Pak Tai Temple

This colourful and recently restored temple from 1783 is the oldest on the island and is the focus of the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival in late April or early May. It is dedicated to the Taoist deity Pak Tai, the ‘Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven’, military protector of the state, guardian of peace and order, and protector of fisherfolk. Legend tells that early settlers from Guangdong province brought an image of Pak Tai with them to Cheung Chau and, when the statue was carried through the village, Cheung Chau was spared the plague that had decimated the populations of nearby islands. A temple dedicated to the saviour was built six years later.