Founded in 1886 in Cairns, the Lit Sung Goong (列聖宮 lièshèng gong, (alternatively known as Lit Seng Goong/ Lit Sung Goong/ Hall of Ranking Sages) Temple was the first of two Chinese temples built in Cairns. It fell into disrepair in the 1950s and was demolished in 1966. The Cairns Lit Sung Goong Temple collection of over 250 artefacts, mostly produced in southern China and imported into North Queensland in the late nineteenth century, was salvaged by the local Chinese community.¹ 

The collection includes temple furnishings, statues of deities, processional items, and musical instruments. As one of the most intact Chinese temple collections from Southern China in Australia, it is a significant example of the material culture of Chinese religious practices, and a tangible link to Cairns’ historic Chinatown on Grafton St.² 

Buddhist elements can be found in various items in this collection, including Buddhist characters in a carved wooden altar table, statue of Guan Yin Bodhisattva on a lotus platform, and the rare representation of both Guan Yin and the Daoist deity Bei Di on the same shrine tablet. 

The Cairns and District Chinese Association (CADCAI) is the custodian of the Lit Sung Goong Temple collection. Established in 1978, CADCAI is involved in historical research, cataloguing Lit Sung Goong temple artefacts and other collections, and providing cultural and educational activities including the annual Cairns Chinese Lunar Year Festival. CADCAI is currently building the first Chinese Culture and Heritage Centre (CCHC) in Queensland to hold this nationally significant collection.³  

Opened in November 2015, the Chinese-style Zhanjiang Friendship Garden at Freshwater Lakes celebrates the Sister Cities relationship between Cairns and the Chinese city of Zhanjiang. The garden integrates contemporary and traditional design features to reflect the cultural heritage of the Cairns region. 

By Sioh Yang Tan, Anna Halafoff 

Keywords: Chinese Buddhism, Chinese temples, Guan Yin (bodhisattva), Tourism,