Visit the temples along QRE (皇后大道東) in Wan Chai

Those of you who are familiar with Wan Chai might know about the temple along Queen's Road East dedicated to the deity Hung Shing (灣仔洪聖廟) along what used to be the Victoria Harbour shoreline. There is another, larger temple not far away with an even more interesting past. The Yuk Hui Temple (玉虛宮) is dedicated to Pak Tai (北帝), the Emperor of the North, and stands as a testament to the fact that a little corner of Wan Chai was a center of wealth and prosperity for not only English traders but also resident Chinese merchants.

The temple has a host of deities, such as Kwun Yam (觀音), Kwan Tai (關帝), and Lui Cho (呂祖). Most interestingly, the dedicated to the Dragon Mother (龍 母殿) is rare as Taoist goddesses are few and far between. The temple's rooftop figures are amazing and include a pair of dragons, a firing pearl, two aoyus (鰲魚, dragon fish), figurines of Chinese opera, floral patterns, etc., made by a Shiwan kiln, dated 1907. All precious and virtually unreplaceable by today's standards.

Afterwards, we can head over to Hung Shing (灣仔洪聖廟) and peek in and see how the temple is maintaining itself. We'll also see a statue of the elusive fertility / widwife goddess Kam Fa Neung Neung (金花娘娘)

We'll meet at street level, just outside Pacific Place 3, exit F, and down the long corridor BEFORE you enter the Pacific Place shopping mall. We'll walk down QRE to the Yuk Hui / Pak Tai Temple and then backtrack.