Lit Sung Goong Temple Site and Collection, Cairns凯恩斯列圣宫遗址与文物收藏

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Australia · Queensland · Cairns · The former site was in Cairns's old Chinatown; the artifacts are now held by the Chinese Association of Cairns and District (CADCAI)

First built

Founded 1886–1887 · Fell into disrepair in the 1950s and was demolished in 1964; it must be noted that the temple no longer stands, only its collection of artifacts survives

Overview

The Cairns Lit Sung Goong was founded in 1886–1887 as the main temple of the Chinese community during the North Queensland gold-rush and settlement era; it was known locally as "Joss House No. 1," its principal deity Guanyin, with the assembled deities also venerated. Cairns had several Chinese temples over time; the second was destroyed by fire in 1927, and the Lit Sung Goong itself fell into disrepair in the 1950s and was demolished in 1964; it must be made clear that this temple no longer stands, and what survives today is its collection of artifacts, not the building. The Lit Sung Goong collection held by the Chinese Association of Cairns and District (CADCAI) numbers more than two hundred and forty items, including images, altar tables, carved partition screens, glass paintings, palace lanterns, printed and divination implements, processional regalia and wooden furniture, mostly of metal, wood and glass, most made in southern China in the late nineteenth century and shipped to North Queensland; it has been assessed as a collection of national significance, and is a rare body of material evidence for the study of the physical forms of Chinese Australian religious practice.

Highlights

• Founded 1886–1887, principal deity Guanyin
• Demolished in 1964; the temple no longer stands
• More than 240 artifacts held by CADCAI
• Assessed as a collection of national significance
• Mostly made in southern China in the late nineteenth century and shipped over