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A photograph of Yiu Ming Temple
Photograph · Sardaka (talk) 08:05, 25 April 2013 (UTC) · CC BY 3.0

Place of worship · Sydney

Yiu Ming Temple

Standing
High · Heritage site
Rank
Rank 253 of 18,875
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Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About Yiu Ming Temple

Yiu Ming Temple is a heritage-listed Chinese temple at 16–22 Retreat Street, Alexandria, an inner suburb of Sydney. Built in 1908–1909, it is one of the oldest surviving Chinese temples in Australia and a globally rare intact example of the traditional Chinese village temple form. Its common name comes from Gaoyao and Gaoming, the two districts of Guangdong province from which its founding community came; its formal name is Hung Sheng Gong, as its principal deity is the sea god Hung Shing. The community's first temple, Hung Fook Tong, was built in Arncliffe in 1870. The temple was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 24 September 1999.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

A photograph of Yiu Ming Temple
Photograph · Sardaka (talk) 08:08, 25 April 2013 (UTC) · CC BY 3.0
A photograph of Yiu Ming Temple
Photograph · Sardaka (talk) 07:51, 26 April 2013 (UTC) · CC BY 3.0

What's inside

The temple remains much as it was when it was built, and most of its internal fittings date from that time; further work on the interior was done in 1917. The walls are of red-faced brick, originally tuck-pointed, and the internal floor is of tessellated tiles with a white marble edging. Many internal details are of timber, and the doors and fittings, including the main altar, are original. A roof lantern lights and ventilates the space above a sunken floor section designed for burning incense and oil. The figurative ceramic roof tiles were imported from the Foshan ceramic works. The temple is the centre of the Yiu Ming society, one of the oldest and largest Chinese societies in Sydney.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

A photograph of Yiu Ming Temple
Photograph · Sardaka (talk) 07:54, 26 April 2013 (UTC) · CC BY 3.0
A photograph of Yiu Ming Temple
Photograph · Sardaka (talk) 08:02, 25 April 2013 (UTC) · CC BY 3.0

Place details and sources

Type of place
Place of worship OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Heritage designation
Heritage Act — State Heritage Register Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Religion
Buddhist OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article
Yiu Ming Temple Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09

Common questions

How old is Yiu Ming Temple?

It was built in 1908–1909 and is one of the oldest surviving Chinese temples in Australia.

Which deity is worshipped here?

The sea god Hung Shing, which is why the temple's formal name is Hung Sheng Gong.

Where it is

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Nearby

Within 33 min on foot
  • White Rabbit Gallery 1 hour
    23 min walk

    White Rabbit Gallery

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    26 min walk

    Brett Whiteley Studio

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  • Capitol Theatre 1 hour
    33 min walk

    Capitol Theatre

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In Sydney

Same category

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Last updated:

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·