HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 8

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

The final leg of my walk brought me back to where I began, the gates guarding the main temple complex. A further look before I left for my next destination revealed details which I did not noticed when I first marveled at the place. 

The gates guarding the main temple were as beautifully carved as any other areas of the temple, with intrinsic details and topped with the familiar upturned eave which decorated Chinese temples everywhere.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 7

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Standing in the shadow of the patron deity of the temple was another equally famous and crowd-attracting deity. He was the god of marriage of love, the old man under the moon, the one known as Yue Lao (月老). In Chinese mythology, belonging neither to Buddhism nor to Taoism specifically, he was the equivalent to Cupid, tying the knots between people to form couples and marriage.

The statue of Yue Lao standing in a courtyard, waiting for the right couple to tie his red knot with.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 6

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Continuing the walk from the last article, blossomed flowers and running waters extended from one end of the garden to the other. Where ponds of koi and thundering waterfalls greeted us at one end, another pond of tortoises bade us farewell on the other end.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 5

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

There are certain vistas which challenge even the most established photographer, what more for an amateur like me. To attempt to capture the sense of feasting your sights on a paradise is like trying to describe a beautiful lady you just sighted. Words and images just do them no justice.

There are certain wonderful places which most guide books deemed not worthy of putting their images in the section introducing said area. The backyard gardens of Wong Tai Sin temple is one of those.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 4

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

To me, the real treasures of Wong Tai Sin temple are what lies behind the temple cloister, an area which rarely gets the attention of most travel guides and websites. The temple cloister may lent a visitor his chance to pray to the deity, but it was the yard at the back which grant one a peaceful mind.

While circling around the temple cloister to reach the backyard, this was the first peaceful area which I encountered - the Nine Dragons Wall. Any koi presence, be it in a statue sprouting water or living swimming entities, holds an important place in East Asian culture.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 3

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Sometimes it is worth a visit to popular areas just to get to know the people there. Wong Tai Sin temple's fame for granting wishes drew huge crowds from all over Hong Kong and China, and tourists like me also like to join into the crowd to enjoy the experience.

In the fenced off area in the cloister facing the main altar were a small score of believers who prayed hard for answers in the form of kau cim, where they shook a cylindrical container filled with fortune telling sticks until one fell out. The stick contained a numeral which need to be decoded by a fortune telling master to know the answer to your question.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 2

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Images of the main altar were what I saw the most as I researched materials on Wong Tai Sin temple, although I had not an inkling of that. The upturned curve of a majestic roof which is familiar with most Buddhist temples of South-East Asia emulated that of the Imperial Palace, and I felt a kinship to this unfamiliar land with a recognizable slice that was parallel to the place where I originated from.

Wong Tai Sin temple is one of the major tourist attraction of Hong Kong, drawing multitudes of people from various walks of life as well as different part of the world to visit, asking for wishes to be granted.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 1

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

The temple of Wong Tai Sin is synonymous to Hong Kong, much more so than the Big Buddha despite the fame and sheer size of the latter. All Hong Kongers know about the temple, famed for being able to grant any wish that is requested (有求必應), and no trip to Hong Kong should skip it, if only to just experience the crowd it draws.

Traditional Chinese: 黃大仙祠

Simplified Chinese: 黄大仙祠

Cantonese Jyutping: wong⁴ daai⁶ sin¹ ci⁴

Pin Yin: Huáng Dà Xiān Cì

Pronounced as: wong dai sin cee

Standing in front of the main gates to the temple, it was obvious that that was another crowded day despite it being a weekday. The gate itself is a preview of the Chinese temple architecture expected from my visit. This can be referred to the marking #1 in the map at the end of this article.