Temple Chinois Kanti, Papeete帕皮提关帝庙

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

French Polynesia · Tahiti · Papeete · Mamao district, Papeete.

First built

First built c. 1860; present temple completed 30 May 1987 · The old temple was destroyed by fire on 20 May 1981; the present temple was designed by the Taiwanese architect and geomancer M. Liaw.

Overview

The Kanti Temple (Kanti being the Cantonese pronunciation of Guandi) is the only Chinese temple on Tahiti, located in the Mamao district of Papeete. Records indicate that an earlier temple stood on the same site as early as around 1860, before the first Chinese laborers arrived at the Atimaono cotton plantation in 1865; the old temple was a simple rectangular structure with plank walls and a corrugated-iron roof, without upturned eaves, its religious character indicated only by decoration along the ridge. The old temple burned down on 20 May 1981, and the present temple was completed on 30 May 1987, designed according to fengshui principles by a Taiwanese architect and geomancer surnamed Liaw, with red columns, green walls, and double-eaved roofs of red glazed tile; the color scheme carries clear symbolism — red for good fortune, green for hope, and yellow-orange for wealth. Two white marble lion statues before the entrance were a gift from the Chinese government, along with dragon ornamentation. The temple preserves deity images, ritual implements, porcelain vessels and prints brought by the first Chinese immigrants at the end of the nineteenth century. The Chinese of French Polynesia are predominantly Hakka, and during the Chinese New Year this temple serves as the gathering center for the island's entire Chinese community.

Highlights

• The only Chinese temple on Tahiti
• An earlier temple stood on the same site as early as around 1860
• Rebuilt in 1987 after a fire in 1981
• Designed by a Taiwanese architect according to fengshui principles
• Preserves ritual implements brought by immigrants at the end of the nineteenth century