Lin Fa Temple (literally means temple of lotus) in Tai Hang, Hong Kong Island, was probably constructed in 1863 for the worship of Kwun Yam (the Goddess of Mercy).
The architecture of Lin Fa Temple is very unique. The front hall with a
double-eaves-tended roof is in half-octagonal shape. It is connected to the rectangular main (rear) hall without internal courtyard in-between. Since the temple is situated on a hill slope, its front hall is built on a granite arched terrace while the main hall with a pitched roof sits on rocks where a big boulder is exposed on the ground surface. Right in the middle of the façade is an arched opening with a balustrade. Access to the temple is through two entrance staircases on left and right ends of the front hall, unlike other traditional Chinese temples with its main entrance in the middle of the façade.
Lin Fa Temple is an important historic landmark to the local community with its strong association with the Fire Dragon Dance of Tai Hang. This traditional event was inscribed onto the third national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. On the 14th day of the eighth lunar month every year, the “fire dragon” (joss sticks planted in a dragon-shaped form) is to be first blessed by Kwun Yam of Lin Fa Temple before starting the parade of the fire dragon throughout the Tai Hang area.
Lin Fa Temple was declared a monument in 2014.