cone shaped incense hanging from the ceiling with cards attached. The cards bear the prayer, and the long spiral can burn for a week or more.
The 4th picture is of the main altar, and the 5th picture is a secondary altar.Read more