| Tin How Temple | |
| Native Name: | 天后古廟 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh |
| Map Type: | United States San Francisco Central#United States San Francisco Bay Area |
| Coordinates: | 37.7946°N -122.4071°W |
| Religious Affiliation: | Taoism |
| Location: | 125 Waverly Pl |
| Festivals: | --> |
| Municipality: | San Francisco |
| District: | Chinatown |
| State: | California |
| Country: | USA |
| Organizational Status: | --> |
| Date Destroyed: | --> |
| Elevation Ft: | --> |
The Tin How Temple (also spelled Tianhou Temple,) is the oldest extant Taoist temple in San Francisco's Chinatown, and one of the oldest still-operating Chinese temples in the United States.[1] It is dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, who is known as Tin How (天后, Empress of Heavens) in Cantonese.[2]
The temple was purportedly founded in roughly 1852 or 1853,[3] reportedly at its current location by Day Ju, one of the first Chinese people to arrive in San Francisco.[4] The building was later destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, with the image of the goddess, the temple bell, and part of the altar surviving. By then, ownership of the building site had transitioned to the Sue Hing Benevolent Association,[5] which reopened it in 1910 on the top floor of a four-story building it built on the site. The temple closed in 1955 and reopened on May 4, 1975, after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 had caused a rejuvenation of San Francisco's Chinatown.
In May 2010, the one-hundredth anniversary of the temple was celebrated by a religious procession through the streets in the neighborhood, including dances and fireworks. The temple is a significant landmark in Chinatown; the Chinese name for Waverly Place is .
The temple is open daily between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M., excepting holidays.[6] Admission is free with permission from the attendant, and donations are accepted. Photography is not allowed inside the temple.
Although both temples are dedicated to Mazu, the Tin How Temple is not to be confused with the "Ma-Tsu Temple of U.S.A." two blocks north of it, which was founded in 1986 with affiliation to the Chaotian Temple in Taiwan. There is also another temple that is dedicated to Mazu in Los Angeles's Chinatown which is known as Thien Hau Temple (Los Angeles).