Sketching at Hau Wong Temple 侯王廟甲午冬祭

I went to a religious gathering at the Hau Wong Temple near Lok Fu this afternoon. In the gathering, Hongkongers came forward to offer joss sticks and prayers in front of Hau Wong, the general who protected the last emperor "Emperor Bing of Song" of the Southern Song Dynasty who fled to Hong Kong. The Southern Song Dynasty ended in 1279 as the Mongols conquered all of China.

The gathering was organised by Hong Kong Resurgence Order
http://hkresurgence.com

Origin of the Temple (Info from Chinese Temples Committee)

There are different versions of the temple's history. Some believe that it was built to commemorate Yeung Leung Jit, a loyal follower and a marquis of the last Emperors of the Southern Sung Dynasty who fled with the royal family to Kowloon driven by the Mongols. A stone tablet at the courtyard, written by Chan Pak To, a Chinese scholar and officer in the late Qing Dynasty provided an account of the story. Others believe that the temple was built in memory of a villager surnamed Yeung who had cured the Emperor of the Southern Sung of an illness when the emperor family fled to Kowloon City.

今午前往九龍侯王廟冬祭，眾人上香禱告，祈求復興香港。

香港復興會甲午冬祭

http://hkresurgence.com

建廟緣起 （資料來自華人廟宇委員會）

廟宇緣起可謂眾說紛紜，有指本廟所祀的楊侯，為南宋功臣楊亮節，因襄助宋帝昺南逃九龍，護駕有功，世人建廟以作紀念，詳情可見廟前庭院牆上，由前清遺老陳伯陶所撰的碑文；也有人認為侯王就是為宋帝昺治病的楊二伯公。