Nunnery and park: more compassion needed?

 Where to Eat/Drink, Where to Visit  2 Responses »
Jan 232012
 

Chi Lin Nunnery is a Buddhist nunnery built in the Tang dynasty architecture style, consisting of gardens and temples. Construction of the complex started in mid-1990s and opened to the public for visit in year 2000.The nunnery has little heritage value in terms of history, but the complex is grand and elegant, worth a visit.The temples of the complex are open until 4:30pm. So make sure that you get there early enough.

Next door, Nan Lian Garden is a public park designed and managed by Chi Lin Nunnery. It is also in the ancient gardening style of Tang dynasty. The park is beautifully landscaped with trees, timber structures and rocks of special shapes and formation. Such a beautiful park, however, has aroused public anger because of the despotic management style – you are not allowed to eat, even snack, in the park, for example. I personally saw a foreigner being stopped from eating nuts from a small box by a security guard on the day I visited the park. Here, you are constantly under the watchful eyes of guards.

There is a sign at the entrance to the tea house, saying that if you are not a patron, you shouldn’t enter the area. It is not a welcoming park.

I have to recommend the vegetarian restaurant inside though. A very nice place to sit in with decent vegetarian dim sum and food.

the restaurant is behind the waterfall

A set meal per person is HK$120, with four courses. I liked it. This dish of vegetarian dumpling dim sum – thrumbs up.

To be consistent with its “despotic” management style, no photography is allowed in the restaurant and there is minimum charge of HK$80 for lunch and HK$40 for afternoon tea. Shouldn’t a Buddhist related place have more compassion?

Besides the restaurant and the tea house, there is a cafe. A small cup of coffee sells for HK$12 and tastes good. How to get there:

Exit C2 of Diamond Hill MTR station.

 

 Posted by Anna at 10:45 pm

Kowloon City

 Where to Visit  No Responses »
Jan 152012
 

Kowloon City is where the old airport stood. It is an interesting area because some old shops still operate there despite the rapid pace of change in Hong Kong. It is also a known food area where thai restaurants, big and small, dominate.

A paper shop with a worker working at paper sacrifice.Does this shop selling Chinese sausage look like a shop in Spain selling ham? A stall that sells fish and meat balls.

 Posted by Anna at 9:42 am

The farm that has fresh eggs

 Hiking, Where to Visit  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

Spreading over 148 hectares of land, and located on the northern slopes and foothill of Hong Kong’s highest mountain Tai Mo Shan, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) is a huge lush green garden as well as a farm. The farm, established in 1956 to provide agricultural aid to farmers, particularly those immigrating to Hong Kong from mainland, is now a place for promoting biodiversity and green living.At the farm, two things attract me. The fresh stuff grown in the farm and sold in the farm shop. Fresh eggs are what I most desire – this is the only place in HK where you can buy local fresh eggs laid by free range organic chickens. Otherwise, you have to buy the “manufactured” eggs from the supermarket, made in the US, Thailand or the mainland.

Each day the farm shop has stock of 30 small boxes of eggs, which are sold out right away once they hit the shelves – and each visitor is allowed to buy only one box of 6 small eggs. And I can assure you they taste so much like an egg. What a shame that the farm is so far from where I live.

the farm grows chrysanthemums and dries them in the open, which are then sold in the farm shop

In visiting the farm, you must not miss the walk all the way to the 552-metre-high Kwun Yum Shan at the upper part of the farm. It is quite a walk as it is all uphill, and at turns very steep. But once you are on the top, you can take in much of the New Territories, and even Shenzhen on a clear day, with a panoramic view extending from you. And Kwun Yum, the Buddhist Goddess of compassion quietly stands there, guarding those who have made it to the top. When I was there, nobody else was there. I had the pleasure of being in the sole company of the Goddess of Compassion, and the blue sky.

 Posted by Anna at 10:48 pm

Yim Tin Tsai: an island village

 Hong Kong As It Was, Where to Visit  No Responses »
Oct 302011
 

Yim Tin Tsai pier

Yim Tin Tsai in Sai Kung is a village on a small island. It is about 15 minute boat ride from the pier of Sai Kung.

The village was originally built by a family surnamed Chen from Guangdong province who moved to the island in the 1740s. Its descendents made a living by operating a salt farm and sold salt to Sai Kung and neighboring areas. As mainland China and Vietnam exported cheaper salt to Hong Kong in the early 20th century, Hong Kong’s salt industry went into decline. So was the salt farm in Yim Tin Tsai, which was converted into land for agriculture in the 1930s and then into fishing ponds in the 1960s.

Due to limited farming land to sustain the village community and better work opportunity outside, villagers started to leave the island with some settling down overseas, particularly in  the UK. By 1990s, the village was no more inhabited. Today, the abandoned fishing ponds where the salt farm once stood remain.

The island is very tranquil, reflecting a sense of being deserted. Maybe it is feeling better that way? But the descendants of the villagers are determined not to let it be. They are trying to revive the island as a hiking and eco-tourism destination. Nowadays, there is regular boat service between Sai Kung pier and Yim Tin Tsai on weekends and public holidays to bring in visitors.

There is a leisure kiosk which was the village community centre near the pier. The kiosk sells Hakka sweet, a local delicacy, which comes in four different flavors, including pumpkin and almond. Don’t miss them.

It takes less than one hour to tour around the whole island. Somewhere along the route stands a pavilion from which you can have a bird’s view of the island and its surroundings.One of the main sightseeing points is St Jospeh’s Chapel. The missionaries came to the island in the late 19th century and since then the whole village was converted into a Christian village. The chapel built in 1890, after renovation, still stands today.

The boat ferrying between Sai Kung pier and Yim Tin Tsai pier:Here’s the boat service schedule:Here’s the island sightseeing map:

 Posted by Anna at 2:09 pm

Special Area in Sai Kung

 Where to Visit  No Responses »
Sep 172011
 

I have blogged about what to do in Sai Kung. Here’s one more suggestion – on the way to Sai Kung town centre, stop by this place: Lions Nature Education Centre.

Lions refers to LIONS Clubs, which is named for its sponsorship of the centre. The centre is listed as a Special Area by HK government for its potential for conservation and nature education. There are a total of six such designated Special Areas across the territory for helping visitors to understand and enjoy the countryside. The one in Sai Kung features native plants, small fields, fruit trees, and crops. A small valley covering about 16 hectares, it has such displays as Butterfly Valley, Fisheries Hall, Shell House, Dragonfly Ponds, Chinese Herbal Garden, etc.

It seems to be a popular place for families with parents bringing their kids here for nature education and for dog owners who walk their dogs here. No pets are allowed in Hong Kong’s country parks and designated Special Areas, except dogs.

The Centre also has a number of designated spots for picnics, with wood benches in the tree shade, an idyllic setting.

After taking in the exhibits, a walk in the valley and a picnic, you can walk the Tsiu Hang Nature Trail, which is 0.8km long, to the top of the valley, before heading to Sai Kung town centre for some nice food.

How to get there:

The centre is situated on Hiram’s Highway near Sai Kung Town. Any bus or mini bus going to Sai Kung will pass by the intersection on the highway where there is a quiet road leading to the centre. There are signs at the intersection. Follow the signs to walk along the road for 2-3 minutes before the centre appears at your left hand side.

 Posted by Anna at 10:56 am
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