Tam Kung Temple 3

Above is the altar of the Tam Kung Temple. Here devotees may perform a ritual to receive answers to problems that are troubling them. Behind this altar is a niche where the statue of Tam Kung is located. You can see this in the photo below. The University of Victoria has an interesting page on Tam Kung and this temple, the oldest Chinese Temple in Canada.

Tam Kung Temple 2

Many of the buildings in Chinatown are so narrow that they have fractional addresses. The entrance to the Tam Kung Temple is one such address. I hope you enjoy the funny looking photographer reflected in the doorway's glass.

The architectural oddness continues once you enter the red door. You face three flights of stairs but they don't go back and forth like most stairwells but continue in a long straight line up the side of the building. While it makes perfect sense, it contributes greatly to the feeling of entering another world.

Tam Kung Temple

If you stand on the corner of Fisgard and Government Streets in Victoria's Chinatown and look northeast you will see this large dragon on the side of a narrow building. The dragon mural is by artist Robert Amos assisted by the children of the Chinese Public School and commemorates Chinatown's 150th anniversary a few years ago. But the building holds another treasure, the Tam Kung Temple. That tiny sign on the upper left corner of the above building says, "Chinese Temple Top Floor". Come along with me tomorrow to explore this a little more.

Tam Kung

Victoria's Chinatown is very small but contains numerous hidden gems. One of these is the Chinese Temple located at 1713½ Government Street on the top floor of the Yen Wo Society Building. This is the oldest Chinese Temple in Canada and is dedicated to the god, Tam Kung, whose statue is pictured above. The moment I entered the red door on the ground floor I realized I was entering another culture. Three flights of stairs rose before me, not zig-zagging back and forth from floor to floor but in a steep straight ascent. The temple is on the top floor and is well worth a visit if only to smell the joss and listen to the voices of the past.Tam Kung is the patron deity of seafarers and there is another temple to Tam Kung in Hong Kong. You can find out more about Tam Kung and these temples by clicking HERE.