Pak Tai Temple

The Pak Tai Temple on Cheung Chau Island is a Daoist sanctuary dedicated to the polar-star god Pak Tai, founded in the 18th century. Legend holds that fishermen from Hoi Fung brought a Pak Tai statue to the island during a plague, after which the epidemic subsided. Each May the temple hosts the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, where three towers of soft buns are erected and climbers race to pluck lucky buns from the top. The festival has been listed as Chinese intangible heritage since 2011. Inside, iron swords from the Song dynasty and a bronze dragon are kept, and the forecourt is the stage for lion and dragon dances during the processions.