God Man is the patron deity of civil servants and literature. God Mo is the go-to god for martial arts and war. For this reason, members of both the police force and triad secret societies worship at Man Mo Temples. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, students studying for civil examinations were sure to make a point of visiting a Man Mo Temple to ask for success in passing their tests.

This Man Mo Temple, one of many in Hong Kong, is Hong Kong Island’s oldest temple, built in 1847 as one of the new colony’s first traditional temples. The Taoist temple served as a worshipping center for Chinese merchants and residents in the Central and Sheung Wan districts. It contains some historic relics, including two imperial sedan chairs carved in the 1860s that were once used to carry god statues through the neighborhood.