Wo Hing Museum

In 1906, the Chinese living in Lahaina came together to create a Hawaiian branch of the Chee Kung Tong fraternal society called the Wo Hing Society. The members of this society were primarily Hawaiian ancestors of the Chinese immigrants brought to Hawaii to work in the sugarcane fields in 1788. These Chinese ancestors came together nearly 100 years later in search of a fraternity where they could share common beliefs and traditions. It was because of this need for community that they formed the Wo Hing Society. As the society flourished, the members needed a new space to accommodate their growing community; using private donations the society built a temple on Front Street to serve as a meeting place and religious space for all Wo Hing gatherings.

However, when the Second World War began the Chinese population began to decline. Eventually, the Chinese left Maui in search of work on the business-centric Oahu. The temple unfortunately suffered as the Chinese populate dwindled. Overgrown with weeds, faded by the sun, and abandoned by everything but the termites, the Wo Hing Temple was thought to be near-collapse in the 1970s. It wasn’t until in 1983, when the Lahaina Restoration Foundation stepped forward, that the temple got its second chance at life.

Today, the temple welcomes visitors as a museum. Completely renovated and filled with valuable Chinese artifacts, this museum is a bold representation of the Chinese history in Hawaii. Visitors can make an offering at the Taoist alter, view hundreds of artifacts and inspect the cookhouse where they can view films of Hawaii made by Thomas Edison in the early 1900s.



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