A working Taoist temple on Yale Street dedicated to Mazu (Thien Hau), the goddess of the sea, built and maintained by LA's Chinese-Vietnamese community. The courtyard and main hall are dense with red lanterns, hanging incense coils, and gilded altars, and the temple is genuinely used — visitors should be quiet and respectful rather than treat it as a photo backdrop.
It comes alive at Lunar New Year, when hundreds of red lanterns are strung overhead and the street fills for one of the most atmospheric celebrations in the city. At any time of year it is a calm, fragrant counterpoint to the tourist plazas nearby.