Gee Hing Church, Kolkata加尔各答义兴公司庙

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

India · West Bengal · Kolkata · 13 Black Burn Lane, Kolkata 700012; the entrance is within a side lane, with the temple upstairs

First built

Present site since 1920 · One account traces its origins to 1888; "Gee Hing" is a lodge name of the Hongmen system; the Woo Hip Koon association upstairs has ceased operation

Overview

Gee Hing Church stands at 13 Black Burn Lane; its present building dates from 1920, though its origins are said by some to go back to 1888, and it is dedicated chiefly to Guandi. "Gee Hing" (义兴) is a lodge name commonly used overseas by the Hongmen fraternal system, found widely from Singapore and Malaya to South Asia; such organizations combine the multiple functions of secret society, native-place mutual aid, and the cult of Guandi — the worship of Guandi is directly tied to the ethic of sworn brotherhood in Hongmen, a pattern consistent across Hongmen lodges in Kolkata, Havana, Wellington, and elsewhere, making this an important node for studying the relationship between overseas Chinese associations and the cult of Guandi. The entrance to this temple is hidden within a side lane, reached only by climbing the stairs above a Chen-family carpentry shop; today the ground floor houses an active mahjong club, while the Woo Hip Koon association upstairs has ceased operation. It should be honestly noted: this is a lodge temple whose associational and religious functions are inseparable, and it is not an independent Daoist temple.

Highlights

• Present building dates from 1920; origins said to go back to 1888
• "Gee Hing" is an overseas lodge name of the Hongmen system
• Dedicated chiefly to Guandi, directly tied to the ethic of sworn brotherhood
• The entrance is hidden in a side lane, reached via a carpentry shop
• The Woo Hip Koon association upstairs has ceased operation