Joss House Bay

Joss House Bay. The island on the left is Tung Lung Chau.

Distant view of the Tin Hau Temple at Joss House Bay.

Rock inscription at Joss House Bay.

Ferry pier.

Joss House Bay, also known as Tai Miu Wan (Chinese: 大廟灣) indigenously, is near the south end of Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Hong Kong. The Cantonese name Tai Miu Wan means "the bay of large temple" after the oldest Tin Hau Temple in Hong Kong.

Tin Hau Temple

The Tin Hau Temple was a large joss house built in 1266. It is the oldest and biggest Tin Hau Temple in Hong Kong so it is called the Big Temple. It is a Grade I Historic Building.^[1] The temple is located near Fat Tong Mun, the channel between the peninsula and Tung Lung Chau on the major channel along the sea route in the South China. It was founded by the Lam family in former Po Kong in Kowloon.

Rock inscription

The rock inscription at Joss House Bay is a declared monument of Hong Kong since 1979.^[2] This inscription is dated to the Jiashu year of the Xianchun reign in the Southern Song Dynasty (i.e. 1274 AD). It is the oldest dated inscription in Hong Kong, and records a visit by Yan Yizhang, an officer in charge of the salt administration, and a friend.^[3] It also gives the history of two temples, north and south of Joss House Bay.^[4]

Transportation

Every year during Tin Hau Festival, the Transport Department will invite tender for the special ferry service between Joss House Bay and a town location pier, usually North Point.

New World First Ferry operated the service from North Point to Joss House Bay for worshippers over the two days from 19 April to 20 April 2006. Both fast ferry and ordinary ferry services were provided.^[5] Over 10,000 worshippers used the service in 2006.^[6]

2006 North Point to Joss House Bay Ferry Fares:

Class	Single/Return	Adult	Child
Ordinary	Return	$50	$25
Deluxe	Return	$60	$30
Fast Ferry	Return	$60	$30
Ordinary	Single*	$25	$12.5
Deluxe	Single*	$30	$15
Fast Ferry	Single*	$30	$15

Note: Single fare only available from Joss House Bay.

References

2. "Annex I Listing of Declared Monuments". Environmental Protection Department. Government of Hong Kong. 1 January 1999. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
3. Fung, Fanny W. Y. (13 June 2014). "Sai Kung rock may hold key to To Kwa Wan relics' history". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
4. "Rock Inscription at Joss House Bay, Sai Kung - Declared Monuments - Antiquities and Monuments Office". Amo.gov.hk. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
5. "New World First Ferry Services Limited". Nwff.com.hk. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
6. "New World First Ferry Services Limited". Nwff.com.hk. Retrieved 2016-07-15.

Coordinates: 22°16′N 114°17′E / 22.267°N 114.283°E