HK: Nunnery and Temple in New Territories

On day two we had a couple hours in the morning so we headed out to the New Territories (the northern part of Hong Kong), which really isn't that far.

We went to the Chi Lin Nunnery.

We both love architecture and this is an amazing complex.

The Entrance

The Chi Lin Nunnery was founded in 1934 but was rebuilt in 1990. The present-day buildings are wood frame buildings built without the use of any iron nails. This construction is based on traditional Chinese architectural techniques dating from the Tang Dynasty that uses special interlocking systems cut into the wood to hold them in place. The Chi Lin Nunnery buildings are the only buildings to be built in this style in modern day Hong Kong. The buildings are constructed of yellow cedar shipped from Canada, which endeared the buildings to Ben all the more.

The complex is centered on a courtyard filled with lotus ponds.

Opposite the nunnery is the Nan Lian Garden.

The garden is also spectacular.

They are landscaped according to the Tang style as well.

Next we headed one MTR stop on our way back to the Wong Tai Sin Temple.

The temple is described as a miraculous structure because it survived

Japanese occupation in the 1940s and remained unscathed.

This is outside the complex, where you can buy incense sticks.

Wikipedia says, "Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the most famous shrines in Hong Kong. It is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The 18,000-m² Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called Kau Cim. They light incense sticks (what they are doing here), kneel before the main altar, make a wish, and shake a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshiper. Often the same piece of fortune is taken to multiple booths for verification purposes."

I don't have any photos of the main buildings. We were in a hurry and didn't go in that far. This is just a little pagoda to give you an idea of the style of the Taoist Temple. The temple complex serves three major religions Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

This is the wall along the path at the entrance that leads up to the complex. We are not sure what they are writing. I assume, based on what I read, that they are making a wish of some sort and recording the fortune from the paper here. Anyone know? We thought these two places were definitely worth a visit and they are very close to each other so you can easily do both in one trip. Nothing is too far from the city and it was neat to go to the new territories. They reminded us a bit of Russia.

We then went back for naptime so we could take turns attending a session. Samara loved her cot. She is obsessed with pink so she was in heaven!

We also learned that she loves sleeping with a pillow.