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Wong Tai Sin Temple

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sr92111
sr92111
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Editor Pick

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

  • May 3, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by writeonthespot from Bacolod, Philippines
Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

I’ve never been to all the temples in Hong Kong bur so far, among the ones I’ve visited, this is probably the grandest temple I have visited. From the entrance, there is a walkway that slopes upward. There’s a water fountain in one of the gardens. A few steps going up lead to the colorful main temple with an open square where devotees pray and worship. The temple sits in an 18,00 square-meter lot that is located in a serene setting within the metropolis. What makes Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple a popular place is that it allows three major religions in China, which are Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, to be practiced in this temple. Believers say that if you pray earnestly to the gods, your request would be granted. The temple got its name from a monk named Wong Tai Sin who believed to have become a deity at Heng Shan or Red Pine Hill in his afterlife.

Then in 1915, Ling Ren-an, who was a Taoist priest, brought in from Guangdong to Hong Kong Wong Tai Sin’s sacred picture. Wong Tai Sin’s photo can now be seen displayed at the main altar of the temple where faithfuls come and pray. Apart from the altar, there is also the Three Saints Hall that displays the gods Lu Zu, Guan Yin and Guan Di. Across the temple is the Wong Tai Sin Fortune-Telling and Oblation Arcade where fortune-tellers, some of them offer English services, line up to wait for customers who want to know their future. It’s easy to go to Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple. Just rake the MTR and get off at the Wong Tai Sin Station and exit at B2 or B3 and you will find at the gate of the temple.

From journal Holy Week in Hong Kong

Editor Pick

Wong Tai Sin Temple

  • February 28, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Ed Hahn from Hong Kong, China
Wong Tai Sin Temple

Visiting this temple after 14 years in Hong Kong reminds me of the lifelong New Yorker who never visited the Statue of Liberty. I‘m glad I finally managed to see this shrine.

This is one of the most famous temples in Hong Kong, dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. According to legend, as a shepherd boy of 15, he was taught by an immortal to refine cinnabar into a medicine capable of curing all illnesses. He spent the next 40 years in seclusion perfecting this technique before emerging as a healer. His brother found him after spending years searching for him and the sheep in his care. Wong Tai Sin allegedly changed white boulders into sheep to replace those he had lost. There’s a beautiful white jade statue here commemorating that feat. Today, he is revered by Taoists concerned about their physical health and the health of their relationships and businesses.

Liang Ren-an, a Taoist priest, brought the sacred portrait of Wong Tai Sin from Guangdong to Hong Kong in 1915. Following several relocations, the Wong Tai Sin Temple was formally established by at its present site in 1921. It was originally private but has been open to the public since 1956. In somewhat typical Chinese fashion, it combines three religions or practices, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, but is considered basically to be a Taoist Temple.

The complex is actually managed by an organization called Sik Sik Yuen, from the original name for the village that stood here 100 years ago. It can be confusing, as some guidebooks refer to it by that name. Locally, it is known as Wong Tai Sin Temple.

We were here 1 day before the Lunar New Year celebration. It was crowded but not as overwhelming as it would be the next day. The incense smoke was so heavy in spots, it kind of got to us. We first visited the Main Altar, where the portrait of Wong Tai Sin presides. Other than the praying and incense burning, it was most interesting seeing all the food that was carried there to be blessed, including dozens of roasted baby pigs.

There is much to see here. We spent over an hour just wandering. The beautiful gardens are outstanding and not crowded. I was impressed by the existence of this oasis of calm and beauty in the middle of a densely populated urban area.

On the grounds, there are over 100 fortune tellers specializing in every kind of soothsaying: fortune sticks, I Ching, palm and face reading, astrology, Feng Shui, etc. Some offer their services in English. The place was so busy, we didn’t have our fortunes told—next time.

We were also impressed with the Nine-Dragon Wall, modeled after one in Beijing; the Good Wish Garden; the Bronze Pavilion; the Memorial Archways; and the traditional architecture of all the buildings.

Access the Sik Sik Yuen website for information on hours, etc.

From journal Hong Kong, My Hometown

Wong Tai Sin Monastery

  • March 7, 2001
  • Rated 3 of 5 by sr92111 from Stratford, Connecticut
The Wong Tai Sin Monastery is a great place to spend a couple of hours. One of the best parts about it is the proximity to the enormous buildings around it, but the feeling that you are out in the middle of nowhere. It has amazing gardens filled with turtles (they're good luck) and all sorts of fountains. There is also an altar where you can find many people burning incense and shaking cans of sticks (I think they are called jaw sticks) in order to discern their fortunes. A cultural place that should not be missed.

From journal Hong Kong

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