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10,000 Buddhas Monastery
Perched on Po Fook Hill about 500m northwest of Sha Tin KCR East Rail station, this quirky temple is well worth a visit. Built in the 1950s, the complex actually contains more than 10,000 Buddhas - some 12,800 miniature statues line the walls of the main temple. Dozens of life-sized golden statues of Buddha's followers flank the steep steps leading to the monastery complex.
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Che Kung Temple
This large Taoist temple complex, built in 1993, is on the opposite bank of the Shing Mun River channel in Tai Wai. It's dedicated to Che Kung, a Song-dynasty general credited with ridding Sha Tin of the plague; you'll see an enormous and quite powerful statue of the good general in the main temple to the left as you enter the complex. The main courtyard, flanked by eight statues of Taoist immortals, is always a hive of activity.
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Chi Lin Nunnery
One of the most beautiful and arresting built environments in Hong Kong, this large Buddhist complex, originally dating from the 1930s, was rebuilt completely of wood in the style of the Tang dynasty in 1998. It is a serene place, with lotus ponds, immaculate bonsai tea plants and bougainvillea and silent nuns delivering offerings of fruit and rice to Buddha and arhats (Buddhist disciple freed from the cycle of birth and death) or chanting behind intricately carved screens.
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Ching Chung Temple
Ching Chung Koon (Green Pine Temple) is a peaceful Taoist temple complex northwest of Tuen Mun town centre. The main temple, which is on the left at the far end of the complex past rows of bonsai trees, bamboo and ponds, is dedicated to Lu Sun Young, one of the eight immortals of Taoism who lived in the 8th century. Flanking a statue of him are two of his disciples.
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Chuk Lam Sim Monastery
Chuk Lam Sim Yuen (Bamboo Forest Monastery) is one of the most impressive temple complexes in Hong Kong. The temple was completed in 1932 when an aged monk was told by Tou Tei, the earth god, to build it. Ascend the flight of steps to the first temple, walk to the back and enter the second. This second temple contains three of the largest golden Buddhas in the territory (though mere shadows of the big one on Lantau Island).
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Fung Ying Sin Temple
The main attraction in the area is this huge Taoist temple complex opposite the Fanling KCR East Rail station, and connected to it by an overhead walkway and subway. It has wonderful exterior murals of Taoist immortals and the Chinese zodiac, an orchard terrace, herbal clinic and a vegetarian restaurant (ground & 1st fls, Bldg A7; - ). Most important are the dozen ancestral halls behind the main temple, where the ashes of the departed are deposited in what might be described as miniature tombs, complete with photographs.
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Hung Shing Temple
Nestled in a leafy nook on the southern side of Queen's Rd East, this narrow and dark temple (which is also called Tai Wong Temple) is built atop huge boulders in honour of a Tang-dynasty official who was well known for his virtue (important) and ability to make predictions of great value to traders (ultra-important).
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Kat Hing Wai
This tiny village is 500 years old and was walled in some time during the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644). It contains just one main street, off which a host of dark and narrow alleyways lead. There are quite a few new buildings and retiled older ones in the village. A small temple stands at the end of the street.
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Kowloon Mosque & Islamic Centre
North of the intersection of Nathan and Haiphong Rds, the Kowloon Mosque & Islamic Centre is the largest Islamic house of worship in Hong Kong. The present building, with its dome and carved marble, was completed in 1984 to serve the territory's 70,000-odd Muslims, more than half of whom are Chinese, and can accommodate 2000 worshippers. It occupies the site of a mosque built in 1896 for Muslim Indian troops.
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Man Mo Temple
This temple is one of the oldest and most famous in Hong Kong. The Man Mo, literally 'Civil and Military', is dedicated to the two deities of aforementioned attributes. Inside the temple are two antique chairs shaped like houses, used to carry the two gods at festival time. The smell of incense coils suspended from the roof permeates the air.
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Miu Fat Monastery
Miu Fat Monastery in Lam Tei, due north of Tuen Mun town centre, is one of the most well-kept and attractive Buddhist complexes in the territory. Guarding the entrance to the main temple are two stone lions and two stone elephants, and there are attractive gardens outside. This is an active monastery that preserves more of a traditional character than many smaller temples; you'll see Buddhist nuns in droves wearing brown robes.
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Ngong Ping
Perched 500m up in the western hills of Lantau is the Ngong Ping Plateau, a major drawcard for Hong Kong day-trippers and foreign visitors alike, especially since 1993, when one of the world's largest statues of Buddha was unveiled here. Po Lin (Precious Lotus; ; - ) is a huge Buddhist monastery and temple complex that was originally built in 1924. Today it is a fairground as much as a religious retreat, attracting many visitors.
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Ohel Leah Synagogue
This renovated Moorish Romantic temple, completed in 1902 when that style of architecture was all the rage in Europe, is named after Leah Gubbay Sassoon, matriarch of a wealthy (and philanthropic) Sephardic Jewish family that traced its roots back to the beginning of the colony. Be sure to bring some sort of ID if you plan to visit the sumptuous interior.
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Pak Tai Temple
This colourful and recently renovated temple from 1783 is the oldest on the island and is the focus of the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival in late April or early May. It is dedicated to the Taoist deity Pak Tai, the 'Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven', military protector of the state, guardian of peace and order and protector of fisherfolk.
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Shui Tau Tsuen
This 17th-century village, 15 minutes' walk north of Kam Tin Rd and signposted, is famous for its prow-shaped roofs decorated with dragons and fish along the ridges. Tiny traditional houses huddle inside Shui Tau Tsuen's walls. The Tang Kwong U Ancestral Hall (; - , - Wed, Sat & Sun) and, just north of it, the Tang Ching Lok Ancestral Hall in the middle of the village, were built in the early 19th century for ancestor worship.
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Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
An explosion of colourful pillars, roofs, lattice work, flowers and incense, this busy temple is a destination for all walks of Hong Kong society, from pensioners to businessmen, parents and young professionals.
Some come simply to pray, others to divining the future with chìm, bamboo 'fortune sticks' that are shaken out of a box on to the ground and then read by a fortune-teller, which are available for free to the left of the main temple.
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St John's Cathedral
Consecrated in 1849, this Anglican cathedral is one of the very few colonial structures still standing in Central. Criticised for blighting the colony's landscape when it was first erected, St John's is now lost in the forest of skyscrapers that make up Central. The tower was added in 1850 and the chancel extended in 1873.
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Tai Miu Temple
Further south along Tai Au Mun Rd is this ancient temple dedicated to Tin Hau. It is said to have been first built in the 13th century by two brothers from Fujian in gratitude to the goddess for having spared their lives during a storm at sea. It is particularly busy during the Tin Hau birthday festival in late April/early May.
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Tai Ping Shan Temples
Tai Ping Shan, one of the first areas to be settled by Chinese after the founding of the colony, has several small temples clustered around where Tai Ping Shan St meets Pound Lane. Kwun Yam Temple (34 Tai Ping Shan St) honours the goddess of mercy, Kun Iam - the Taoist equivalent of the Virgin Mary. Further to the northwest, Pak Sing Ancestral Hall (42 Tai Ping Shan St) was originally a storeroom for bodies awaiting burial in China.
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Tai Po Market
This street-long outdoor wet market is a stone's throw from the Hong Kong Railway Museum and is one of the busiest and most interesting markets in the New Territories. Towards the northern end of the same street, the double-hall Man Mo Temple (; - ) is a major centre of worship for the Tai Po area. It was founded in the late 19th century and, like the Man Mo Temple found in Sheung Wan, it is dedicated to the gods of literature and of war.
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Temples & Shrines
At the western end of Stanley Main St, past a tiny Tai Wong shrine and through the modern shopping complex called Stanley Plaza, is a Tin Hau temple (119 Stanley Main St; ; - ), built in 1767 and said to be the oldest building in Hong Kong. It has undergone a complete renovation since then, however, and is now a concrete pile, though the interior is traditional.
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Tin Hau Temples
Cheung Chau has four temples dedicated to Tin Hau, the empress of heaven and patroness of seafarers. Pak She Tin Hau Temple lies 100m northwest of the Pak Tai Temple. Nam Tan Wan Tin Hau temple is just north of Morning Beach; Tai Shek Hau Tin Hau temple is to the west on Sai Wan Rd. Sai Wan Tin Hau temple is west of Sai Wan (Western Bay), on the southwestern tip of the island. You can walk there or catch a kaido from the cargo pier.
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Trappist Monastery
Northeast of Mui Wo and south of Discovery Bay at Tai Shui Hang is the Roman Catholic Lady of Joy Abbey - better known as the Trappist Monastery. The monastery is known throughout Hong Kong for its cream-rich milk, sold in half-pint bottles everywhere, but, alas, the cows have been moved to the New Territories and Trappist Dairy Milk now comes from over the border in China.
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Western Monastery
A short distance down from the Yuen Yuen Institute, the Buddhist Western Monastery offers a sharp contrast to what's going on up the hill. This is a tranquil complex in which to pass the time, observing points of interest both architectural and spiritual. After being greeted by a Bodhisattva statue in the entrance, the main building lies behind, styled as a classical Chinese palace.
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Yuen Yuen Institute
Stuffed with vivid statuary of Confucian and Buddhist deities, this is very much on the tourist trail but well worth a visit nonetheless. The main building is a (vague) replica of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. On the upper ground floor are three Taoist immortals seated in a quiet hall; walk down to the lower level to watch as crowds of the faithful pray and burn offerings to the 60 incarnations of Taoist saints lining the walls.
Showing 1-25 of 25 results
