All about Sheep and those damn Monkeys.

Wong Tai Sin Temple.

Today I decided to revisit Wong Tai Sin Temple. I've been here twice before. The first time must have been around twenty years ago. I did not really like it; it was so crowded we could hardly move there. I think we went on a Sunday which would be the busiest time. Then I went again last year and found that the whole place was being renovated, so I could hardly see any of it. Yesterday I decided to give it another go and I'm really glad that I did. The renovation is finished. The temple is looking superb and on a Wednesday during the day it wasn't too busy at all.

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple to give it its full name is a large Taoist temple right next to Wong Tai Sin MTR station.

This temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin. He was born into a poor family around 328 A.D. in Zhejiang Province. He spent his early life working as a shepherd boy. However, when he was around fifteen years old, his life suddenly changed. While he was off tending his sheep, he was visited by Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy, and went off to live as a recluse in a cave, where he devoted his life to studying Taoism. Kuan Yin taught him how to create an amazing cure-all medicine from cinnabar. Many years later his brother, who had never accepted that his sudden disappearance meant he had died, found him living in the cave. As a joke his brother said to him: 'So where are those sheep you were meant to be watching then?' Wong Tai Sin pointed to some nearby white rocks and said 'They are over there' and the rocks instantly turned into sheep. His brother was so amazed he instantly converted to Taoism, too.

In 1915 Taoist priests Liang Renan and Liang Junzhuan brought a portrait of Wong Tai Sin to Hong Kong from a temple in Guangdong Province. They placed it in Wan Chai and people prayed to it to cure them from illnesses. Later around 1921 a temple was built to house the picture. The temple was largely a private shrine until 1934 when it was opened up to the general public. The temple survived intact during World War II and the Japanese Occupation. Although it is primarily Taoist, this temple also embraces Buddhism and Confucianism. Apparently it is the only place in Hong Kong where you can have a Taoist wedding.

Outside the temple there are many stalls selling incense and good luck charms. The lucky colour here, as you can probably see, is red.

Temple gateway.

Stalls selling lucky charms.

Lucky charms.

To get in to the temple, I had to scan the leave home safe app and my vaccination certificate. There are several people at the entrance checking to make sure you do that.

Temple entrance.

Deity with snakes near temple entrance.

The first area I visited is known as the secondary worshipping platform. When the temple is too full for people to go to the primary worshipping platform, they pray here. At the edge of the platform the twelve animals that make up the Chinese Zodiac are arranged in a line. I took a picture of the snake, as I was born in the Year of the Snake and of the ox, because my husband was born in the Year of the Ox.

Animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

The Year of the Snake.

The Year of the Ox.

From here I wandered over towards the fortune telling and oblation arcade at the temple. I liked the people shaped incense lighters stationed here. Fortune telling is a big part of this temple. It works like this: first worshippers go to the open area in front of the Wong Tai Sin image in the main altar. They wave their three sticks of incense three times and bow to Wong Tai Sin. Then they go inside the temple, take a container of fortune telling sticks and shake it till one falls out. Next, they exchange their numbered stick for a piece of paper with the same number. Then they take that paper to the fortune tellers who interpret what their number means.

Incense burners.

Temple wall with images of deities.

The primary praying area is separated from the secondary one by a gate. There are three shrines here on the left hand side. These shrines are to: Caichen, the god of prosperity, the Yao Wang Shrine dedicated to the king of medicine and the Fuk Tak Shrine dedicated to the protectors of the Earth.

Gate between primary and secondary praying areas.

Shrine to left of main altar.

Shrine to left of main altar.

Main temple building.

Main temple building.

Dragon pillar.

Detail of temple building.

Detail of temple door.

Dragons decorate a wall.

Apparently there is a huge underground temple here that you have to pay $100 to visit. It is called the Tai Sui Yuenchen Hall. I'm not sure where it's entrance is. I have certainly never noticed it.

Lions stand on guard outside the Three Saints Hall. This hall commemorates famous people from the realms of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Lions outside the Three Saints Hall.

Lion Guard.

Further to the right is a model of Yue Lao, the matchmaker and god of marriage. He is depicted joining together a male and female statue. They are all bound together using red ropes.

Yue Lao, the matchmaker.

The yuk yik fountain is a circular fountain containing seven water spouting lotuses. It represents water from the five elements.

The yuk yik fountain with the temple's general office behind it.

The yuk yik fountain with the Yue Hung Shrine behind it.

Just beyond it is the Yue Hung Shrine which dates from 1933. It is painted red and represents fire from the five elements.

Yue Hung Shrine.

The Yue Hung Shrine.

Detail of the is the Yue Hung Shrine.

I liked the tiger decorations which had been put up for the Year of the Tiger, especially the cute little tiger cubs.

Tiger Chinese New Year Decoration.

Cute Tiger Cub Chinese New Year Decoration.

The best bit of the temple complex, in my opinion, lies towards the back. It is the Good Wish Garden. This incredibly beautiful garden, is supposed to look like a miniature version of the Summer Palace in Beijing.

To enter the gardens you pass through the Moon Gate. There is a statue of sheep and goats on your right. This statue is there to remind people that Wong Tai Sin was once a shepherd and that he is said to have once miraculously created sheep from a group of white rocks.

The Moon Gate separates the temple and gardens.

Ying and Yang.

Sheep statue.

I thought the ponds were spectacular. They were surrounded by colourful wooden walkways and little wooden pavilions. There were plenty of places to sit in the shade and enjoy the tranquility of the surroundings.

Walkways and Pavilions.

Walkways.

Pavilion and pond.

A pleasant spot for a cup of tea.

Walkway.

Walkway.

Pavilion.

Selfie on the walkway.

I thought some of the paintings of people, animals, fruit, flowers and scenery on the walkways and pavilions was extremely lovely.

Chinese paintings - tigers.

Chinese paintings - geese.

Chinese paintings - birds.

Chinese paintings - flowers and fruit.

Chinese paintings on the pavilions - people.

Chinese paintings on the pavilions - people.

Chinese paintings on the pavilions.

In the ponds I saw gorgeous water hyacinths. These are actually supposed to be an environmental pest as they can easily spread too fast, but they certainly look beautiful. There were also lots of brightly coloured carp fish and turtles. The ponds had several water spouting statues in them and were crossed by several bridges. It was a bit like walking around inside a willow patterned plate.

Beautiful water hyacinth.

The ponds were filled with colourful carp.

Bridge.

At the back of the garden, I climbed up to a grotto area. There were lots of rock formations here. There was also a statue of Wong Tai Sin and a good view over the garden area.

Grotto.

Grotto.

Wong Tai Sin.

Looking over the gardens from above.

I noticed a tree in the middle of the garden that was weighed down with jackfruit. There was one of these trees in the garden of the school I worked in here. I'm not sure if I have ever tasted the fruit.

Jackfruit.

Jackfruit.

I spent a long time in this temple, as I kept finding more and more things to see. I would have to say this is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in Hong Kong, though if you come here on a Sunday or during Chinese New Year you will not notice how beautiful it is, as it will be overflowing with people.

When I had finally had my fill of Wong Tai Sin Temple, I headed off to my next sight - Fung Tak Park. I wasn't expecting much from this. It doesn't get a great write up, but I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it very much. Maybe I was just in a good mood.

Fung Tak Park Sign.

Fung Tak Park Map.

Fung Tak Park has been created to depict scenes from the famous Chinese story, 'Journey to the West'. If you are a similar age to me, you may recall a TV programme from your youth. It was called 'Monkey'. I personally never followed it. I caught the occasional glimpse of it now and then and found it utterly bewildering. I guess it was too different from the kind of shows I normally watched for me to actually understand it. Anyway this TV programme was actually based on the story of the 'Journey to the West'.

'The Journey to the West' is based on an actual journey made in the seventh century by a real-life monk called Tripitaka. Apparently he was shocked by the immorality he saw around him in southern China and decided to go to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures to put everyone back on the right path.

Now while that part of the story may be factual, later story tellers went in for embellishing it in a major way to make it more exciting. They started by introducing companions who helped Tripitaka on his journey. One of them Pigsy is a greedy womaniser. Then there is Sandy, a fish spirit who is being punished for smashing one of the Queen Mother of the West's favourite crystal goblets. Followed by Bai Longma, one of the sons of the Dragon King. Bai Longma can change shape and when he mistakenly kills Tripitaka's horse, he changes himself Into a horse and carries Tripitaka on his back for much of the journey.

However, the main character of the story is Monkey. Monkey was born from a stone on the mountain top. He used his intellect to help him develop magical powers. He became the king of all the monkeys, but he grew more and more arrogant, as his knowledge increased. Eventually, Monkey began to brag that he was more powerful than the Jade Emperor, who was the supreme ruler of heaven. At this point Buddha stepped in and imprisoned Monkey under Five Fingers Mountains. The five fingers represented the elements: fire, wood, metal, earth and water. Monkey stayed trapped under the mountain for five hundred years until Tripitaka freed him in return for him agreeing to accompany him on his journey

Fung Tak Park is basically built around scenes from this famous story. At the entrance there were wall paintings depicting scenes from the legend.

In the Monkey Paradise.

In the Monkey Paradise.

Under the sea at the Crystal Palace.

Buddha deciding on the Five Finger Mountain.

Tripitaka journeying with his companions.

Monkey had promised to fight the Bull King. He went to the Crystal Palace to find a weapon.

Further on there is Monkey Paradise, a cave area where Monkey grew in power until he became king of all the monkeys.

Monkey Paradise.

Monkey Paradise.

Monkey Paradise.

Other sights Include a flying saucer shaped structure with a fountain in its midst which is supposed to represent the Crystal Palace. In the story the Crystal Palace is under the sea and belongs to the Dragon King. Monkey, who is always fighting people, is going to be battling against a terrifying demon. He comes to the Crystal Palace and upsets the Dragon King by trying to steal a weapon from him.

Crystal Palace Sign.

[

Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace.

Nearby is Fire Mountain. In the story long before he met Tripitaka, the badly behaved Monkey kicked over a furnace in which the gods were making an immortality potion.The flames from the furnace fell to Earth creating mountains of fire. Later Monkey has to journey through the fiery mountains he created as he travels with the monk Tripitaka.

Fire Mountain.

Fire Mountain.

Fire Mountain.

Another area of the park is Five Fingers Mountain where Monkey was once imprisoned by Buddha. He was only freed when he agreed to help Tripitaka on his journey.

Five Finger Mountain Sign.

Five Finger Mountain.

Five Finger Mountain.

The scenes from the story are depicted pretty simply and to be honest I have never read this story, nor am I knowledgeable about it, but I still found it pretty fascinating to visit.

When I had finished here, I was aware I had been in the sun too long, so headed back home.