Lions, incense and a 107-year-old temple: Chinese New Year in Mumbai

On Chinese New Year this year, inside a modest temple in Mumbai, history, faith and migration folded into one another. Devotees gathered before the image of Lord Kwan Kung—a rare kind of deity who was once fully human, a third-century general remembered not for miracles but for loyalty, justice and moral courage. That his worship continues in a city shaped by centuries of arrival and exchange feels quietly poetic. Fittingly, 2026 marks the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac, a symbol of energy, movement and fierce independence—an echo of the very spirit with which the community continues to carry its traditions forward.

A temple that has watched the city change

At over 107 years old, the Kwan Kung Temple near Dockyard Road stands as one of Mumbai’s oldest living markers of Chinese settlement. Dedicated to Lord Kwan Kung—also known as Guan Yu, later deified for his loyalty, righteousness and sense of justice—the temple reflects a tradition that elevates moral conduct into faith. Established around 1919 by Chinese migrants working in and around the docks, it has long functioned not only as a place of worship but as a cultural anchor, preserving memory, ethics and community in a city shaped by movement and migration.

Inside the three-storey structure, devotion feels almost tangible. A large brass urn at the centre brims with burnt incense sticks, still smouldering, as devotees step forward to light fresh ones, fold their hands and whisper wishes. The altar glows in deep reds and burnished golds, its ornate carvings framing the deity, garlanded with flowers and illuminated by flickering oil lamps. Red fabric, golden motifs and ritual vessels fill every corner, leaving little empty space—visually or spiritually. Despite the crowd, there is patience—an unspoken understanding that everyone will get their moment before the deity.

When the lion takes the street

The celebration spills far beyond ritual, unfolding as a festival of movement and sound. The lion dance—a traditional Chinese performance believed to ward off evil spirits and invite good fortune—lies at the heart of Chinese New Year celebrations. Accompanied by loud drums, cymbals and gongs, the dance symbolises strength, courage and renewal, its vigorous movements meant to cleanse the space for the year ahead.

As the lion leaps and sways, young boys and girls from the Chinese community bring it to life, drawing spectators from different communities into the circle. Clapping, filming and smiling, the crowd responds instinctively to the rhythm. The performance becomes both celebration and assertion—a public expression of cultural continuity in a city long shaped by shared streets and overlapping lives.

‘This is our dance of celebration’

As the performance winds down, one of the young dancers, Naomi Kuo, speaks about the discipline behind the spectacle. “This is our dance of celebration,” she says. “It’s traditional, and we always go through preparation and rehearsals before the New Year. The lion masks are quite heavy, so we have to practise with them well in advance.”

This year’s rehearsals were relatively brief. “Since we had two lions, we rehearsed for about a week. But when there are more lions, along with snakes and other characters, the rehearsals are much longer because the coordination becomes far more complex.”

Tracing the journey, step by step

Naomi’s story mirrors the wider arc of the community itself. Her grandparents migrated from China to Kolkata during the war years, after which her parents moved from Kolkata to Mumbai in search of better opportunities. “My sister and I were born and brought up in Mumbai, but my mother is from Tangra in Kolkata’s Chinatown. We usually travel to Kolkata during the New Year to celebrate with our family and visit our grandparents, but this year we’re here.”

A community that once lived by the docks

The Chinese presence in the city predates the temple. Colonial Bombay’s 1872 census records the Chinese as a small but acknowledged community—traders and workers who carried their gods across the sea along with language, food and memory. Over time, their lives became woven into the city’s working fabric, from dockyards and small neighbourhoods to Chinese dentists once famed across Mumbai for painless tooth-picking treatments.

Still here, still layered

Located along Dockyard Road in Mazgaon—one of Mumbai’s oldest neighbourhoods—the Kwan Kung Temple stands on land layered with histories that predate the Chinese settlement itself. Long before Chinese migrants made this area home, Mazgaon was a koliwada, a fishing settlement inhabited by the indigenous Koli community. That the temple rose here in the early 20th century adds yet another layer to the neighbourhood’s evolving identity, reflecting how successive communities have shaped and reshaped this part of the city over time.

Today, the Chinese community’s presence is thinning, with many from the younger generation moving abroad in search of work and stability. Yet, for one New Year at least, the temple pulsed with drums, incense, movement and prayer—affirming that even as numbers decline, memory endures, and celebration remains an act of staying.

If you want to visit

For Mumbaikars curious about the city’s lesser-known histories—or visitors looking beyond familiar landmarks—the Kwan Kung Temple remains quietly accessible. The over-107-year-old temple is open for prayer every Saturday and Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm, offering a rare window into a living, layered chapter of Mumbai’s multicultural past.

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