[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.

[1] The temple closed in 1955 and reopened on May 4, 1975,[2] after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 had caused a rejuvenation of San Francisco's Chinatown.

[1] 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.