Wo Hing Temple Museum

There are so many amazing artifacts in such a small space. The sweet woman, Yit, who was working there today is an absolute delight! She is full of knowledge and excited to share with visitors. There is an hour long film about the history of the Chinese in Hawaii, but it is in the old kitchen building that is quite stuffy so we only watched about 15 minutes of it but she said we could come back later and watch more as it plays continuously. $7 admission for ages 13 and up and totally worth it. My kiddos are 12 and 13 and they enjoyed it very much as well.

Chinese in Hawaii and how they immigrated to the US. The original cook house is now used as a theatre showing a film about the Chinese in Hawaii. History is fascinating and you can learn so much. Kamaaina special to visit 4 museums for a nominal price.

10/31/16: 3.5 out of 5 - Interesting little museum of the Chinese Immigrants to Maui. Some ordinary pieces, but there are some interesting pieces of the time. The video loop in the cook shed is fascinating since was a Thomas Edison Film footage. Worth checking out if ever in Lahaina.

Really cool small museum. Check it out if you are into Asian history / history of the islands. The sweet Lady working at the museum invited us to the Obon festival. Amazing! There is also a huge star fruit tree in the courtyard. We asked if we could have a star fruit - omg- best star fruit I’ve ever tasted.

We enjoyed the cultural presentation about the Museum and the New Year, with attractions for children, drumming and the Lion Dance. A happy event where the volunteers were enthusiastic and worked very hard to make everyone feel part of this inclusive celebration.

Had the most incredible experience here. We stumbled upon this museum and temple on accident at first but it was definitely fate that brought us here. We instantly connected with the lovely museum director and learned a lot from her. The impact she left on us is everlasting and we are keeping in touch even when we return to our home on Big Island. Mahalo for such an unforgettable experience, Busaba!

The docent was a wealth of information! She was so personable. Amazing art & history

A piece of history that describes the intersection between Chinese, Hawaiian, and American lives. I understand there is geopolitical and cultural conflict in today's environment. However, this museum focuses on common ground that I feel most can relate despite one's cultural or social backgrounds. Humans are just humans, and there is more in common than differences if we are willing to be empathetic. The curator Dr. Yip is very friendly and knowledgeable. The price of admission is $8 per adult, but you get a PhD that gives you a tour. A small building but it it is packed with history. People are willing to spend hundreds to look at pineapples, so $8 for a doctor to give a personal tour of Chinese Hawaiian American history is worth it. I would highly recommend this place if you are in this area.

A piece of history that describes the intersection between Chinese, Hawaiian, and American lives. I understand there is geopolitical and cultural conflict in today's environment. However, this museum focuses on common ground that I feel most can relate despite one's cultural or social backgrounds. Humans are just humans, and there is more in common than differences if we are willing to be empathetic. The curator Dr. Yip is very friendly and knowledgeable. The price of admission is $8 per adult, but you get a PhD that gives you a tour. A small building but it it is packed with history. People are willing to spend hundreds to look at pineapples, so $8 for a doctor to give a personal tour of Chinese Hawaiian American history is worth it. I would highly recommend this place if you are in this area.

Located at near the end of Front street in Lahaina, Dr Busaba Yip was so friendly and knowledgeable about the museum and it's long history. The place in the back where the movie is shown is over 100 years as is the beautiful mango tree out front w tons of mangos ! The movie shows the history of how the Chinese came to be in Hawaii. Very informative and makes me appreciate my ancestors. There's also a small gift counter where y can purchase nice jade jewelry or jade animals. Dr Yip made the visit worthwhile!

Wo Hing Museum is located on Front Street in the Lahaina Historic District. The building was built in 1912 and it served the growing Chinese population centered in Lahaina, primarily those working in the sugarcane fields. The museum had beautiful art pieces and sculptures and a short film presentation. It is the year of the pig and Chinese New Years so we got to tie a red ribbon on a tree and make a wish. The museum had some great knowledgeable people working to answer any questions and share the history of Chinese sugarcane workers. If you like history this is the place to visit.

It was like going back in time visiting this museum. This was part of our 4 museum pass purchased for $10, $8 for us old farts. Museum shows the history of the Chinese coming to Maui, both through pictures, a motion picture film, Chinese artifacts and cultural memorabilia. Chinese came by boat to Maui, working hard labor in the sugar plantations, in fields and in the mills, in the second half of the 19th century. Lahaina became the home for hundreds of Chinese immigrants. The Wo Hing Society was formed by a group of these men in the early 1900s. This building was a focal point of their activities in the early 20th century. They supported Dr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary efforts in China. The museum shows pictures of those efforts, including group pictures of Chinese businessmen in suits in the early 20th century. My late father was born in China in 1914, and has many black and white pictures of himself at the University in the 1930s and 1940s, very similar to those pictures in the museum. As a Chinese American I can relate to this culture, and feel a bonding with my father's past here, looking at Chinese culture in Maui. The highlight of the visit was watching the some of the very first films ever made, of old Hawaii taken between 1898 and 1906 by Thomas Edison. Background music added to enhance the black and white silent films. I have never been to China, and this is the closest I may get, but it was an moving and memorable experience during my visit to this museum. Now if I can only find buried in my house the $20 DVD of the Thomas Edison film from my previous visit!

Such a fascinating museum. It is small but packed with interesting artifacts from Lahainas past. If you have time ask for a tour. I enjoyed having someone explain to us what was special about their displays. There is a small cookhouse that is packed with interesting articles also. If you have time they run old black & white movies about the area. On Tuesdays they play majong in the court yard we sat & learned how to play which was fun. They have a big celebration on Chinese new Years with a group from Oahu that comes & entertains. There also is a moon festival in Sept.

BUSABA is a very nice lady.We came today at 3:30pm,they are playing movie about sunzhongshan but the movie is 1 hour long.she said we can come back tomorrow for free to finish watching it.It's nice to learn Chinese history in Hawaii.I would say stop by and support this museum.The movies is very interesting and the owner is very nice!

We learn several new and interesting things every time we go to the Wo Hing Museum in Lahaina. The museum / giftshop is small, but has many beautiful and rare treasures on display. Our docent, Dennis Ryan, shared fascinating stories about ancient relics and methods used to make different bowls with beautiful glazes. The cookhouse theater shows videos of the life of early Chinese settlers. It's hard to imaging the chance they took for a life on Maui, working on roads, irrigation systems and sugar plantations. We visited the museum today to see their Year of the Rat celebration with lion dancing. We also had a sweet lady give us a lesson of the game Mahjong. There were also craft tables for kids to make rats and to do calligraphy. Sadly, there was no food for sale this year. The story of the Chinese zodiac was explained. The emperor invited animals to compete in a race for the 12 positions for years in the calendar. They would be placed in the order that they finished the race. Some animals are fast, but need to stick to the path, but others could go cross country. The cat was a favorite to win and the ox was worried. The rat made a deal with the ox, because he knew the ox could run anywhere and crash through obstacles. If he (the rat) could ride on the ox's back and come in 2nd place, he would make sure the cat missed the race. The cat wanted to take a nap (no surprise there), so the rat promised to wake him up before the race started. Of course, it was a trick! The rat rode on the ox and when they were near the finish line, the ox told the rat to get off. The rat said "Look out, here comes the cat!!". The ox got flustered and ran faster. He didn't notice when the rat ran up and jumped ahead, flying off the ox's snout at the finish line to win the race. This also explains why cats hate rats!

This museum was very nice and interesting. The lady presenting the museum was very nice to us and told us the information of the artifacts.

The sugarcane plantation era brought an influx of immigrants to the islands. As is natural, those immigrants banded together and formed their own communities. At its peak, there were six Chinese society halls in Maui. These places hosted social and religious gatherings that gave immigrants a reminder of their old home and allowed them to develop a new one overseas. Today, only two remain in Maui, and Wo Hing Society Hall is now a museum dedicated to preserving that period of history. The two-story building houses a temple on its top floor and a museum and gift shop on its ground floor, which was where the social gatherings once took place. Its cookhouse, separate from the building, now houses memorabilia and shows Thomas Edison's movie clips of the plantation era. It is a small museum, but the artifacts give a good insight on the history of the Chinese American experience in Lahaina. Many may not know this, but Sun Yat-Sen had a bit of a relationship with Maui, which is something you can learn about at this museum. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for senior, military, and kama'aina, but it also includes admission to Baldwin Home Museum. The price is not bad for two museums. The museum is open year-round and also hosts events to celebrate Chinese festivals, such as Chinese New Year. Though Wo Hing Museum is no longer the gathering place it once was, it still gathers people together to keep its Chinese heritage alive.

Beautiful artifacts inside, interesting tour and guide provided great info. Highly recommend taking the tour

I had a wonderful trip to Maui, capped by my trip to the Wo Hing Museum. Jill was an enthusiastic tour guide to this small museum that illustrates the Chinese culture of Maui and the history of Sun Yat-Sen on the island. How Sun got his start on Maui is well explained in photos and wall guides, as are the impact of Maui and Hawaii on the development of his philosophies and the history of his fund-raising to start his democratic movement. I asked Jill a ton of questions about the origins of modern-day Maui in the Chinese and Sun presences and she answered every one with detail and aplomb. She was great to talk to, very engaging! Recommended for all visitors to the island, as well as history buffs! There's an interesting video, too, in the Museum "kitchen" next door, one that's chock full of HI historians sharing interesting historical tidbits about Maui and the islands.

A lovely stop on your visit! A charming museum it was small but sweet! It's a non-for-profit. And the lady is very sweet.

The Wo Hing Museum was one of two historical stops that I made while visiting Lahaina on Saturday, 01/20/2014. The other was the Baldwin House museum. While I have been to Maui plenty of times, I felt like this visit needed to be different. I immediately felt a connection to this place when I saw it. Maybe it was because I'm ethically Chinese. Something like that. It was interesting to see this structure in Maui, but its kind of off the tourist eye, especially when in Maui. You'll get a sense of culture and a dose of history when you come to visit. While there is a donation fee attached to entering, it's basically free. After learning what they do to preserve the building and the history behind it, I donated a few $$ to the cause. The overall experience was inspirational and emotional, to be sure. The story goes that the immigration of Chinese migrant workers to Hawaii in the late 1800's to work in sugarcane lands and farms. Some settled on Oahu, whereas others settled on Maui and in particularly in Lahaina. Over the years, they erected the Wo Hing Temple in Lahaina town as something to identify themselves with in a new land. As times change, people change. The temple fell into disrepair and most recently, the Lahaina Restoration Group strives to maintain the Wo Hing Museum for future generations and visitors. The Wo Hing Museum is located on Dickenson Street in Lahaina town. Cash only for donations, although they accept credit card donations online. You can check the URL on the a Yelp business page, if interested in donating to the cause. I must've spent at most an hour here, after picking up my Maui Ocean Front Marathon race packet nearby at the Pioneer Inn. The decor outside is quintessential Chinese obviously and inside as well. There are numerous displays and exhibits that showcase the history about the Chinese experience in Maui. The heartache of working in the plantations and the sugarcane fields was felt on the faces of the working class. I can't imagine how they can toil like that everyday. I guess what doesn't kill them, makes them stronger. The Wo Hing museum brings back memories of myself as a little kid in Chinatown and in Chinese writing school. Not fond memories, but it was memories that will follow me for the rest of my life. While this museum is definitely off the beaten path for those who come to Maui, it would be good to get in some culture while you are here. While most people enjoy Native Hawaiian culture and practices, seeing how the Chinese immigrants lived in Hawaii during the early 1990's provides a window into the past and reminds us of how fortunate we are to be living in a technologically savvy world. While we have made major strides in our world, we can never forget the sacrifices out forefathers made to get where we are today. The Wo Hing Museum taught me that, as well as other life lessons. The museum is open from 10am to 5pm daily and accepts any monetary donation you have to offer. While I won't recommend coming here, when your plan is to sit on the beach while on Maui, but if you are like me who wants to do a different path, consider spending an hour here and enlighten yourself. Support local! B+

As a kama'aina, you can get into both this museum and the Baldwin Home Museum for a little bit of old Hawai'i history. There's not a whole lot to see but with all of the land development on Oahu, it's nice to see pieces of history on the other islands. It may not be easy for a tourist to appreciate but if you want to get a better understanding of the impact of migration to Hawai'i for the missionaries and plantation workers, then this is a place to see. As a descendant of the Chinese migrants to Hawai'i during this time period, this is an important stop for me.

Provides a short bit of history regarding the Chinese in Lahaina/Maui and the evolution of the community - including both the temple itself and the cookhouse, the latter of which is used as a small theater for the museum. I paid for a ticket for the Baldwin Home Museum and visited the Wo Hing Museum as well, since you can get entry to both in the same day with the ticket. Both are a nice bit of cultural history, especially when you're visiting or staying in a more historic type of setting such as Lahaina. I wouldn't say this is a "don't miss"-location. My friend and I just happened to be renting a condo in Lahaina for our vacation, so I took the opportunity to visit the museum when I had the chance. If you you have the free time and/or enjoy diving into local history though? By all means, make a visit. It's small though.

Very nice collection of furniture, jade pieces, and various antique items. Interesting films from Thomas Edison about plantation life and harvesting sugarcane crops. Very close to the Baldwin house and the Banyan tree park. Would recommend buying the passport to four museums and visiting these two on the same day. You'll enjoy a nice leisurely walk through Lahaina on Front Street.

It's a small little Chinese museum. It's interesting and they have beautiful sculptures outside.

Was very interesting to talk with the gal overseeing this place. Always love to ask about their travels and what brought them to this beautiful island. Hopefully one day I will be able to tell a story on why I decided to live here as well!

Quaint but tiny museum. If you are lucky, collector Dennis Ryan will be in and can answer virtually all of your questions regarding the antiquities housed there. In fact it would be worth it to call to check on whether he will be in when you visit. Old firms in the cookhouse show the Hawaii of old. Very interesting history of the chinese presence and influence on the island of Maui.

It is interesting to see the historical artifacts, but the price of admission is not worth what's available to see.

it's small, but still it's maybe all that's left or maybe there are no volunteers around. at any rate, did not know the Chinese came here to work as slaves on the sugar plantations. the more I travel around to different places in the world, the more similarities I see.

This was one of the most interesting places I visited while on the island. Plus the staff was helpful in helping me find vegan places to eat while there

Preserved Chinese society building provides history of Chinese on Maui. Small collection located in main building. The cookhouse is way more interesting- with early movies of Hawaii taken by Thomas Edison in 1898 and 1906! And the cooking setup shows the Chinese community's use of the facility.

The museum is basically half a room with another room with a screen that shows some old video. I didn't think $7 per person was worth it.

To be clear, I didn't go into the museum part so I can't comment on the museum itself. But in the front of the museum there is a little shopping area which I adored. First the asian woman behind the cash register was so cute. She reminded us there was 'no tax' because they are a non-profit. So of course we had to buy things. Everything was very affordable. I bought Hawaiian incense, a Chinese hand wallet and a stick to put my hair up for a mere $13. Can't beat that! I encourage you, if you are on Lahaina Front Street, stop in the little shop in front of the Chinese museum and support them with a small purchase! They are a non-profit afterall and there is no sales tax!

On my second trip to Lahaina, I wanted to check out the historical areas. After first checking out the Baldwin House, we walked farther down Front Street to get to Wo Hing Museum (two museums for the price of one - military and kama'aina discounts available). We did a quick self-guided tour - yes, the museum is small, but still neat to me. The Chinese came to Hawaii by whaling / trading ships and later for sugar mills / plantations - labor. The museum was the site of the social meeting hall for ex-pats (only the first story was available for touring). Inside the cookhouse, or community kitchen, were showing movie clips 1898-1906 made by the Thomas Edison - neat to see early Hawaii before today's hustle and bustle. In future visits I'm hoping to check out more historic spots taken care of by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

This was a very cool place to check out and take the tour when we were in Maui. It was really interesting to see all the items and watch the video to learn even more. It really is a good spot to stop and learn a little history! The lady at the front desk was so charming also