Temple bell, Port Douglas

Temple bell, Port Douglas

Image Courtesy of: Mary Lowe, CADCAI

侯王宮(Hou Wang Gong)---this is temple’s name
坑仔(keng Zai) the place where donor was living there.
⿈嬌(Huang Jiao) the name who donate the bell
啟(Qiˇ/ Ciˇ) presented by
國泰⺠安(Guo Tai Min An)—the country is prosperous and the people live in safety.
光緖弍(貳)拾六年(Guang xu 26 year) it was at the Guang xu year of twenty six(the
year should be 1896 or 1897)
季冬(Ji Dong) The last month of Winter(lunar calendar December)
吉旦(Ji Dan) the first day of the month( in the lunar calendar)
!季冬吉旦(Ji Dong Ji Dan) the first of December
⾵調⾬順(Feng Tiao Yu Shun)"favorable weather

Port Douglas Temple bell inscription

Image Courtesy of: Mary Lowe, CADCAI

侯王宮

Cantonese (Yale): hàuh wòhng gūng
Mandarin (Pinyin): hóu wáng gōng

Meaning:

“Hou Wong Temple” or “Temple of the Marquis King.”
Refers to the Hou Wong (Lord Marquis) — a protective deity, particularly revered among Cantonese communities and in temples across southern China and Southeast Asia.

Port Douglas Temple bell inscription

Image Courtesy of: Mary Lowe, CADCAI

風調雨順

Cantonese (Yale): fūng chìuh yú seuhn
Mandarin (Pinyin): fēng tiáo yǔ shùn

Meaning:

“Favourable winds and timely rain.”
A classic phrase wishing for good weather and harmony—often inscribed on temple bells, altars, and ancestral halls as a prayer for agricultural abundance and prosperity.

See Innisfail Temple Bell.