The Tin How Temple (also spelled Tianhou Temple, ) is the oldest extant

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

temple in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

, and one of the oldest still-operating Chinese temples in the United States. It is dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She is also known by several other names and titles. Mazu is the deified form of Lin Moniang (), a shamaness from Fujian who is said to ...

, who is known as ''Tin How'' (天后, Empress of Heavens) in

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

History

Many people from China began immigrating to the United States, particularly California, during the

California gold rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

for various reasons. When arriving in they built temples, including the Tim How Temple, the Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park, the Temple of Kwan Tai in

Mendocino, California Mendocino (Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza") is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California, United States. The name comes from Cape Mendocino to the north, named b ...

, among others. The temple was purportedly founded in roughly 1852 or 1853, reportedly at its current location by Day Ju, one of the first Chinese people to arrive in San Francisco. The building was later destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, with the image of the goddess, the temple bell, and part of the altar surviving. By then, ownership of the building site had transitioned to the Sue Hing Benevolent Association, which reopened it in 1910 on the top floor of a four-story building it built on the site. The temple closed in 1955 and reopened on May 4, 1975, after the

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart–Celler Act and more recently as the 1965 Immigration Act, was a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The ...

had caused a rejuvenation of San Francisco's Chinatown. In May 2010, the one-hundredth anniversary of the temple was celebrated by a religious procession through the streets in the neighborhood, including dances and fireworks. The temple is a significant landmark in Chinatown; the Chinese name for Waverly Place is .

Visiting

The temple is open daily between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M., excepting holidays. Admission is free with permission from the attendant, and donations are accepted. Photography is not allowed inside the temple.

Gallery

File:San Francisco - Waverly.jpg, Tin How Temple (left building, top floor) File:Chinatown 21 (4253556647).jpg, View of Transamerica Pyramid,

Embarcadero Center Embarcadero Center is a commercial complex of four office towers, two hotels, and a shopping center located in San Francisco. An outdoor ice skating rink is open in the center during winter months. Embarcadero Center sits on a site largely bo ...

, and Hilton San Francisco Financial District from temple balcony File:Chinatown 22 Buddhist Temple (4254271566).jpg,

Jingxiang ( zh, c=敬香, tr=offering incense with respect), (), (), is a ritual of offering joss stick, incense accompanied by tea and or fruits in Chinese traditional religion. In Chinese ancestral religion, ancestral religious worship it is called ...

temple altar File:Chinatown 23 Buddhist Temple (4253514495).jpg, Devotee lanterns; donor names are written on red paper and attached to the lanterns

References

External links

Tin How Temple
at chinatownology.com * * {{Chinatown, San Francisco Chinatown, San Francisco Religious buildings and structures in San Francisco Taiwanese-American culture in California Taoist temples in the United States Temples in California

History

Visiting

See also

Other notable Chinese temples

Gallery

References

External links