that they erected the Hau Wong Temple in his honour.
If the facts contained on the tablets are correct, the Hau Wong Miu is over 500 years old.
It is worthy of note that outside the temple compound is still another tablet showing that the last time alterations to the temple were made, was in 1879, the fifth year of the Emperor Kwong Shu, the immediate predecessor of Henry Pu Yi, now Emperor of Manchukuo.
As I pointed out in a recent article, caretakers have now replaced priests as Charges d'Affaires in the temple. The position is bought by hard cash and goes to the highest bidder. The present caretaker of the Hau Wong Temple pays $13,000 annually. During the boom years, caretakers paid the Temple Committee as high as $20,000. This money goes towards local charities.
The birthday of Hau Wong is celebrated annually on the 16th day of the sixth moon. Thousands of worshippers, mostly women and children, then attend the ceremonies and enjoy the long musical programmes.