Tay Kak Sie is the oldest Chinese temple in Semarang, founded in 1746 by the Chinese community that settled around the port. It is a working temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin) and several other deities, and the incense coils hanging from the rafters give it the characteristic hazy, fragrant atmosphere of old Chinese religious spaces.
The temple sits in Gang Lombok, the heart of Semarang's Pecinan (Chinatown) district, surrounded by traditional shophouses and small traders. It is busiest in the early morning, when worshippers come before work, and during Chinese festivals. The Pecinan itself is worth wandering for its street food — lumpia (spring rolls) and bandeng presto (pressure-cooked milkfish) are the local specialties that originated in the Chinese-Javanese community here.
The temple is open to visitors during daylight hours. The surrounding Pecinan streets are best explored in the morning before the heat peaks.