As you step off the ferry in Yung Shue Wan and walk along Main Street, you’ll notice signs pointing towards the famed Tin Hau Temple, built as a tribute to the Goddess Of The Sea - Tin Hau - the Chinese deity who protects seafarers, fishermen and sailors. Many of the early settlers on Lamma Island were fisherfolk, an industry and tradition that has been passed down through generations to this day; such is the importance of Tin Hau to the locals. In fact, Tin Hau temple in Yung Shue Wan is just one of three temples bearing the same name on the island; for those keen to explore further, the other two can be found in Sok Kwu Wan and Luk Chau Shan.

While temples are a relatively common sight in Hong Kong, Yung Shue Wan’s Tin Hau temple is notably peculiar, due to the distinctive stone lions standing on guard on either side. Most Chinese-style lions are depicted sitting upright, with distinct curls or wavy hair. However, after the original lions were damaged in a fire back in the 1960s, they were replaced by this pair of more ‘Western-style’ lions; sculpted lying on their bellies and with straight-haired manes, their style is noticeably different to their more typical Chinese-style counterparts. While the exact date of construction remains something of a mystery, the wooden plaques inside the temple indicate they were created during the Qing Dynasty, suggesting that Tin Hau temple is more than a hundred years old. Tin Hau temple is very easy to find; simply walk to the end of Main St., where you’ll see the football pitch on the right and the temple on the left.