The Shui Yuet Palace (Kwun Yam Temple) of Mong Kok
I paid a visit to the Shui Yuet Palace of Mong Kok. Seated besdies the Tung Wah College Mong Kok Campus, the Shui Yuet Palace has a distinctive appearance with its red colored walls and green roof tiles. You cannot miss it when you pass by its current location in Mong Kok’s Shantung Street.
The resident deity of the Shui Yuet Palace is Kwun Yam (kuanyin or guanyin), who, both in its Hinduism origin as Avalokitesvara and in its adapated form in Chinese folk religion, embodies the spirit of mercy and compassion. The full name of the deity is Kwun Sai Yam, and it means the “perception of all the world’s sounds.” A Kwun Yam believer told me that as Kwun Yam hears all sounds, but you must actually say your wish out loud so that she hears you (perhaps unlike the silent prayers that Christians do). In most Kwun Yam statues in China the figure of the deity sits or stands upon a lotus platform. The lotus is therefore a signature of Kwun Yam.
When I entered into the temple, I noticed the beautiful lotus blossom lanterns that line the ceiling before the altar table.
Shui Yuet Palace (in Chinese it means the Palace of Water and Moon) was originally known as Tai Shek Ku Temple (meaning big stone drum). It has existed since the 10th year of Guangxu’s Reign during the Qing Dynasty, and that is the year 1884. Originally, believers of Hakka origin living in Kowloon raised the funds for the construction of this temple, then built at the intersection of Argyle Street and Waterloo Road. Due to development needs, the Hong Kong Government decided to build a motorway (Prince Edward Road) to link up Kowloon City and Mong Kok. It negotiated with the residents of Kowloon for a relocation of this temple to its current site. In 1927, the temple reopened its doors to worshippers. By now, this temple has stood at its current location for 94 years already. It is well-deserving as a historic and cultural relic.
There are a few things of historical significance inside this temple. The brass bell bears the date of 10th year of the Guangxu Reign. The altar table, brass fan, and the incense burner were all relics of the late 19th Century.
The brass bell has some interesting features. The surface shows the date of the bell in engraving. There are four columns of embossed buttons on its upper part. According to my research, this feature resembles the brass chimes of the Warring State Period (bianzhong). They used to be percussion instruments in ancient China.
I am pretty sure though that the origin and meaning of this bell’s design is long lost.
The wooden plaques at the entrance of the temple is dated to 1927, when this temple reopened after relocation.
Since the inception of the Tung Wah Group in 1931, the Shui Yuet Palace has come under its management. The temple underwent restoration again in 2018. The relics discussed above became known treasures of this historic temple during this restoration.
I am certainly no believer of Kwun Yam myself, but I was glad to find a site of religious and historic significance in one of Hong Kong’s busiest districts. It certainly offers a nice respite to anyone caring to enter.
The address for Shui Yuet Palace is 90 Shantung Street, Mong Kok.
Sources
The Wikipedia on Mong Kok Shui Yuet Palace (Chin).
The Wikipedia on Guanyin.
Leung Wing Hung, Exploration of Hong Kong’s City and Countryside (2004) at 78.