Although initially built with Tin Hau as their central focus, she is not the sole focus of many Tin Hau temples. In addition to Tin Hau, these sites house additional shrines to other Taoist or Buddhist figures. For example, at Yau Ma Tei, there are altars to the earth god, Tou Tei, and the city god, Shing Wong. The temple there also serves as a popular place to seek blessings during the Kwun Yum Treasury Festival--a celebration held in the name of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. In this way, we see even Buddhist images seeping into Tin Hau temples. This phenomenon is not isolated and is apparent in even the oldest Tin Hau temple--that at Joss House Bay--where shrines to the Laughing Buddha and Lady Golden Flower (Patron of Pregnant Women) have been constructed.

Thus, we can see the diversity and syncretism contained within a single temple. The prevalence of Guanyin and other figures may be explained by the fact that, over time, the religions of Buddhism and Taoism borrowed popular deities from each other in attempts to attract new devotees. Connections were even forged between the deities of disparate religions. In Tin Hau's case, her presence in Buddhist temples was justified by legends that claimed her parents had prayed to Guanyin for a son but that she had answered their prayers with the birth of another daughter. It was then believed that Tin Hau was actually a reincarnation of Guanyin on earth, and she is said to have been particularly devoted to Guanyin as a child. Consequently, Tin Hau is now recognized and respected in both Taoist and Buddhist pantheons, with some Buddhists believing Tin Hau to be one of Guanyin's manifestations (Irwin 63).

Practically speaking, the two figures do have much in common--their central characteristics being their motherly presence and their astounding mercy and compassion. With the inclusion of Buddhist figures, such as Guanyin, in Tin Hau temples and vice versa, we can see how the competition between belief systems bred, not separation, but a sort of religious hybridity. The inclusive nature of these sites speaks to the various cultural influences, religious and otherwise, that have ultimately shaped Hong Kong.