This link will open in a new windowChapter8

Buddhist and
Taoist Temples in Tai Po
Introduction
YAU Chi On, NGAI Ting Ming
Tai Po hosted different lineages.The worship of Kwan
Tai(GuanYu)becameaspecialcustomforthesevillages,
asitunitedthevillagersinthebattleagainstnaturaland
humandisasters.ManyvillagesbuiltKwanTaiTemplesand
examplesareKwanTaiTempleinTingKok,HipTinTemple
inPoSumPai,HipTinTempleinCheungShueTanandMo
TaiTempleinWunYiu.
TemplesandmonasteriesaremainvenuesforChinese
religiousworship,andyettheyplayrolesfarbeyondreligion
inChinesesociety.Theyformintegralpartsofourdaily
lives,labourandproduction,andthepursuitofpersonal
growth.Afterin-depthobservationandanalysisofthese
temples,onecanseethatreligionisindeedindispensableto
everyaspectoflifeintraditionalChina.Asthesayinggoes,
"thereisagodthreefeetaboveus."Chinesepeoplebelieve
that an unexplainable force connects things visible and
invisible.Todenythatsuchaforceexistsistobeblindto
At the same time, migrants from the Mainland
graduallyestablishedtheirlivelihoodinTaiPowiththeir
owntypicalcharacteristics.Somespecialformsoflocal
worship began to emerge. For example, Fan Sin ("Fan
Xian"inPutonghua)TempleinWunYiulookedafterthe
pottery business of the Ma family, whileTaiWongYeh
TemplewasbuiltinYuenChauTsaiforthelivesandmutual
developmentoftheboatpeopleandthoselivingonland.
Thesetemplegodsweredeeplyintegratedintoeveryaspect
ofthevillagers'lives.Celebrationsfordeities'birthdaysand
TaipingQingjiao(Dajiao),ceremonialoccasions,fortune
telling, medical consultancy, village meetings and even
awardpresentationandpunishmentsalltookplaceinsidethe
temples.Blessedbythesegods,themigrantsfinallyplanted
theirrootsinTaiPo.
thedevelopmentandchangesinChinesesocietythroughout
history.
DevelopmentofTaiPobeganlaterthanotherdistricts
inHongKong.Inparticular,thebanonseafaringinthe
MingDynastyandtheevacuationofthecoast(Qianjie)in
theQingDynasty,whichforcedcoastalsettlementinland
severelystuntedthedistrict'sgrowth.Theonlysettlersin
TaiPoatthetime,suchastheMansandTsesofWunYiu,
wererelocated.Nevertheless,althoughtheseearlysettlers
werepioneersinastrangeland,theystillgreatlyrevered
theirgods.Inthe9thyearoftheDaoguangReign(1829),the
Mas–whohadrelocatedtoWunYiu–rebuilttheGodofthe
EarthTempleinthevillage:
In modern times, China has experienced drastic
changesthathaveimpededthedevelopmentoftraditional
religion. Some high-ranking monks travelled south to
HongKongtospreadtheestablishedreligionsofChina,
andgraduallychangedthefaceoftraditionalreligionsin
HongKong.Atthistime,TaiPowaslargelyanagricultural
societyandpeopleweresimpleandunconcernedwiththe
outsideworld.Thedistrictwasalsoblessedwithwonderful
landscapesanditbecameanidealplaceofseclusionfor
reaching Buddhist enlightenment.At the same time,Tai
Po was conveniently connected with the outside world,
withToloHarbourprovidinganoutletbysea.In1911,the
KowloonCantonRailroadwentintooperationandTaiPo
StationbroughtthedistrictclosertoHongKong'sdeveloping
The origin of the God of the Earth Temple in Wun
Yiu is unknown, as is its age and builder. It has
always radiated an aura of grandeur.1
AftertheQianjieended,theMasmovedtoWunYiu
fromChangleinthe13thyearoftheKangxiReign(1674).
Ithadbeentenyearssincethecampaignintheearlyyears
oftheKangxiReign,butthetempleretaineditsoriginal
grandeurandbeauty,reflectingpainstakingeffortsinvested
bytheunknownvillagerswhobuiltit.
After the original territory was reinstated, a large
numberofmigrantsarrivedinHongKongfromGuangdong
andanewchapterinTaiPo'shistorybegan.Asthesettlers
came from different regions in China, many villages in
areas.Sincethen,TaiPohasbecome,inessence,partof
HongKongandhasprogressedwiththecity'surbanisation,
no longer an impoverished town in Guandong's Xin-An
County.
152
of migrants from far away who sought opportunities in
TaiPo,andcouldappreciatethemmore.Somefounders
oftheworshipsitesinTaiPocamefromdifferentareas
ofGuangdong–fromChaoshanintheeasttoDinghuin
the west, and from Guangzhou in the south to Feixia in
thenorth.WhentheysettledinTaiPoandfoundedtheir
worship sites, the locals did not reject their worship as
cultsbutparticipatedintheirreligioninstead.Mostlocals
treateddifferentfaithswiththesamerespect,whetheritwas
anestablishedreligionlikeBuddhismandTaoism,alocal
mixtureofBuddhismandTaoismliketheSinTinTaosect,
oralegendarytemplegodtheywerefamiliarwithlikeFan
itsbeautifulnaturalenvironment.Thelectoriums,including
ToYuenTung,YanLoBuddhistMonastery,TaiKwongYuen,
PunChunYuen,LoFungAcademyandManTakYuen,were
builtforquietstudyandcontemplation,buttheydonot
shuncontactwiththecommunityatlarge.Forexample,To
YuenTungisthemainlectoriumoftheSinTinTaosectand
maintainsclosecontactwithotherSinTinTaolectoriumin
HongKong.YanLoBuddhistMonasteryisinfactabranch
lectoriumandthemainoneisinthecity.Meanwhile,Master
TszCheungofTaiKwongYuenenjoyedtravel-study,and
wasofteninvitedfortravellectures.AsforPunChunYuen,
itprovidedthevenueforahalf-dayretreatforthefounders,
whowerelargelycitydwellers.Whetherthefounderswere
citydwellerswhosoughtescapetorealiseloftygoalsof
enlightenment in the countryside, or recluses who only
occasionally contacted the outside world, the railroad
connectedtheworldoftheworshipsitesandthatofthecity,
whichatfirstglanceseemtorepresentconflictingideals.
However,inreality,theseworshipsitesbigandsmall,have
takenpartinHongKong'sdevelopment.Havingundergone
theirownmodernisation,thesesiteshavechangedthefaceof
traditionalChinesereligionasHongKonghasevolvedintoa
metropolis.
Sin,KwanTaiandtheTaoistLordLaozi.Theybelieved
intheessenceofthesereligions,indoinggooddeedsand
prayingwithanuntaintedmind.Blessingsfromthegods
wouldcomewithdevoutworship.Inreturn,thetemples
madegreateffortstoprovideservicestothepeople.Sing
KungChoTongofferedfreemedicalservices,whilespiritual
mediumsinterpretedmessagesfromtheotherworldatFung
LoiLeungYuenandSungSumToTakTan.TaiKwongYuen,
meanwhile,providedfreeeducation.Someofthefounders'
storiesarestillreminiscedaboutbythelocalstoday.TinSiu
Tsuenwasknownforbeingknowledgeableandkind,where
YeeGuwasanamazingspiritmedium.Theworshipsites
formedmutuallybeneficialrelationshipswithlocalresidents,
andtheyhaveestablisheddeeprootsinthecommonpeople's
livesandbecomeanindispensablepartofTaiPo'scommunal
history.
Eventhoughtheworshipsitesretainedclosecontact
with the rest of Hong Kong, their establishment and
development still depended heavily on support from the
localsinTaiPo.ManyresidentsofTaiPooriginatedfrom
theMainlandandthusdidnotopposeoutsiders.Sincethey
toocamefromelsewhere,theyweremoreunderstanding
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TaoistworshipsitesinTaiPocanbecategorisedinto
singong (immortals' palace), langyuan ("leung yuen" in
Cantonese)andlectoriums.TheseincludeFanSinTemple
inWunYiu Heung, Sing Kung ChoTong (worshipping
MasterGuangcheng)inTingKokRoad,FungLoiLeung
Yuen(worshippingLuTsu,theEightImmortals,theJade
Emperor (Yudi) and Dragon Mother (Lungmu) in Pun
Shan ChauVillage, Sung SumToTakTan (worshipping
TaoistLordLuzi)inTaiPoKauVillage.Thelectoriums
mainlyworshipLuTzu,andexamplesareYanLoBuddhist
MonasteryandManTakYuen.AsforBuddhistsites,there
areTingWaiMonastery,TaiKwongYuen,andPunChun
YuenoftheLotusAssociationofHongKongamongothers.
Traditional Religious Activities
These favourable conditions gave rise toTai Po's
emergenceasanidealsiteforHongKong'sBuddhistand
Taoistworshipsites.Beginninginthe1920s,manyBuddhist
andTaoistsiteswereestablishedinTaiPo.Thefounders
ofthesesitesincludedtraditionalspiritualleaders,suchas
MasterTinSiuTsuenofSinTinTaoandtheHonourable
BuddhistMasterZengSiu,aswellas"risingstars"suchas
thebraveMasterBhiksuniTszChuengandMasterChan
TszShek,whoexploredthemysteriesoflife.Therewere
alsopeopleofhumbleorigins,suchasYeeGu,aspiritual
mediumtotheotherworld,andevenmerchants,suchaslay
BuddhistWongSiuWai.ThesefoundersselectedTaiPofor
ThefollowingintroducesTaoistandBuddhistworshipsites
establishedinTaiPofromtheQingDynastytothe1970s,in
chronologicalorder.
Taoist Temples
Foreword
There are a few places in Hong Kong that host a
numberofTaoistandBuddhistworshipsitesincludingthe
areabetweenFungWongShanandKeungShanonLantau
Island,betweenFuYungShanandSamDipTaminTsuen
Wan,inthehillsabovePaiTauVillageinShatin,andfrom
KamShanandShekKwuLungandMaWoShantoToYuen
Tung(suchasTingWaiMonastery,TaiKwongYuen,Pun
ChunYuenandYanLo)inTaiPo.NgBaLingmentionsYan
LoandFungLoiLeungYuenwhenhewritesaboutTaiPo
(seeGuidetoTravelinTaiPo (大埔遊覽示意圖)):
SiteMapofBuddhistandTaoistInstitutions.NgBaLing,Sceneriesand
CulturesoftheNewTerritories (新界風光)(HongKong:OverseasChinese
Daily,19601sted.,19623rded).
Alongwithdramaticchangesinthepastthirtyyears,
TaiPohasevolvedfromasmalltowninthecountrysideinto
urbanspace.Someoftheworshipsiteshavebeenrenovated,
suchasSingKungChoTong,othershavebeenrelocated,
suchasToYuenTung.Theoldenvironmenthaslongbeen
gone.Meanwhile,someofthelectoriums,suchasLoFung
Academy, have gone through other developments. Our
descriptionsherememorialisetheirhistory,suchthatthey
willnotbecompletelyforgotten.
Yan Lo, located in Kam Shan Village, is built along
the hills and contains a world of its own. To Yuen
Tung, situated upon a small stream behind Pan
Chung, has four chambers – Shui Yuet Temple,
Siu Village Quiet Chamber, To Yuen Tung, and
Longevity Chamber. It is a place of serenity. Fung Loi
Sin Yuen [Fun Loi Leung Yuen] sits in Pun Shan
Chau and can be assessed from behind the hills in
Pan Chung. Having passed To Yuen Tung and Wun
Yiu, one walks further for about half an hour to arrive
there. The site, built in the style of ancient palace, is
truly exceptional.2
Fan Sin Temple of Wun Yiu: From God of the
Trade to Local Protective Deity
1. The History of Fan Sin Temple in Wun Yiu
WorkmeninHongKongworshipgodsoftheirown
trade,includingLoPan,WahKwongandFanSin.Thereare
manygodsforthepotteryindustry,suchasFanLai("FanLi"
inPutonghua),theFireGodandlegendaryEmperorShun.
ThegodoftradeforWunYiuinTaiPoisFanSin.
TheinscriptionatYanLodescribesthelandscapeof
KamShan:
Its front draws forth the reach of Pat Sin Leng, its left
views the ranges of Tai Mo Shan. Its right embraces
the billows of Tolo Harbour, with Kam Shan as its
pillow. Water from the Lam Tsuen waterfall flows
ahead. The neighbours are followers of the Tao. It is
the perfect site for contemplation and enlightenment.3
Fan Sin was a god of trade for XiataoVillage in
Wuhua County, Meizhou, Guangdong, and was brought
toHongKongbytheMafamilywhichoriginatedthere.4
WuhuaCountyisoneofthemajorHakkaareasinGuandong
Province.TheMasofWunYiuinTaiPocouldbetracedto
154
Reign(1868),the23rdyearoftheGuangxuReign(1897),the
14thyearoftheRepublicanPeriod(1925),1964,1976and
2000.Onaverage,arenovationtookplaceonceeverytwenty
years.Thereisnotenoughevidencetoshowduringwhichof
theserenovationsFanSinTemplewasmovedtoitscurrent
location.However,thecoupletswritteninthe7thyearofthe
TongzhiReignreads,"TheTemplemovedclouds/Thepines
nolongerthesame",suggestingthatrelocationhappenedin
1868.
FanSinTempleislocatedinWunYiuVillage.FanSinisthepatrondeityof
theceramicindustry.(PhotographybyLoWaiLing)
ChangleinMeizhou,whichisWuhuainMeizhoutoday.Tai
PoWunYiuwasfoundedbytheMansandtheTsesduring
theMingDynasty.AftertheQianjieCampaignendedin
KangxiReign,theterritorywasreinstated,buttheTseswere
alreadyrootedintheMainlandandwereunwillingtoreturn
toHongKong.Consequently,theManslettheMastakeover
allofWunYiu.
According to the inscription on Fan SinTemple's
nameplaque,thetemplewasfoundedinGengshuYearofthe
QianlongReignintheQingDynasty(1790).Yet,theFanSin
religionhadbeenintroducedintoHongKonglongbefore
that,andFanSinTempleinWunYiuservedastestimonyof
theMafamily'sarduousjourneyofsettlementinTaiPo.The
originalFanSinTemplewasnotlocatedwhereitistoday,
butonthehillnexttotheWunYiuPublicSchooltoilets.It
usedtobethemouthofoneofthedragonkilnsatWunYiu
forconvenientworshipbythebowlcraftsmen.Thealtar
isbelievedtohavebeenbuiltwithclayinitiallyandwas
replacedwithabrickaltarlaterintime.Judgingfromits
location,theoriginalFanSinTemplecouldnothavebeen
big.
After its founding in the Qianlong Reign, Fan Sin
Templehasundergoneanumberofrenovations.Theknown
renovationswerecarriedoutinthe7thyearoftheTongzhi
155
In the 23rd year of the Guangxu Reign, Fan Sin
Temple, Kwan Tai Temple and the God of the Earth
Temple were renovated. Statues of Kwan Tai and the
God of the Earth were made.5
The fact that the three temples were renovated at
thesametimeandmemorialisedinthesameinscription
showsthatFanSinTemplecouldwellhavebeenbuiltat
thesamelocationasKwanTaiTempleandtheGodofthe
EarthTemple.Thestructurecouldhavebeentwo-hall-threebay,withthethreegodsservedindependentlyinthethree
bays.FanSin,meanwhile,wastheprimarydeity.Fromthe
inscription,wecanalsotellthatthestatuesofKwanTaiand
theGodoftheEarthwerenot"re-sculpted",thatis,thetwo
godsdidnothavestatuesbeforetherenovation.Theycould
havebeenworshippedonanaltar,orasmallshrine.TheFan
SinTemplerenovationprovidedopportunityforthetwogods
tobesculptedandplacedwithinatemplechamber.Itwas
quitecommontoworshipmultiplegodsinlocalworship,
buttherewasclearlyahierarchyamongthethreegods.Fan
Sinwastheprimarydeityinthetemple,asshowninthe
inscriptionfromtheGuangxuReign.
As time progressed, the pottery trade of Wun
Yiu gradually declined. By the 1930s, it was no longer
appropriatetoplacetheKwanTaiTemple(renamedMoTai
Templeatthetime)andtheGodoftheEarthTempleinside
Fan SinTemple.Around 1936, the villagers ofWunYiu
renewedtheoldGodoftheEarthTemple,whichhadbeen
Traditional Religious Activities
TheoldestinscriptioninFanSinTemple,datedthe23rd
yearoftheGuangxuReign(1897),recordsthefollowing:
leftinruinsforyears,andmovedMoTaiTempleandthe
GodoftheEarthTemplethereunderthesamestructure.The
newtemplewasnamedMoTaiTemple.
thevillagers.ItservesastheofficefortheWunYiuVillage
Committee, where villagers discuss village affairs and
receiveguests.
Whenthekilnsfinallyceasedoperation,theFanSin
religiontookonanewrole.FanSinevolvedfromagod
oftradetoagodfortheclan,andeventuallybecamethe
protectoroftheregion.Theendofthepotterybusinesswasa
severeblowtotheWunYiuvillagers,buttheysoonadapted
toanewlifeoffarming.Religiousserviceswerejustas
importantforagriculturallifeastheywereforthepottery
trade.Furthermore,astheWunYiuvillagershadalways
worshippedFanSin,theynaturallycontinuedtheirworship
forfineweatherandwell-beingofhumansandlivestock.
ThevillagerscelebratedFanSin'sbirthday,andFanSin's
newroleasprotectoroftheareabecamepartoftheirdaily
lives.DuringtheJapaneseOccupationinthe1940s,looters
plaguedtheWunYiuarea,almostdestroyingthevillagesand
haltingreligiouslife.AtFanSin'sbirthdayin1958,villages
inWunYiucelebratedastheeconomyslightlyrevived.Fan
SinTemplewasmanagedbythetenvillagesinWunYiu:
LaiChiShan,ToYuenTung,SheungWunYiu,HaWun
Yiu,CheungUkTei,SanUkKa,PunShanChau,YuenDun
Ha,YinNgam,andDaTitYan.Intimesoffestivity,theten
villageswouldallcontributefundsforcelebration.In1964,
FanSinTemplewasrenovatedforthefirsttimeaftertheWar.
Thestatueswerepaintedingoldagainandboththeinterior
andexteriorofthestructurewereredecorated.Thevillagers
paintedtwomuralsundertheeavesofthemaingate–the
first one depictingWong Shiu Chi Secondary School in
TaiPoMarketandthesecondoneshowingYinNgamon
thehillsbehindWunYiu.Thetwomuralpaintingssignify
thattheareafromWongShiuChiSecondarySchooltoYin
NgambelongstoWunYiu,allprotectedbyFanSin.
2. Reasons for Frequent Worship at Wun Yiu's Fan Sin
Temple
Besidesthelonghistoryitshareswiththepeopleof
WunYiu,FanSinTemplewaspopularalsobecausethefaith
hadbeendeeplyrootedinthevillagers'dailylives.Thelife
ofaWunYiuvillagerwasinexplicablyintertwinedwithFan
Sinfromtheverybeginning–somevillagersofferedtheir
infantsforFanSin'sprotectionandblessingswhentheywere
justonemonthold.Theywouldevennametheirchildren
withthecharacters"fan "or"xian "("sin "inCantonese)to
proclaimtheirfaith.Especiallyafterthe1950s,whenWun
YiuPublicSchoolwasbuiltnexttoFanSinTemple,parents
wouldworshipFanSineveryday.
Ofcourse,thetemplewasfrequentedalsobecauseof
FanSin'sdivinepowers.Fortunestickswereavailablefor
fortunetellinginthetemple,butiftheworshipperwishedto
learnmoreabouttheirfortune,thegodhadtobespecially
invitedinaritualceremony.Fromitsfoundinguntilthe
1980s,therehadbeenashen-t'ung(spiritmedium)inFan
SinTemple.Theshen-t'ungwasverypowerful,especially
when it came to selecting auspicious dates for special
occasions.Newsoftheshen-t'ungspreadtotherestofHong
Kong,andevenpeoplefromabroadvisitedthetemple.
Today, Fan SinTemple is a declared monument
protectedbyHongKong'sheritagelaws.Therenovationin
2000wassponsoredbytheHongKongSARGovernment.
After the renovation, villages ofWunYiu continued to
managethetemple.NotonlyisFanSinTempleafrequented
siteoflocalworship,butitalsoprovidesapublicvenuefor
2001NewYearBlessingCeremonyatManTakYuen(Providedby
YipTung)
156
WhenChiKwaiMauwastheshen-t'ungatFanSin
Temple,dateselectionservicewasinthehighestdemand.
Peopleneededtoselectauspiciousdatesforweddingand
construction, which became frequent as the economy
recovered after the war. Fan SinTemple became well
knownfortheauspiciousdatesitselectedforworshippers.
Theshen-t'unghadtofollowstrictproceduresforthedate
selection ritual and the temple keeper would assist him
whenFanSinwasinvited.ChiKwaiMauwouldstartthe
ritualbyburningincenseandtheninviteFanSintopossess
him.WhenFanSinhaddescended,theshen-t'ungwould
appear in front of the worship station and sit on a chair
facingthedoorofthetemple.Nexttheshen-t'ungwouldask
theworshipperforwhatpurposethedateswererequested.
Aftersomecalculations,adateandtimewouldbechosen
alongwiththebestcompassdirection,andtheinformation
wouldberecordedbythetemplekeeper.Whenthetaskwas
complete,theshen-t'ungwouldtaphisfeetlightlyandthe
templekeeperwouldknowthatFanSinhadleft.Theshent'ung,supportedbythetemplekeeper,wouldsoonreturnto
hissensesandtheritualwouldbeover.
TodayFanSinTemplestillkeepsascriptsealinabox
infrontoftheFanSinStatue.Thesealwasusedfordate
selection,andisengravedwiththewords,"commandedby
FanSin,blessingsarekeptinthishallandtheevilisdriven
out."Thetemplekeeperwouldwritetheopportunedate
157
andtimeforthestartofconstructionworkonapieceofred
paperandchopthepaperwiththeseal.Thepaper,knownas
"startnote",wouldbedisplayedattheconstructionsiteto
notifyworkmenofthedateandtimeofconstructionkick-off.
Moreimportantly,itwasintendedtoshowthemthedateand
timeforthestartofconstructionhadbeenselectedbyFan
Sin,sothattheprojectwouldgosmoothlyandtheirsafety
wouldbeguaranteed.Thestartnotewouldbedisplayedat
theconstructionsiteuntiltheendoftheproject.Afterwards,
asimpleceremonywouldbeconductedandthenotewould
beburned.
Apartfromdateselection,villagersalsovisitedFan
SinTempleformedicalservice.Asmedicalresourceswere
scarceinthepast,thetemplesofferedamedicalconsultancy
service,aformoftraditionalChinesemedicine.ChiKwai
Mauwasresponsibleforwriting"WellBeing"("Pingan")
Scripts, interpreting fortune sticks, reading Feng Shui
anddrivingoutevilspirits.Fromthe1960sto1980s,the
villages,suchasPanChungVillage,wouldasktheshent'ungtoselectdatesfortheirfestivecelebrations.7During
Fan Sin's Birthday, Chi would also preside over big and
smallceremoniesandrituals.FanSinTemplewasthevenue
ofexchangebetweenthedivineandhuman,anditinjected
religionintothevillagers'lives.
3. Fan Sin Temple within the Wun Yiu Public School
Campus
ItisChinesetraditiontobuildschoolsnexttotemples,
and such practice has been common in Hong Kong. For
example,ManMoTempleinSheungWanbuiltManMo
FreeSchooltotherightofthetemple,whilePakTaiTemple
inWanChaifoundedafreeschooltotherightofthetemple.
MissionarieswhocametoChinatopreachalsofollowed
thispractice.WunYiuPublicSchoolwasregisteredin1949
andoneofitsmainfeatureswasthattherewasatemple
insidethecampus.TheschoolbuildingstoodnexttoFanSin
Temple.
Traditional Religious Activities
Thelastshen-t'ungofFanSinTemplewasChiKwai
Mau, also known as Chi Choi or Chi Sang Choi.The
villagersrespectfullycalledhimGrandpaChi.Chi'sfamily
hasatraditionofservingworshippers–hisgrandfatherChi
TakLoi(alsoknownasChiYauWing)andhisfatherChi
TakMau(alsonamedChiSau)werealsoshen-t'ungs.As
recordedintheinscriptions,ChiYauWingmadeadonation
to the God of the EarthTemple in the 9th year of the
DaoguangReign(1829),whileChiTakMaugavemoneyfor
FanSinTemple'srenovationinthe23rdyearoftheGuangxu
Reign(1897).TheChishavelivedinWunYiuformany
generations.6
SinceFanSinTemplewasthevillager'scommunal
premisesandtheschoolwasbuiltwithfundsraisedbythe
villagers,WunYiuPublicSchoolwasalsoaformofpublic
space.Consequentlywhentheschoolunderwentexpansion
andneededtoutilisethestructureofFanSinTemple,the
villagers did not object to the proposal at all.After the
school'sfounding,thepopulationinWunYiugrewandthe
numberofstudentsincreased.WunYiuPublicSchoolbegan
usingFanSinTemple'sstructureandestablishedthehead
teacher'soffice,tuckshopandstaffkitchenthere.Inthis
way,FanSinTempleplayeditstraditionalroleundernew
conditions.
ThustheschoolwasconvenientlylocatednexttoFan
SinTemple.Althoughtheschooldidnothaveanyscheduled
worship service and the students were never required to
believeinFanSin,thetempleinsidethecampushadalways
beenopentothepublic.Villagersfrequentedthetemplefor
worship.Scenesofthetemplekeeperofferingalmsandthe
outsidersseekingguidancethroughtheshen-t'unginevitably
exertedinfluenceonthestudents'religiousbelief.According
tothestudents,shen-t'ungGrandpaChi(ChiKwaiMau)did
notliveinthetempleatthetime.Whenworshippersvisited
thetempleandaskedforhimitwasusuallythestudents
whowentandfetchedhim.Atfirsttheywouldruntohimto
passonthemessage;latertheyusedthetelephone.Grandpa
Chi'sritualsusuallydrewacrowdofstudentsandmany
ofthemcanstilldescribethescenevividlytoday.Dueto
frequentcontactwithFanSin,studentswereexcitedabout
FanSin'sbirthdaycelebrations,justlikeanyothervillager
ofWunYiu.Thefestivalwasalsoaschoolholiday.During
thethreenightsandfourdays,theschoolwouldbecomethe
stageforcelebratoryperformances,orevenaccommodation
fortheworshippers.Thestudentshelpedtheirparentsto
prepareforthefestival.Meanwhile,FanSinTemplealso
exertedreligiousinfluenceontheteachers:asitwaslocated
insidetheschoolpremises,theteacherspaidtheirrespectsto
FanSin.Manyteacherswouldofferburningincenseinthe
templebeforethedayendedtoexpresstheirgratitudetoFan
Sin.
FanSinFestival(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
FanSindeityimage(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
158
4. Fan Sin's Birthday: Annual Festivity
ExistingrecordsonthefestivitiesofFanSin'sbirthday
showthattheywereclosertothosecelebratingagodof
protection for the region. Long before the festival, the
organisersofthecelebrationswouldcollectdonationsfrom
everyfamilyinWunYiu.Villagerstodaycanstillremember
thepuppetshowfromLongjiang,andalsoperformances
bylocalpuppettroupes.Duringthefestival,allstaffstayed
intheoldWunYiuworkmendormitory.Interestingly,the
puppet shows were not always performed in the Hakka
dialect.TheshowswerestagedyearlyuntiltheJapanese
invasionofHongKong.
Ontheleftofthephotoisthelastshen-t'ungofFanSinTemple,ChiKwai
Mau.(ProvidedbyMaLaiSim)
TaoistPriestsofManTakChiSinSheperformedritualsinthe2001FanSin
Festival.(ProvidedbyMaLaiSim)
159
Apartfromthetraditionofpuppetshows,thepreWarfestivitiesalsoincludedaparade.TheFanSinStatue
would be taken by an entourage on patrol all across the
WunYiuarea,andFanSinwouldreceivegoodwishesfrom
thevillagers.Thiswasasolemnandelaborateevent,and,
indeed,oneoftheclimaxesofthefestivities.Duringthe
parade,peoplewouldwelcomeFanSinwithexuberance
andfirecrackers.Anotherclimaxofthefestivalwaswhen
the shen-t'ung delivered his dagger bed (dagger sedan)
performance.FanSinwouldbeinvitedtodescendonthe
shen-t'ung,whowouldbeshownaroundintheparadesitting
onthesharptipsofadaggersedantodemonstratethepower
ofFanSin.
There was also the floating lanter n ritual to
symbolicallyrelievehumansandanimalsfromsuffering.
Theceremony,presidedoverbytheshen-t'ung,wasusually
heldalongtheriveratsunset.Sometimestheanimalrelease
ritualwouldbeheldatthesametime,inwhichcaptivebirds,
fishortortoiseswouldbereleasedintonature.Meanwhile,
thefloatinglanternswerethickpaperboatswithlitcandles,
Traditional Religious Activities
Fan Sin's birthday is a major festival inWunYiu.
Since Fan Sin was originally a god of trade, the early
festivitiescelebratingFanSin'sbirthdaycouldhaveincluded
trade-specificritualsandweredifferentfromothersimilar
festivities.Unfortunately,thereisnotenoughdocumentary
evidencetosupportthishypothesis.
isaTaoistworshipsiteandtouristattraction.9Indeed,this
areahostsmanyotherreligiousestablishments,suchasShui
YuetTemple,ToYuenTungandLoFungAcademy(moreon
LoFungAcademybelow).Theeldersoftheareapointout
thatShuiYuetTemplewasbuiltbeforeToYuenTung.Shui
YuetTempleisWunYiu'sKwunYum(Guanyin)temple,
whileToYuenTungisahalloftheSinTinTaosectwhich
worshipstheBodhisattvaMaitreya.Alsoworshippedthere
weretheQueenMother(Wangmu),KwunYumandZhang
Zhidong.Accordingtorecords,ToYuenTungcontributed
totherenovationsofFanSinTemplein1964and1976.Lo
FungAcademy,meanwhile,contributedtothe1976FanSin
andtheywerereleasedintotheriveraftertheceremony.It
wasbelievedthat,asthelanternsfloateddownstream,lone
spiritswouldbeguidedtothelandofpurehappiness.The
practicewasconsideredanobledeed.
After the war, the annual celebrations lost their
splendour. In 1958, the villages held the first post-war
celebration,buttherewasnodaggersedanperformance
and other acrobatic shows.There was no parade and
floatinglanternritualeither.Thefestivitiesincludedastage
performancetroupeanddragonandliondances,butthe
genreoftheperformancewaschanged.Sincetheorganisers
werenotabletoinvitepuppetperformers,thefirstshow
offeringthankstoFanSinaftertheWarwasaCantonese
opera.Inthisway,Cantoneseoperareplacedthepuppetshow
asthe"newpost-wartradition".Astheeconomycontinued
togrow,theperformancetroupesinvitedbyWunYiuwere
increasinglyfamous.Manywell-knownentertainersbrought
laughterandartisticenjoymenttothevillagesandtheirgod
FanSin.Suchcelebrativeactivitiescontinueduntil1988.
JapanesescholarTanakaIsseiobservedanddocumented
birthdaycelebrationsforFanSinfrom1982to1985.8
Gongrenovation.10
ToYuenTung,establishedbyMasterTinSiuTsuen,
isahallandretreatoftheSinTinTaosect.MasterTinhad
successivelyestablishedWutongXiandonginShenzhen,
QinglianGuaninYonggengTang,Guangzhou,SiuHaSin
YuenintheKwunYumTempleinMongKok,Kowloon,and
ToYuenTunginTaiPo.ThecoupletonthedoorframeofTo
YuenTung,writteninthe6thyearoftheRepublicanPeriod
(1916),isverymeaningful.ItdescribesMasterTin'sjourney
toHongKongforthespreadofTaoism:
According to a 2007 f ield study, the birthday
celebrationsnowonlytakeplaceinthemorningofthe16th
dayofthe5thlunarmonth.Onthatday,villagersofWunYiu
wouldcometoFanSinTemplewithalmsandworshiptheir
god.Theofferingsincluderoastedpig,freshfruit,pastries
andricedumplings(becauseitwasaroundDragonBoat
Festival).Accordingtothevillagers,thepracticeofserving
ricedumplingsasalmsisacentury-oldtraditioninWunYiu.
Ricedumplingsareeateninotherplacesonceayear,but
theyareeateninWunYiutwiceyearly.Asnoonapproaches,
the manager of Fan SinTemple would hold a simple
ceremonyandfirecrackerswouldbesetoff.Thevillagers
wouldthenpicnicintheopenareainfrontofthetemple,and
thebirthdaycelebrationsend.
The peaches and pears are traced to their origins, the
flowers flow along the streams;
Phoenix trees are planted and the cave is explored, the
broken branches will not stop the spread of Taoism.11
MasterTin SiuTsuen admired the embrace of
mountainsandwatersaroundthesite,andnamedthehall
ToYuenTung("TaoyuanDong"inPutonghua,meaningthe
paradisecave).MasterWanCheongWo,theheadofToYuen
Tung,recallsthatthesitewasmorethan10,000squarefeet
atthetimeoffoundingwithmultiplebuildings,including
ShuiYuetTempleandSiuTsuen"MeditationHall".They
weretheperfectplacesformonkstodotheircontemplation.
Lifewashardthenandthelandnearthesitewasusedto
plant grain.The rice was then exchanged for vegetables
andfruitwithChongHaChingSheinFanling,andthetwo
Taoistsiteswerehappytosupporteachother.12Couplets
arepreservedtodayatChongHaChingShe,oneofwhich
To Yuen Tung: An Early Hall of the Sin Tin Tao
ToYuenTung is, at the same time, the name of a
villageandaplace.CoupledwithMoLoTam,ToYuenTung
160
There is indeed "To Yuen Tung" building, which
should be a contemporary building. A plaque with
the words "To Yuen Tung" is hung over the main
gate, and the couplet on the sides read, "The peaches
and pears are traced to their origins, the flowers flow
along the streams;/ Phoenix trees are planted and
the cave is explored, the broken branches will not
stop the spread of Taoism." The couplet is dated on
an autumn day in the sixth year of the Republican
Period. Another couplet is found inside the building:
"No worldly affairs are known here/ Fabled land of
the gods this is". There are structures on both sides
of the cave – Siu Village Meditation Hall on the left
and Longevity Chamber and Shui Yuet Temple on
the right. A few women over the age of fifty live in the
cave, and they farm for a living.14
PhotographofToYuenTung'sTaoistprieststakeninthe1970s.Thestone
plaquewasdated1917;ontherightuppercornerisaphotographyofthe
founder,MasterTinSiuTsuen.(ProvidedbyToYuenTung)
ThevillagersofWunYiualsoworshippedatToYuen
Tung.MaYeeMuiwastheabbessofShuiYuetTempleand
maintainedacloserelationshipwithfollowersoftheSin
TinTaoSectatToYuenTung.Infact,Maherselfeventually
becameafollower.In1947,MaYukYinwaspromotedtothe
"rank"ofadeaconryinSinTinTaoSect.Themasterofthe
ceremonywasTsangTaoKwong,wholaterbecamethehead
oftheSinTinTaosect.
AbuildingcomplexinWunYiu'sToYuenTung.LongevityChamberison
theright.ManydevoteesvisitToYuenTungduringitsfestival.(Providedby
ToYuenTung)
Inthe1980s,theHongKongGovernmentre-claimed
ToYuenTungandthelandnearbytodevelopTaiPo.In
1987,ToYuenTungwasdemolishedandrelocatedtoits
currentaddressat42ShanTongVillage.ShuiYuetTemple
wasmovedto27ShanTongVillage.TheKwunYumStatue
insidethetempletodayisarelicofoldertimes.
ToYuenTung(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
161
Traditional Religious Activities
waspresentedbyTinSiuTsuen,HoMingTatandWunYiu
villagersMaTaoLungandMaYiuTing.MaYiuTingwas
oneofthetwoadvocatesforFanSinTemple'srenovation
in1925,whileMaTaoLungcontributedthelargestsumof
moneytothatrenovation.13TheNewTerritoriesOverview (新界概覽)records:
BesidesToYuenTung, the SinTinTao sect also
maintainedothersitesinTaiPo–KunToTongandLing
KukYuenhadbeenrelocatedtoTaiPofromotherareas.
LingKukYuen,locatedinPanChungVillageofTaiPo,was
originallybuiltnexttoTsangTaiUkinShatin'sShanHa
Wai.AtthetimeitwascalledJuiYinChingShe.Todaya
coupletdatedto1920iswellpreservedinLingKukYuen.
Ittellsoftheoriginofthesite,CangxiaDonginQingyuan.
Ling KukYuen Kindergarten was one of the temple's
communityinvolvements.Meanwhile,LingKukYuenis
the only SinTinTao temple in Hong Kong worshipping
thethreeZhangliuyuearthgodsoftheTangDynasty,tree
HelivedinastonecaveinKongdongMountain,andtaught
theYellowEmperorscholarshipandmedicine.Thename
ofthetemple,"SingKung"("Shenggong"inPutonghua),
alludes to the saying "a reflective mind and candid
personality,withwillpowertoputthoughtintopractice."The
coupletatthefrontgatereads:
godsthatarepopularinGuangzhou,PanyuandHuaxian.
CangxiaDonginQingyuanwasbuiltinthe2ndyearofthe
TongzhiReign(1863)toservethethreeearthgods.Thealtar
atLingKukYuenborethewording,"KuangFuZhengFa"
(meaning"upholdingrighteousness"),andhadthecouplet,
"TheGreatTaoshowsselflessvirtues./Thetempleiswell
managedandbestowsendlessblessings."Thefirstlineof
thecoupletshowsthespecialattributeofthethreedeitiesas
earthgods.Theirbirthdayisonthe24thdayofthe6thlunar
month.15AftertheWar,theLingKukYuenbeganservingthe
ThreeTreasures(Sanbao);andbecauseJatMinChuenwas
beingbuiltinShatin,thetemplewasrelocatedtoPanChung
VillageinTaiPo.TodayLingKukYuenisaretreatthatisnot
opentothepublic.
ShenggongCaotang("SingKungChoTong"inCantonese)
ofGuangzhouthatwasestablishedin1894.Itwasoriginally
built in Dezheng Street in Guangzhou (the intersection
between Dezheng Bei Road andYuxi Er Road today),
behindPanyuCountyOfficetothewest.Formanyyears,
theestablishmenthadprovidedreligiousandcommunity
services,includingmedicalconsultation,medication,coffins,
burialservices,food,vaccinationandcareforwidows.Every
yearitdistributedricetwiceandhadthereforeearneda
goodreputation.NexttoShenggongCaotang,ShengheTang
providedmedicationtothepeoplewhohadreceivedtheir
diagnosisandprescriptionatthetemple.In1953,Shenggong
Caotangceasedoperation.16Accordingtorecordsofthe
temple, Shenggong Caotang was built during the Jiawu
rodentplagueofthelateQingDynasty(1894).Manypeople
were struck by the epidemic, and Master Guangcheng,
movedbythepeople'ssuffering,sentthephoenixtothe
mortalworldtoquelltheplagueandspreadtherecipefor
thecure.Intheirgratitude,theGuangzhoupeoplefounded
ShenggongCaotongtoworshiptheMaster.
Enter these doors to reflect with honesty and virtue.
Lines of masters practise the Tao for endless blessed
deeds.
SingKungChoTonginHongKongoriginatedfrom
Sing Kung Cho Tong: Temple Originating from
Guangzhou for the Worship of Master Guangcheng
SingKungChoTongislocatedonTingKokRoadin
TaiPo.Thecommitteetofoundthetemplewasformedin
1929inTaiHangVillage'sKwongMingToi.Thepresent
siteinTaiPowaspurchasedin1931,andhasanareaover
30,000 square feet. In 1932 the site was registered with
theGovernmentandreceivedthelegalstatusofalimited
companyaswellasspecialpermissiontoaddthewords
"limitedcompany"afteritsname.MasterGuangchengis
Inthe1920s,anumberofHongKongmerchantswho
travelledfrequentlybetweenHongKongandGuangzhou
establishedSingKungChoTonginTaiPotopassonthe
spiritofShenggongCaotonginGuangzhou.Construction
workwascompletedin1932andtheopeningceremonywas
heldthreeyearslater:
worshippedinthestructureinthefront,whiletheThreePure
Ones(Sanqing)areworshippedinthestructureattheback.
MasterGuangchengisbelievedtobeamythicalgodduring
theperiodofthelegendaryHuangdi,ortheYellowEmperor.
The building of Guangcheng Temple had been
planned for many years. On the first day of the third
162
TheoriginaldeityimageoftheGuangchengTemplebeforerenovation.
Guangchengwasholdingaruyi(如意).(Providedby
SingKungChoTung)
InA Brief Record of Hong Kong's Guangcheng
Temple (港堂廣成宮事略),editedbyHongKongSingKung
ChoTongandpublishedin1961,thethirtyyearsofhistory
sincethefoundingofthetempleisrecordedinmuchdetail.
TheforewordstatesthatSingKungChoTongfollowsthe
TheSingKungChoTongbeforerenovation.(Providedby
SingKungChoTung)
TheoriginalstoneplaqueoftheGuangchengTemple.(Providedby
SingKungChoTung)
TheinteriorofGuangchengTemple(PhotographybySingKungChoTung)
163
Traditional Religious Activities
lunar month in 1929, we purchased two buildings
in Kwong Ming Toi in Tai Hang Village, Hong
Kong, for the worship of Master Guangcheng. It
was established for the convenience of those Hong
Kong people who could not afford the time to travel
abroad for worship. The buildings were also where
the establishment of Sing Kung Cho Tong was
planned. ......The construction of the temple had not
been smooth. In 1932, most of the main hall and
the front building were completed and it was decided
that we would move in on the 15th day of the 12th
lunar month of that year. ......In 1934, on the first
day of the eleventh lunar month, the grand opening
ceremony took place. The spirit tablets of the Three
Pure Ones were worshipped on the third floor of the
back building, while the main hall housed the bronze
statue of Master Guangcheng.17 On the left of the
statue, the tablets of Onzhen and the Flying Phoenix
are worshipped. Kai Ling Tong on the ground floor
of the back building hosted the tablets of people who
had contributed to the founding of the temple. The
consecration ceremony was also held.18
establishedtraditionofShenggongCaotanginGuangzhou
andisthusdifferentfromotherTaoisttemples:
respectfully and the chamber on the third floor was
restored. The first phase of restoration was, thus,
complete.20
The development of Sing Kung Cho Tong in Hong
Kong begins in 1928, with strict adherence to
the teachings in Records of Shenggong . Besides
differences arising from geographical factors, Sing
Kung Cho Tong in Hong Kong holds high regard for
the practice of Shenggong Caotang in Guangzhou
and follows it closely. ......It is important to note that
Cho Tong does not accept donations from the outside,
and does not participate in worldly affairs. The only
mission is to follow the principles of virtue, beneficence
and charity. Our work pales in comparison with the
noble deeds of our great ancestors Yao and Shun. We
dare not call our establishment shantang (charity) but
humbly name it caotang ("cho tong " in Cantonese;
"cao " means grass). Such is the belief of Shenggong
Caotang in Guangzhou and we in Hong Kong
practise the same.19
AccordingtoRecentRecordsofShenggong (省躬近
錄),intheeightyyearssinceitsestablishment,Shenggong
Caotanghasmainlyprovidedmedicaldiagnosticservice
tobelieverswithguidancefromMasterGuangcheng.The
provision of medication was a supplementary service.
WhenSingKungChoTongwasestablishedinHongKong,
medicaldiagnosisandmedicationwereprovidedforfree.
Atthetime,thetemplehad150medicalprescriptionslips.
If the worshippers sought healing with a devoted heart,
theywouldreceiveaprescription,andcouldgetmedication
fromadesignatedChinesepharmacyinTaiPo.Manyrare
anddifficultillnessescouldbehealed.Inaddition,Sing
Kung ChoTong produced pills and tablets for different
purposesbasedondivineprescriptionsanddistributedthem
toworshippers.Enteringthe1990s,SingKungChoTong's
medicalservicesfurtherdeveloped.Apharmacydepartment
wasestablishedin1991tomanagethebusiness.Currently,
thereisonecliniceachofChineseandwesternmedicineon
TingKokRoadservingthecommunity.Feesareverylow
andtheservicesarewellreceivedbytheresidentsofTaiPo.
According to oral accounts by villagers inTai Po,
duringtheJapaneseoccupation,theJapanesearmyseized
SingKungChoTonganduseditasacentreofadministration
fortheneighbouringareas:
Sing Kung ChoTong has a three-hall layout.The
exterior of the building is simple yet elegant, while the
interiorsarerefreshinglyandbeautifullydecorated.Situated
insuchanenvironment,oneisnaturallyinclinedtosharea
senseofserenityandrenewal,asthecoupletdescribesaptly:
During the winter of 1941, this hall was occupied by
the Japanese army. After the Japanese surrendered in
1945, it was occupied by a certain military authority.
......The only relic untouched by the war was the
marble tablet of the Three Pure Ones. On the third
day of the sixth lunar month in 1950, a group of
us congregated in the main hall and re-instated the
Three Pure Ones tablet for worship. Beginning in
the winter of 1950, we restored each of the halls
with funds raised from rental leases. In 1955 we
received permission to repaint the portrait of Master
Guangcheng, and on the first day of the third lunar
month, the portrait was worshipped in the main hall.
On the third day of the sixth lunar month of the
same year, we moved the Three Pure Ones tablet
Here worldly troubles are washed away,
Within this gate respect stands forever.
To assist development of theTai Po district, Sing
Kung ChoTong donated land from its back garden for
the construction of residential buildings. It also went
throughdemolitionandreconstructionduetoitsage.In
ordertopreservetheoriginalappearance,theprincipleof
reconstructionwastobuildnewstructuresthatresemblethe
old.Thereconstructionprocesslastedformorethanthree
164
years,andthetemplewasreopenedinspringof1990.The
main structure is GuangchengTemple where the Master
isworshipped.Itscoupletreads,"Inmypalmslieheaven
andearth./Tigersanddragonsalwaysbymyside."Onthe
twosidesoftheMaster,ZhentanGod(atreegod,whose
birthdayiscelebratedonthe18thdayofthe12thlunarmonth)
andChuGod(theredbird,whosebirthdayiscelebratedon
the17thdayofthe6thlunarmonth)areworshipped.21The
birthdayofMasterGuangchengiscelebratedthesixthday
ofthesixthlunarmonth.Alldisciplesofthetemplewould
meetforthecelebrationactivities.TheHalloftheThree
PureOnesisfoundonthesecondfloorofthethirdhall,
Sung Sum To Tak Tan: Laozi Temple Originated
from Chaozhou
wheretheThreePureOnesareworshipped.Thestatuesare
livelywithapeacefuldemeanour.YuYeeTangislocated
behind GuangchengTemple to the right. It has spiritcalligraphyonthewallwithaprofoundmeaning.Inspired
byMasterGuangcheng,oneofthecoupletssays,"Among
thefiveblessingsoflife,longevitycomesfirst./Withoutlife,
wealthandstatusarefutile."Theotherreads,"Thecranes
andphoenixesdescendintothehumanworld./Theywrite
encouragementsfortheheart'sbenefit."However,thefuchi(spiritwriting)hasceasedsince1985.Inthehall,there
isagroupphotoofShenggongCaotang's30thanniversary
celebrationsin1924.Thispreciousphotographwastaken
infrontoftheHalloftheThreePureOnesinShenggong
CaotanginGuangzhou.
establishedin1951inSaiWanandlatermovedtoChai
Wan.23ItscentrehallisdevotedtotheworshipofLaozi.
AnotherexampleisTszWanKok,locatedinTszWanShan.
SungSumToTakTaninTaiPois,meanwhile,oneofthe
earliestTaoisttemplesinHongKong.Withitsmainhall
dedicatedtotheworshipofLaozi,SungSumToTakTan
isalsoknownasLaoziTemple.OnthetwosidesofLaozi
sitlesserdeitiesTianheandTiande.Thereisacoupletthat
reads,"Tianheisentrustedwiththemissionofsavingthe
world./TiandeseestheJadeEmperorcarryingbooks."
165
In1974,SungSumToTakTanappliedforthestatusof
alimitedcompany,andprintedtheSpecialCommemorative
IssuefortheThirtiethAnniversaryofSungSumToTakTan
andtheReconstructionoftheAncientTemple (崇心通德
壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊).24MakKingWah,village
chief ofTai Po KauVillage, recorded its establishment,
"TaiPoSungSumToTakTanwasestablishedin1948in
TaiPoKauVillage.Ithasalreadybeenthirtyyearssinceits
founding.ThegrandaltarisfortheworshipofTaoistfounder
Laozi,andisfrequentedbydevoutworshippers."According
to theTempleAffairs Report by Cheng ChungTsang,
managerofthefirstexecutivecommitteeofSungSumTo
TakTanandchairmanofthesecondexecutivecommittee,
theworshipsitehashadthefollowingdevelopmentinits
expansion:
In the early years, the rites and rituals for worshipping
Lord Laozi were simple because they had been
intended for individual worship at home. With efforts
Traditional Religious Activities
EventhoughSingKungChoTongispopularinthe
community, it has always maintained a low profile.The
runningcostsarecontributedbydisciplesvoluntarily,and
it receives no contribution from outsiders. However, as
thetimeschange,therehavebeensomeadjustmentsinits
policies.Forexample,before1969,SingKungChoTong
wouldonlyrecruitdisciplesoftheQian(male),butlaterit
alsoaccepteddisciplesoftheKun(female).Furthermore,
thesitehasbeenopentovisitorsafteritsreconstruction,
althoughthereisstillnodonationboxinsidethetemple.
In fact, the policy of not accepting outside donations is
prominentlydisplayedonthepremises.SingKungChoTong
hasplayedanactiveroleinsocialandcommunityservices;
forexample,whenaschoolorahospitalisinneedoffunds,
itwillcontribute.22
SungSumToTakTan(TsunSumVirtueAssociation
Co.Ltd),foundedbyCheungSinTinofChaoyangin1948,
islocatedinTsungTsaiYuenofTaiPoKauVillage.Taoist
worshipsitesestablishedbythepeopleofChaozhouare
usuallynamedwiththecharacter"kok("ge"inPutonghua)",
suchasYukHaKok,YuenChingKok,TszWanKok,etc.
In Hong Kong, a number ofTaoist temples have been
established by the people of Chaozhou to worship the
TaoistLordLaozi,includingYuenDohSinKoon,originally
Yan Lo: The Worship of Lu Tsu and Five Religions
by Cheung Sin Tin to build the temple's reputation,
medical and burial services were provided to the
community. The temple developed further with
blessings by Lord Laozi. More followers subscribed
to the faith and many frequented the temple daily.
In 1974, temple officials submitted an application
to the authority for "limited company" status. ...This
temple worships Lord Laozi with the mission: to train
a follower's heart in the Tao, to benefit the heart, to
discipline one's way by the Tao, and to treat others
with courtesy.25
ThereareanumberofTaoistandBuddhisttemplesin
KamShan,includingTaiKwongYuen,PunChunYuenand
YanLo.
YanLoislocatedinKamShanVillage.According
tothestoneplaqueatthemaingate,itwasfoundedinthe
summerof1951,andthecurrentstructurewasrenovatedin
1968.In1931,Taoistmonks,includingYauKokMan,had
alreadyestablishedYanLoinD'AguilarStreetinCentral.
YanLoinKamShanis,infact,the"TaiPoSite."YauKok
Tak,alsoknownasChingMiu,isYauKokMan'sson.He
usedtobeaspiritmedium,passingondivinemessagesat
YanLo.However,therehasnotbeenanyspiritwritingatthe
hallinthepastdecade.YauManTakwrote"OurTemple's
FiftyTurbulentYears"andrecordedthedescentofLuTsu
inaspiritcallingsessiontoendorsethefoundingofYanLo.
Since1930,YanLohasmovedfivetimesfromitsoriginal
addressinGrahamStreetduetounaffordablerents.In1961,
thehallfinallysettledinitscurrentaddressonthesixthfloor
of20-22D'AguilarStreet.VillagegentrymemberNgChung
ChizassistedwiththebuildingoftheTaiPoSite:
CheungSinTin,thepermanentmasterofthetemple,
explainedthemeaningbehindthetemple'sname:
This temple worships the saintly Lord Laozi. We
follow his teachings on the way of life and his beliefs
in life, wisdom, culture and philosophy. We follow
through in the principles of the Tao. Since the
founding of this temple, we have promoted Lord
Laozi's ideal virtues for thirty years. The Tao came
from lives and lives came from the Origin – thus the
virtues of the Tao.26
The Society began in 1930. The original site was in
Graham Street, Central, inside Yau Kok Man's home.
The society initially held informal social meetings until
a guest came with the idea of spirit writing. At first it
was done as a game without any particular purpose.
In one coincidence, Lu Tsu descended with didactic
messages. He said, "as it was an opportune meeting
with all, why not set up a Taoist worship site for the
benefit of the people? Clinics can be established to
alleviate suffering in the world. Children can be taught
to respect the elderly, and the moral standard of the
times can be enhanced. Society will be blessed with
your good work. First, You may dispel disasters and
misfortune; Second, you may teach the Tao and learn
the Zen." Consequently, friends and colleagues were
invited to plan for a formal establishment. In 1931,
on the 29th day of the 1st lunar month, Yan Lo was
AfterCheungSinTinpassedawayin2005,thetemple
hasbeenmanagedbyhisson.Accordingtohisson,Cheung
SinTincametoHongKongin1930.Hewas"instructed"
byLordLaozitocometoHongKongandbuildatemple.
HeinitiallylivedinKowloonTsaiandmovedtoTaiPoin
1950.Atfirst,hestartedaworshipfacilityathome,andonly
registereditasalimitedcompanylater.SungSamToTak
TanmovedtoitscurrentaddressinTsungTsaiYuenin1991.
CheungSinTinwasalsooneoftheoriginalincorporators
oftheTaiPoChiuChow(Chaozhou)NativeAssociation
Limited,aswellasthefundcollectorinTaiPoKauforthe
YuLanFestivalPerformance.27Meanwhile,majoreventsat
SungSamToTakTanincludecelebrationsforLordLaozi's
birthday of the 15 th day of the 2 nd lunar month,Yu Lan
FestivalFaironthe10thdayofthe2ndlunarmonthandthe
GrandWorshipattheendofeachlunaryear.28
166
Yan Lo's registered name isYan Lo Buddhist
MonasteryLimited:
The Society has been named for its removal from
worldly contests. ...Since its establishment, Lu Tzu
has been the master of the Society. According to
his teachings, the heavenly God is the creator of all
living things on earth. Confucianism, Buddhism,
Taoism, Christianity and Islam are five religions that
have originated from the heavenly God. The highest
heavenly God sits at the main altar at Yan Lo, and,
and the Society performs good deeds according to the
teachings of the five religions. Therefore, the Society
is named Yan Lo and Five Religions Society.30
AstotheconstructionoftheTaiPoSiteinKamShan,
theFoundingofYanLoBuddhistMonasteryinTaiPo (隱廬
佛社重修大埔堂落成記)recordsindetail:
167
Yan Lo's Tai Po Site is located in Kam Shan Village
of Tai Po. From the foot of the mountain, one can
reach Yan Lo within a hundred steps. The land,
surrounded by the mountains, is 4,000 feet wide and
has a very good landscape. Its front view of Pat Sin
Leng, its left touches the ranges of Tai Mo Shan,
its right embraces the billows of Tolo Harbour, with
Kam Shan as its pillow. Water from the Lam Tsuen
waterfall flows ahead. The neighbours are followers of
the Tao. It is the perfect site for contemplation and
enlightenment. Originally, this land had three tiled
houses and rich vegetation including flowers, fruit,
bamboo and green vegetables. It is an exceptional
world of its own. Soon after the purchase of the land,
a wooden building with three columns was built. A
façade, a pavilion and a fountain were also built, while
flowers and fruit trees decorated the premises. The
structure was divided into Lu Tsu Chamber, Lung
Wah Tong, Guest Chamber, and the office. The
upper levels hosted Jade Emperor Chamber, Divine
Guards Chamber (Hufa Dian), Kwun Yum Hall,
Scripture Reading Hall and the common room. A
giant bell had been made to hang on the balcony to
remind worshippers of prayer time. In the other corner
of the building, the kitchen was found. Furniture
was sparse but special and tens of thousands had
been spent on it. Fortunately, fellow members were
generous to donate. On the 17th day of the 9th lunar
month in 1951, Yan Lo was permanently founded in
Tai Po. Time flies. It has been eighteen years since its
founding. In 1968, Master Ching Wai would have
celebrated his 100th birthday if he was alive, and
the Tai Po Site was in need of renovation. A plan to
rebuild the Tai Po Site was proposed and the second
floor Scripture Reading Hall was named Ching Wai
Memorial Hall. Lung Wah Tong was expanded to pay
respect to the members' ancestors. Yi Ngam Hin and
Chap Yin Ngam were added in the back to provide
Traditional Religious Activities
established at 9 D'Aguilar Street with an altar. Yau
Kok Man, also known as Ching Wai, was one of the
founders. Other founding members were Yau Kok
Cheung, also known as Ching Man, Yau Hin Tsak,
also known as Ching Ming, Yau Man Tak, also
known as Ching Miu, Au Wing Lin, also known as
Yat Yiu and Chan Wun Cho, also known as Chung
Geng (sixteen other members of the Qian and Kun
Branches have been abridged). ......The Society
made herbal medicine and printed the Tao scripture
for distribution. The recipes for the medication were
inspired by Lu Tsu. ...In 1932, the Society moved
to Jervois Street. ...In 1951, Lu Tsu instructed the
society to establish a site for meditation. As a result, a
residential house at 80 Kam Shan Village in Tai Po
was bought with land of 5,000 square feet. With the
help of Ng Tsung Chi of Tsz Ha Yuen, the structure
was rebuilt into a two-storey building. When members
of the society did not have to work, the Tai Po site
served as a place of contemplation and renewal.29
withcautionanddiscipline."Inrecentyears,YanLohas
printedTaoistandBuddhistscripturesfordistribution.
socialising venues for our members. The stairways
uphill were rebuilt as well, so that the land was best
utilised.
Fung Loi Leung Yuen: Lectorium for the Worship
of Lu Tsu and the Eight Immortals
9th lunar month of 1968
Yan Lo Buddhist Monastery Expansion Committee
Members: Fok Chong Ming, Yau Chong Ming,
Cheng Kun Bing, Yau Chung Yan, Lo Kun Ying
Consultants: Yau Ching Miu, Au Yat Yiu, Yip Kun
Sam31
FungLoiLeungYuenislocatedinPunShanChau
Village,WunYiu.ThemaingodworshippedthereisLuTsu
(LuDongbin),thusthelocalscallFunLoiLeungYuen"Lu
TsuTemple."Accordingtotheelderlypeoplewholivein
thelectoriumtoundertakeandstudy,thesitewaspurchased
bythefoundingmastersofBaojiMonasteryofLofuShan
AtYanLo,LuTsu(LuDongbin)isworshippedin
thefirstfloorLuTsuChamber.SiuYiuKung(alsoknown
astheJadeEmperorChamber)isfoundonthesecondfloor
andhastheTszHongDinandtheChingWaiMemorial
Hallonitsleftandrightrespectively.TheLuTsuportrait
hasbeenpaintedbydiscipleYauManTak.InsidetheJade
EmperorChamber,atabletisworshipped,payingrespect
tothefoundersofthefivereligionsandotherpopulargods,
including Confucius, Laozi, Sakyamuni, Jesus Christ,
Mohammed,LuTsu,Guandi,KwunYum,SunWukongand
theTenSaintlyDoctors.Everyyearonthe3rddayofthe1st
lunarmonth,anoontimeserviceisheldattheTaiPoSite,
whilethefoundinganniversaryoftheTaiPoSite,the17th
dayofthe9thlunarmonth,isusuallycelebratedwithafeast.
Thecoupletatthemaingateshows:
for contemplative study. However, because the land was
underdevelopedatthattime,noimmediateeffortwasmade
toestablishitasaTaoistlectorium.Later,founderYeeGu
wasinstructedbyLuTsutooperateclinicstobenefitthe
world,andanaltarwassetupinShamShuiPo.Herspirit
healingwasveryeffective,andshebecamewellknownto
many.Manybeneficiariesofherhealinghelpedherfulfilthe
wishtofoundatemple.Inthe1960s,YeeGupurchasedthe
hillylandinPunShanChaufortheconstructionofFungLoi
LeungYuen,whichwasintendedforcontemplativestudy.It
tookalongperiodoftimetobuildthestructureanditwas
eventuallyinauguratedasaTaoistlectorium.Theportrait
of LuTsu, worshipped in the main hall, was painted in
1954,suggestingthatLeungYuencouldhavebeenofficially
foundedin1954.
"Yan" – to take temporary leave from worldly affairs;
"Lo" – a place to meet and greet fellow good
neighbours.
The site was named "Fung Loi" ("Peng Lai" in
Putonghua).FungLoiisamysticalislandintheseaofthe
East,alegendaryplacewheretheEightImmortalsrside.
"LeungYuen" ("LangYuan" in Putonghua) refers to the
paradisesoughtafterbytheDanBranchofTaoism.The
site'snamesuggeststhatitisablessedvenueformeditation
andcontemplation.LeungYuenisbuiltonFungWongShan,
andallthestructureshavebeenbuiltagainstthehills.Lu
Tsu'sportraitisveneratedinthehall,andportraitsofthe
EightImmortalsandKwunYumareservedinfrontofit.
At LuTsu Chamber, the couplet on the door was
inspiredbythegreatmasterhimself:
"Yan" – to retreat for enlightenment;
"Lo" – a place to learn truth and the Tao.
AtYan Lo in D'Aguilar Street, Central, a framed
mirrordisplaysthemembershiprulesofYanLoBuddhist
Monastery, requesting believers "to follow theTao in
cultivating virtues, respect for the elderly, morality and
loyaltywithastrongheartandwill,andtoactandspeak
ThevesselsofpoweroftheEightImmortalsaredepicted
intheportraits:LiTieguaiwithhisgourd,ZhangGuolao
withthefish-drum,ZhongLiquanwiththepalmleaffan,
168
Although LeungYuen is largely a venue for
contemplation,manyvillagerscometoworshipontheJade
Emperor'sbirthdayonthe9thofthe1stlunarmonth,LuTsu's
birthdayonthe14thdayofthe4thlunarmonth,andtheEight
Immortals'birthdayonthe8thdayofthe8thlunarmonth.
VillagersalsovisitthetempleforguidancefromLuTsu,
withYeeGu'sassistance.Inthepast,YeeGuwouldactas
spiritmediumwhenworshipperssoughtspiritualguidance.
However, afterYee Gu passed away in the 1990s, spirit
callingalsoceased.
Man Tak Yuen: Lectorium with a Heavenly
Landscape
ManTakYuen,locatedinNgTungChaiofLamTsuen
inTaiPo,wasestablishedbyManTakChiSinSeh.ManTak
ChiSinSehwasfoundedin1951inKowloonworshipping
LuTsu. "Originating from the Chongxu Branch, it was
founded by Zheng Chengchi, student ofYe Zongmao of
Yingyuan Gong in Guanyin Shan, Guangzhou.The new
branchisnamedXin."32Duringthemid1970s,previous
master, Cheung Chi Fan Justice of Peace (who was the
chairmanoftheVillageCommitteeoftheTaiPoAlliance
ofSeven)discoveredapieceoffarmlandnexttothehillsof
LamTsuen.Withencouragementandsupportfromagroup
ofTaoistmonks,hebuiltaTaoistlectoriumsitetherewitha
heavenlylandscape.Aftertwentyyearsofdevelopment,Man
TakYuenhasestablisheditscurrentstature.
ManTakYuen is built by the hills with halls of
grandeur.Thegatetowerbearsthefollowingcouplet:
The falls and the streams, the rivers and the lives map
the fairyland of phoenix trees.
169
The fog girdles the green mountaintop, with ancient
caves at the South Mountain enveloping a heavenly
otherworld.
Accordingtothelectorium'smanager,themountain
streamfromtheNgTungChaiwaterfallgirdlesthevalley
infrontofManTakYuen.Themountainsfromafarshow
rocksintheshapeofscripturescrolls.Thiswouldbethe
"map"thatthecoupletrefersto,andconfirmsthatthesite
for ManTakYuen is a piece of blessed land perfect for
Taoistworship.ClosetothevalleyliesNamShan(South
Mountain), echoing the LuTsu's comment (passed on
throughspiritcalling),"theancientcavesofNamShanare
goodformeditation."Havingpassedthegatetower,one
enters the structures of ManTakYuen. Due to the site's
geographiccomposition,thestructureshavenotbeenbuilt
accordingtothetraditionalstyleofcentralaxisconstruction.
However,asthehallswerebuiltinlayersalongthevalley,
thestructureshigherup,suchasLuTsuHallandShuiYuet
Temple,lookliketheyarechambersinheaven,andvisitors
enjoythemostspectacularview.
AfewmastersparticipatedinthebuildingofMan
TakYuen,andittooktwentyyearstocreatethesitewesee
today.Builtalongthehills,ManTakYuenradiatesanaura
ofgrandeur.ConstructionofLuTsuHallwascompleted
in 1977 and it was officially inaugurated the following
year.Insidethehall,LuTsuisworshippedinthecentre,
whilethemastersWangChongyangandQiuChangchun
areworshippedonthetwosides.Thewordsontheplaque
werewrittenbyLiBaijiin1977.JikDakPavilionwasbuilt
in1981,intendedtobeusedtoprayforrainonbehalfof
the people.At the time, Hong Kong experienced severe
droughtandLuTsuinstructedthetempletobuildapavilion
toprayforrain.Lateron,rainfellindeedandthepavilion
was named Jik Dak (Good Deeds) Pavilion. From 1996
to1998,ManTakYuenwentthroughthesecondphaseof
construction.StructuresbuiltduringtheperiodincludeShui
YuetTemple,HangTinTempleandNgFookHall,which
housesJadeEmperorTemple,andtheHalloftheThree
PureOnes.InsideHangTinTemple,KwanTai,ManCheong
Tai(Wenchangdi)andHungMing(ZhugeLiang);thereis
Traditional Religious Activities
LuDongbinwithhissword,HeXianguwithherlotus,Lan
Caihewithherflowerbasket,HanXiangziwithhisfluteand
CaoGuojiuwithhis"jianban"musicalinstrument.LuTsu
Templeisatwo-storeybuilding,withtheKwanTaiChamber
onthegroundfloorandtheLungFungHallservingtheJade
Emperor,DragonMotherandKwunYumonthefirstfloor.
ChoiYiu,whoseTaoistnameisSungKing.34Thebelltower
wasbuiltin1990andispartofafour-sectioncompound
withLuTsuHallandWangLingHall.35
alsoBodhisattvaKsitigarbhaChamberandafacilityfor
worshippingtheBuddha.Thecharacter"long(dragon)"on
thewalloutsideDauMoTemplewasinspiredbyKwunYum
andwrittenbyZhengzongShuhuashefromTaiwan.Ittells
thestoryofthemastersofManTakYuensettingupasitein
Taiwanandexchangingideasandbeliefswithbelieversin
Taiwan.33InsidetheHalloftheThreePureOnesnotonly
arethethreedeities,JadeClarity(Yuqing),HighestClarity
(Shangqing)andGreatClarity(Taiqing)worshipped,butalso
eighteenotherimmortalsaints.Oneofthecharacteristicsof
ManTakYuenisthat,mostoftheportraitsworshippedin
thesite,includingthoseoftheThreePureOnes,Immortal
TheTaoists of ManTak Chi Sin Seh are active
participantsinthetempleritualsandactivitiesinTaiPo.
AfterManMoTempleinFuShinStreet,TaiPoMarket,
becameadeclaredmonument,theVillageCommitteeofthe
AllianceofSevenrenovatedthetemplein1985.Statuesof
ManTaiandMoTaiwererestoredandthedisciplesofMan
TakChiSinSehwereresponsiblefortheirconsecration
ceremony.36In2001,ManTakChiSinSehcelebratedthe
50thyearanniversaryofitsfounding.BesidesaChinese
NewYear prayer meeting held in ManTakYuen, 37 the
mastersalsojoinedtheprayermeetingandscripturechanting
inWunYiutocelebrateFanSin'sbirthdaythatyear.
MasterYuandImmortalMasterLiu,werepaintedbyMaster
AccordingtotheinformationprovidedbyManTakChiSin
Seh,thedevelopmentalstagesofManTakYuenare:
1951
ZhengChengchicametoHongKongcarryingwithhim
thedepictionofthemaster'simage.
Lo Fung Academy: A Retreat of the Past
1952 ManTakChiSinShewasfoundedonYinChongStreet.
1956 ApermanentplaceonCantonRoadispurchased.
Lo FungAcademy was located inToYuenTung
Village.EstablishedbyChinesemedicalpractitionerChan
TszShek(1901-1981),itwasalsoknownasToYuenChin
King. ChanTsz Shek came to Hong Kong in 1949, and
publishedabookonthestudyofspiritualpractice.(Heheld
theviewthatthestudyofspiritualpracticehadbeenknown
intheoldendaysasTaoistPracticeinImmortalityandwas
knowninmoderntimesasthePracticeofLifeandSoul).
Theplanningandprintingofthisbookwasundertakenby
GengSengChoTong,whichwasrenamedasLoFungGui
SiLamin1952.In1956,analtarwasestablishedtoworship
TaoistmastersLuTsuandZhangTsu.38BelieversofLo
FungworshippedthemastersofNamChungandvenerated
theSanYangMastersas"MasterLiBoyangwhospreadand
elevatedTaoistvirtues,MasterLuChunyangwhopractised
Taoistbeneficence,andMasterZhangZiyangwhoadvocated
Taoistideology."39In1960,thestudywasregisteredasLo
FungAcademy.Inthefollowingyearover10,000square
metresoflandwaspurchasedinToYuenTungVillagefor
ManTakYuenwasunderplanningtobebuiltinNgTung
1972
Chai.
LuTsuHallinManTakYuenwascompletedin1978.
1977 Anopeningceremonywasheldonthe27thdayofthe9th
lunarmonth.
1979 AbranchtemplewasestablishedonTungFatSquare.
PavilionofRainwasbuilttoprayforrainsforHong
1981 Kong.ThepavilionwaslaterrenamedJikDak.Alotus
pondforKwunYumwasthenbuilt.
1982
ThemaintempleinPoHangBuildingonDundasStreet
wasunderplanning.
TheopeningceremonyoftheBellTowerwasheldonthe
12thdayofthe6thlunarmonth.Thefaçadeatthemain
1990
entrygatewasexpandedandanopeningceremonywas
heldonthe8thdayofthe12thlunarmonth.
1991
TheManTakInstituteonTaoistStudieswasestablished
inShizilin,Simenting,Taiwan.
1996
HalloftheThreePureOnes,LibraryofScriptures,Ng
FookHallandthePodiumoftheEightImmortals.
1997
ShuiYuetTemple was completed and an opening
ceremonywasheldonthe16thdayofthe8thlunarmonth.
1998
HangTinTempleforKwanTai,DauMoHallandthe
FaçadeofKeepingaGoodNamewerebuilt.
2000
TheManTakYuenManagementCommitteewasformed
totakecareoftheinstitute'sdailyoperation.
theconstructionofLoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute.The
landwaslocatedintheslightlyelevatedareanorthwestofa
mountainstream.
170
Chan Tsz Shek's hometown was Xinhui of
Guangdong. He started learning Chinese medicine
at a young age, and he practised the Tao and art.
His ancestor, Baisha, was famous for his meditation
practices and philosophical ideas. Chan learned from
his family members Chen Kuigong how to make
medicinal pills. He came from a learned family. He
lived in seclusion in Lo Fung, but he blessed his
followers with teachings and benefited the world
with virtues. He had published eight types of Taoist
book.40 Followers from near and far benefited from his
teaching. He had also saved numerous people.
Ziyang.Thethreeholystatuesweresculptedinmarble.The
plaqueoutsidethegateread,"OneVeinunderNamChung,"
andhadthecouplet,"TheSanYangMastersareworshipped
in'Lo,'/TheEightImmortalsareVeneratedin'Fung'."The
coupletwascomposedbyMasterChuToKauandwritten
by Master Ng Ba Ling.41 Besides SanYangTemple, the
sitealsohadstreamsandbridges,templesandpagodas.
ThestructuresincludedWahPond,DivineBoat,Zhuangzi
Terrace,YuenTangTower,LeungYuenTempleandFungLoi
Temple.LoFungAcademywasaworldofitsown,living
uptoitsname"ToYuenChinKing"("TaoyanQianjing"
inPutonghua),whichmeans"apieceofblessedlandfrom
heaven".Besides,therewereinscriptionepitaphspaying
respectstotheteachingsofLuTsuandLaozi.In1961,the
LiBoyangEpitaphwasestablishedinMuzhainTaipeiby
membersofLoFung.ThelandonwhichLoFungAcademy
wasbuiltwasnamed"ToYuenTungTin,"andisintheshape
ofagourdupsidedown.PoSumLake,infrontofthesite,
andPatSinLengareconnectedtoTaiMoShan.Twoofthe
coupletsatthesiteread:
ChanTszShekwrites:
ChanTszShekhadalsopublishedtheunscheduled
journalLoFungSpiritualPractice (鑪峰修養刊)(the1st
to21stissueswerepublishedfrom1958to1963).Healso
authoredTaoistRhymes (嬾道吟)andLoFungCouplet
Collections (鑪峰楹聯集).
Lo FungAcademy's lecture hall was located on
NathanRoadinKowloon.TheToYuenChinKingsiteinTai
Po'sToYuenTungVillagewasaretreat.Enteringtheretreat's
smallentrygate,thefaçadebearingtheplaque"ToYuen
ChinKing"hadthecouplet,"Inside'Lo'('Lu'inPutonghua)
theTaoishidden,/Outside'Fung'('Feng'inPutonghua)a
blessedlandisconcealed."Insidethemaingate,thefrontof
thefaçadeshowedthewords"LoFung"writtenbyYuYau
Yam,whilethewords"SingDei("Shengdi"inPutonghua,
meaning"theHolyLand")waswrittenbyKwokTingHung
in1965.Goingfurther,onewouldcomeuponSanYang
TempleworshippingLiBoyang,LuChunyangandZhang
171
The view is exceptional. In early tides a small boat
bathes under the sun. Lights of the fishing boat
illuminate half of the river of Yuen Chau Island.
The dusk of Pat Sin Leng flutters. The green top of
Tai Mo Shan pierces the sky. These scenes paint
a picture of nature, of freedom, of superb view, of
grandeur. The leisure flows under the eyes. Refined
visitors come to search for ancient relics.
Many saints pass on the Tao through the ages.
Emperor Xuanyuan rides the dragon in Ding Lake.
Master Boyang rides the bull in Han Valley. Lu
Dongbin casts his sword in Qing City. Pingshu
receives his calling in Tiantai. Each generation seeks a
mission, to create, to establish, to raise, to accomplish.
One remembers virtues in abundance. I seek to revive
the spirit of the Tao.
Traditional Religious Activities
ChanTszShek,anativeofXinhui,Guangdong,was
giventhetitle"TaosistMasterLoFung."HelearnedtheTao
fromChenKuigongoftheNamChungBranch,calligraphy
andpaintingfromGaoJianfu,andChinesemedicinefrom
ChenBotan(oneofGuangdong'sfourbestknownChinese
medicalpractitioners).AccordingtotheBiographyofChan
Tsz Shek (陳子石先生小傳) byTseTing Sham, Chan's
disciple:
ChuToKauwrites:
Boats travel the winding river of Pat Sin Leng. Who
says there is no spiritual land in Tai Po?
San Yang Temple hosts the immortal masters of the
Tao, I dare say there is heaven within To Yuen.
TheTaoists of Lo Fung not only placed a strong
emphasis on spiritual practice, but also cared about the
elderlyandthepoor.Theyhaddistributedriceto200senior
citizensinTaiPo,42andhaddonatedclothingfordisaster
relief.43In1959,theTaoistsofLoFungrespondedtothecall
bytheWahKiuYatPotohelpchildrenstruckbydisaster
SungSumToTakTan(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
throughsellingcalligraphyandpaintings.Theyalsowrote
theforewordforthecharityexhibition.44LoFungAcademy
hadplannedanexpansionofthesiteandtheestablishmentof
freeschoolsandelderlyhomes.Unfortunately,thisheavenly
retreatdisappearedfromthefaceofHongKongastheHong
KongGovernmentdevelopedresidentialareasinthe1980s.
Today,thedescendantsofChanTszShekliveabroad,andhis
followersarefoundinHongKong,Taiwan,Malaysiaandthe
Philippines.45TheinscriptionepitaphsatLoFunghavebeen
movedtoWunChuenSinKooninPingChe,Fanling.
ThefirstfloorofYanLoistheLuTsuChamber.Theupperlevelhoststhe
JadeEmperorChamberandKwunYumHall.(PhotographybyYauChiOn,
2008)
ThemainhallofSungSumToTakTan.ThedeityimageofLaoziisinthe
centerwhilethedeityimagesofTianheandTiandeareonthetwosides.
(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
TheviewofYanLo'sLuTsuChamber.Thecoupletwasadoptedfromthe
spirit-writingofLuTsu.(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
172
The couplet in the LuTsu Chamber was written by Daoji in 1951.
(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
ThefrontpartofLeungYuenisaLuTsuTemple.StandingnexttotheLuTsuTempleisatwo-storeybuildingwithKwanTaiChamberonthegroundfloorand
LungFungHallonthesecondfloor.(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
173
Traditional Religious Activities
TheinteriorofFunLoiLeungYuen'sLuTsuTemple.(Photographyby
NgaiTingMing)
AviewofManTakYuenfromadistance.(ProvidedbyManTakYuen)
ManTakYuen'sLuTsuTemple.(ProvidedbyMasterChoiHiu)
TheinterionofLuTsuTempleofManTakYuen.(Providedby
MasterChoiHiu)
FungLoiLeungYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
174
FellowmembersoftheLoFungAcademytookphotographyintheLoFung
Academy,whichhadstreamsandbridges,templesandpagodas.Thesiteis
consideredapieceofblessedlandfromheaven.(Providedby
MasterLaiTszHing)
Theplaquereads"OneVeinunderNamChung."MasterChanTszShek
woreadarkgownstandinginthemiddleofthefirstrow.
(ProvidedbyMasterLaiTszHing)
175
Afaçadebearingtheplaque"ToYuenChinKing"waserectedattheentry
gateoftheLoFungAcademy.ThesecondpersonfromtherightwasMaster
ChanTszShek.(ProvidedbyMasterLaiTszHing)
Traditional Religious Activities
In1961,LoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitutewasatthefoundingstage.
(ProvidedbyMasterLaiTszHing)
Buddhist Monasteries
monasteries,andtheleadersofthenewschoolcalledon
BuddhiststopractiseUrbanBuddhismandpreachbybeing
engagedintheworld.Fromaneconomicperspective,the
newmovementschangedthetraditionalself-relianteconomy
ofmonasteries:thecontemporarymonasteriesweremanaged
by lay Buddhists, and the modern monastery economy
depends on the preaching of Buddhism, the religious
servicesofferedandtheservicesprovidedtosociety.
Foreword
TheearliestrecordoftheintroductionofBuddhism
intoHongKongcanbetracedbacktotheNorthandSouth
Dynasties(428B.C.).ItissaidthatIndianZenMasterPuiTo
stayedinTuenMun,HongKong,whilehewaswaitingfora
boatbacktohiscountryandfoundedTsingShanMonastery
inTuenMunandLingToMonasteryinHaTsuen,Yuen
Long.AlthoughtheseedsofBuddhismhadbeenplanted
longago,HongKongneverreallyhadanyfamousBuddhist
ThedevelopmentofBuddhisminHongKongwas
connectedtothatinChinainsomeways,butinmanyother
waysitdiffered,largelybecauseBuddhismhadahistory
ofitsowninHongKong'senvironment.Duringthelate
QingDynasty,ZenMastersDayue,DunxiuandYueming
travelledsouthandfoundedBigHutinOnPing,Lantau
Island.BigHutwasthepredecessorofPoLinMonastery.In
1911,MasterMiaocancametoHongKongtotakeoverthe
Tangclan'sancestralmeditationhall,LingWanMonastery,
anddevelopeditintoaBuddhistworshipsite.In1918,lay
Buddhist Lo Ka Cheong established Kick LokYuen on
HongKongIsland,offeringdailychantingofscripturesand
weeklylecturesonBuddhism.Witheffortsbymonksandlay
followers,BuddhisminHongKongfinallyembarkedonits
owndevelopment.
temples or senior Buddhist monks.The founding of the
above-mentioned Buddhist sites was more a matter of
convenientcircumstances,andtherewerenosignificant
developmentsthereaftertospeakof.Concretedevelopments
cameonlyafterHongKonghadbecomeaseaport.
DuringthelateQingDynasty,BuddhisminChina
experiencedvariouscrises,includingamoralitycleanup,
theuseoftemplepropertyforeducationandthe"NewLife
Movement".ThetraditionaleconomicorderofBuddhist
temples was completely destroyed and movements to
strengthen and reform Buddhism arose against this
backdrop.ScholarlyBuddhistfollowerslikeYangXianshan
and Ouyang Jingwu promoted "Lay Buddhism", which
injectednewlifeintoBuddhisminChina.Theideawas
toreviveBuddhismwiththemotto,"savetheheartbefore
savingtheworld."ThefateofBuddhismwasultimately
linkedtotherevivalofmoralityandthenation'sfate,anda
theoreticalmodelwasdevelopedforthisnewidea,sothat
Buddhismcouldbepractisedinapragmaticcontext.Master
Taixuledtheideaof"HumanitarianBuddhism"andobliged
practitionerstoparticipateintheaffairsoftheworldand
toalleviatesufferings,therebyconfirmingtheprincipleof
MahayanaBuddhism,"toseekBuddhahoodfromabove,
teachandliberatesentientbeingsfrombelow."Theseideas
addressedthefactthatthepreviouspracticeofreclusive
"ShanlinBuddhism"encouragedanindividualisedpursuit
inbeliefandenlightenmentbyescapingtothemountain
ThebuildingofBuddhistmonasteriesinTaiPobegan
inthe1920s,anearlyperiodofdevelopmentforBuddhism
in Hong Kong overall.This was also the time when
BuddhismunderwentdramaticchangesinChina.Although
only a few monasteries were built in the beginning, the
differentideologieswithinBuddhismwereallrepresented,
fromthetraditionalShanlinBuddhism,totheemergingLay
Buddhismandtheall-newUrbanBuddhism.Itisespecially
worthnotingthatMasterTaixu,paramountleaderofmodern
Buddhism,hadlivedandtaughtBuddhisminTaiPo.When
MasterTaixupassedaway,hisdiscipleMasterYinshunalso
stayedinTaiPotoeditTheCompleteVolumeofMaster
Taixu (太虛大師全書).Indeed,thebookwasfinishedinTai
Po,yetanothermilestoneforBuddhisminHongKong'sor
evenChina'shistory.
176
Ma Wo Shan Ting Wai Monastery : Earliest
Buddhist Site in Tai Po
Master Hairen held high status among an older
generation of senior monks in Guangdong. He
was the earliest Guangdong monk to visit the
Three Jungles of Jiangnan. After he went back to
Guangdong to preach, a number of other monks
followed his footsteps and visited the Jiangzhe area.
These monks, including Fa-ke, Rongqiu, Lingzhan
and Maorui, have spread Buddhism to the benefit of
many afterwards. Therefore, Master Hairen was a
pioneering figure for Chinese Buddhism during the
late Qing and early Republican Period.46
TheoldmaingateofTingWaiMonastery(Providedby
TingWaiMonastery)
Master Zengxiu was a native of Kaiping in
Guangdong,andhissecularnamewasHuang.Borninthe9th
yearoftheGuangxuReign(1883),hedecidedtorenounce
hissecularlifeattheageof22.Histonsurewasperformed
byMasterChuanghuiatDajueMonasteryinQixingyan,
Zhaoqing. In the twelve lunar month of the same year,
QingyunMonasteryofDinghuShanrecruiteddisciplesand
MasterZengxiutookthevowtofollowthefullBuddhist
preceptsunderMasterConghuaandbecameadiscipleofthe
bhikşuprecepts.Whenhewas27yearsold,hewasappointed
byMasterShouanasheadofthemonastery.MasterZengxiu
feltthatDinghuShanfocusedonBuddhistritualsandlacked
theoreticalbasisforBuddhistteachingsandresearch,sohe
followedMasterZhanfenandheadednorthforBuddhist
study.HevisitedJinshanMonasteryofZhenjiang,Tianning
Monastery of Changzhou, andTiantong Monastery of
NingboforZenstudy.Trainingwasrigorous.Laterhewent
toHuayanDaxueinShanghaitoattendlecturesontheSutra
TheoldmainhallofTingWaiMonastery(Providedby
TingWaiMonastery)
177
Traditional Religious Activities
TingWaiMonasteryofMaWoShan,establishedin
1923,istheearliestBuddhistworshipsiteinTaiPo.The
founderofthemonasterywasMonkMasterZengxiu,who
wasoneoftheyoungmonkswhotravellednorthtoChinato
studyBuddhism.AmongthefamousmonksinHongKong,
the first to study Buddhism in China was Monk Master
Hairen,yetMonkMasterZengxiustudiedBuddhismwith
himinShanghai.AccordingtoYuLingBo:
TheGreatHallofTingWaiMonasterywasoncethemostmagnificent
BuddhistbuildinginHongKong.(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
ofGreatWisdombyMasterYuexia.Amonghiscompany
wereGuangdongmonksHairenandYuancan.47
InthevastlandofChina,transportationwasdifficult
inthepastandthereweredifferencesbetweenthefaithof
theLingnanareaandthatofcentralChina.Buddhismhas
experiencedadeclineinthemoderntimes,butBuddhism
intheLingnanareawasfurtherinfluencedbytheregion's
changes and became secularised.Worse still, Buddhist
preceptsanddisciplineswereoftenbreached.Monkhood
wasconsideredanoccupation,andthepractitionersdidnot
wearBuddhistattire.Onlywhentherewereritualswould
themonkswearBuddhistrobes,thustheexpression"be
aone-daymonkandringthebellfortheday."Buddhism
underwentaseriouscrisisandtheurgentneedforreform
arose.Notonlywerenon-believersdisgusted,butalsothe
practitionerswereoutraged.Inthislight,tostudyBuddhism
upnorthbecameamuch-aspiredpursuitforthetrulydevout
youngmonks.Itwasalsocommonpracticetoinvitemasters
fromtheMainlandtolectureinthesouth.AsHongKong
isthegatewaybetweenChinaandoverseas,manymonks
stoppedoverintheirjourneysandgavelectures.Buddhism
ofthenorthandthesouthinteractedhere,andlaterHong
Kongwouldbecomeapopularrespiteformonksfleeingthe
warsinthenorth.Theseconditionsspurredthedevelopment
ofBuddhisminHongKong.
MonkMasterZengxiu(ProvidedbyTingWaiMonastery)
ThemaingateofTingWaiMonastery(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
178
ManyfollowersofLingWanMonasteryweremembers
of Hong Kong's Chinese upper class. Master Zengxiu
establishedgoodrelationswiththethirdwifeoffamous
merchantLiBoKwaiofSanhui,ChowYeeGuandLauSei
Gu,possiblybecausetheyalloriginatedfromtheWuyiarea
(Xinhui,Taishan,Kaiping,EnpingandHeshan).50LingWan
MonasteryislocatedatthefootofKwunYumShan.Atthe
time,theNewTerritorieswasnotreadilyaccessiblefrom
therestofHongKong.TogettoLingWanMonastery,one
hadtotakeasedanchairfromTaiPoandtravelalongsmall
mountainouspaths.Itwasalongandstrenuoustrip.51In
ordertoencouragefrequentlecturesbyZengxiu,andalsoto
providebelieverswithaconvenientplacetoworship,itwas
proposedthatanotherBuddhistsitebebuilt.Miaocanwas
infavourofthisproposal,andwiththehelpofhisdisciples,
ZengxiubeganlookingforasiteinTaiPo.
179
In terms of geographical convenience,Tai Po was
accessiblebyboatandrailduringthe1920s.Inthislight,
itwasamuchbetterlocationthanLingWanMonastery,
whichwashiddeninthemountains.Intermsofcommunity
acceptance,TaiPowasgenerallymorereceptivetooutsiders
and the culture that they brought with them as it was
populatedbyHakkavillagers.Forinstance,theintroduction
of Catholicism intoTai Po had never encountered any
opposition. Since Buddhism is a traditional Chinese
religion,thecommunitygenerallyrecognisedit.Besides,
themonasterieswereself-reliantandrequirednofinancial
supportfromthelocalcommunity.Theyhadlittleimpacton
thevillagers'livelihood,thusBuddhismwaseasilyaccepted
bythelocalcommunity.Furthermore,MaWoVillagewasa
HakkavillageinTaiPo'sLuenYeeHeungwitharelatively
shorthistory.Localaffinitieswereyettobeformedandso
therewasnoresistanceagainstoutsidersatthetime.
Master Zengxiu ......searched for blessed land in the
To Yuen Tung area, and found the current location
of Ting Wai Monastery in Ma Wo Shan. He was
drawn to the serenity of the landscape, created by lush
bushes and long streams. He raised funds to buy the
land, with an area of over 10,000 square feet, from
the Hong Kong Government. It was decided that
fruit trees would be planted to support the Monastery
and benefit others. There was a devout follower Kwan
Ng Gu, who came from a wealthy background and
showed immense respect for Master Zengxiu. She
was prepared to give full financial support to the
construction of the Monastery, but passed away
two months after construction began. At the time,
the foundations had just been laid. Master Zengxiu
lamented the misfortune, but the Monastery would
still be built with support from other followers. At its
grand opening, the Monastery was named Lan Yeuk
Yuen to convey a sense of tranquillity.52
The name LanYeukYuen and the development of
farmlandforself-supportareindicatorsoftheMonastery's
intention to practise Zen agriculture (a combination of
Traditional Religious Activities
AftertwoyearsinJiangnan,MasterZengxiureturned
to Guangdong and stayed at Dajue Monastery. He also
frequentedQingyunMonasteryinDinghu,andtwicehe
opposed the closing of Dajue Monastery and turning it
intoarestaurant.Healsoledtheothermonksindefending
themonasteryagainstroguegangsandstoppedthemfrom
ascendingthemountain.48WhenMasterZengxiuwas38,
heonceagainresignedfromhispositionsinDinghu,and
wasreferredbyMasterZhanfentoLingWanMonastery
on KwunYum Shan in the NewTerritories to practise
purification.ThemasterofLingWanMonastery,Miaocan,
alsostudiedBuddhisminJiangnanwhenhewasyoung.
InHongKong,hetookoverthemanagementofLingWan
Monastery,aswellasguidedtheconversiontoBuddhism
of Chan Gut Cheung ofTsingWan Koon inTuen Mun.
Chan went on to become a monk and was known later
as Master Hin Hay.A key figure in the revival ofTsing
Shan Monastery, Master Hin Hay also foundedYuen
TungMonasteryandTszTsukLamMonasteryinKwum
YumShan.AsaBuddhistleader,hehadmadesignificant
contributions to the development of Buddhism in Hong
Kong.WhenMasterZengxiucametoLingWanMonastery,
hewasmuchrespectedbyMasterMiaocan,whointroduced
himtoabroadnetworkofBuddhistfollowers.49
TingWaiMonasterywasoncenamedLanYeukYuen.Thenameplaqueisstillbeingkepttoday.(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
agriculturallifeandthereligiouspracticeofZen).Although
TaiPowasmoreconvenientthanKwunYumShan,itwas
stillintheratherremotecountryside.ManyBuddhistsites
inTai Po, therefore, had "yuen" ("yuan" in Putonghau,
meaning"garden")intheirnamestodenoteagarden-like
environment,suchasLanYeukYuen,TaiKwongYuenand
PunChunYuen.AccordingtoAnExplanationofPhrases
andWords (說文解字),"'yuen'iswherethefruittreesare."
Indeed,untilthe1960s,MaWoShanwasonlyaccessible
by mountain trails fromTai Po Market and was still
isolatedfromtherestofHongKong.Duringthesixyears
ofZengxiu'sstayinLanYeukYuen,hespentmuchtimein
contemplationbutalsoheldlecturedinnergatherings.At
onegathering,MasterXiaohangfromQingyunMonasteryin
Dinghugavealecture.Duringthelecture,aseventeenyearoldfemalestudent,GuofromGuangzhouNormalSchool,
askedmanyquestions.SheeventuallybecameaBuddhist
nunandfoundedTaiKwongYueninTaiPo.Again,seeds
weresownbutgrowthwouldonlytakeplacemanyyears
later.
In the Mainland, the "New Life Movement" was
gainingmomentum,anditsfollowersattackedtraditional
religion.EvenfamousmonasterieslikeQingyunMonastery
ofDinghuwereunderthreat.Themonksthererequested
helpfromZengxiu,andhereturnedtoQingyunMonastery
in1928tosaveitfrompossibledemise.ZengxiuleftHong
KongforsixyearsandonlyreturnedtoLanYeukYuenin
1934.Inthesameyear,theMainShrinewasbuiltinLan
YeukYuenwithfundscontributedbyZengxiuandthethird
wifeofLiBoKwaitohonourthewishofthelateLauSi
Gu,co-founderofLanYeukYuen.Thestructureistalland
grand,andstoodoutfromtheMainShrinesofHongKong's
monasteriesatthetime.Ayearlater,Zengxiureturnedto
180
In December of 1941, Hong Kong fell under
Japanese occupation.The Japanese military government
inHongKongimplementedapolicyof"returningtothe
countryside" in order to reduce population density and
alleviatefoodshortage.Manycitizenswereforcedtoreturn
totheirhometowns,andthepopulationinvillagesinTaiPo
decreaseddramatically.Manyvacanthomesbecamerefuge
forthievesandlooters.Theindigenousvillagerswouldonly
farmtheirfieldsduringtheday,andreturntothesafety
ofthemountainsorTaiPoMarketatnight.Somepublic
buildingsinTaiPo,suchasNgSheungTaiinWunYiu,were
destroyedasthetilesandconstructionmaterialsweretaken
andexchangedformoney.Zengxiuhadintendedtoreturnto
Guangdong,butthevillagersremindedhimthatLanYeuk
Yuencouldcollapsewithouthisleadership.Sohestayed.
Agedsixty,hesurvivedonwhateverfoodthatwaspreserved
andalsoatepapayarootsandwildvegetation.Hepulled
throughthreeyearsandeightmonthsunderextremelyharsh
conditions.Manypeoplediedfromstarvationduringthat
period.Onceagain,Zengxiuwasfacedwiththedilemmasof
lifecausedbyuncertainties,andthisexperiencebecamethe
basisforhisBuddhistteachingafterthewar.
After the Japanese occupation in 1947, Zengxiu
returnedtoQingyunMonasteryasmastermonk.In1950,
hereturnedtoLanYeukYuenbecausehedidnotwantto
leaveitinruins.53HebecamethemastermonkofPoLin
MonasteryonLantauIslandin1951butresignedaftera
year.Atthistime,anincidenthappened,sparkingLanYeuk
Yuen'sevolutionintoTingWaiMonasterytoday.
When Master Zengxiu returned to Hong Kong from
Dinghu, he brought a disciple of his with him. The
disciple and a secular man, Leung, later lived in Lan
Yeuk Yuen. Leung claimed that he was producing
181
agricultural products for sale and asked Master
Zengxiu if he could lease land in Lan Yeuk Yuen for
farming. The kind-hearted Zengxiu......agreed. Yet,
the disciple and Leung cheated on the contract, taking
advantage of the fact that Zengxiu did not understand
English. They rushed the lawyer to finish up the
contract and asked Zengxiu to sign it. Zengxiu was a
truly honest man, and was not aware that he had lost
his land to a calculated trap. With the contract, the
two men assumed management of the land and even
told Zengxiu to retire and give up ownership.54
Aftertheincident,theotherdisciplesofZengxiuwere
enraged.CheungKwokSheungSau,thewifeofCheung
ChukShan(nativeofXinhui,Guangdong)wasparticularly
furious.The Cheung family was a traditional merchant
family.Mrs.CheungwasadevoutfollowerofBuddhism
andaveryinfluentialfigureinthefamily.SinceZengxiu
wasfromKaipingandthetwoflagrantthieveswerefrom
Taishan,Mrs.CheunginvitedmediationbytheFiveDistricts
(Wuyi)BusinessWelfareAssociation.Aftermuchhassle,
Zengxiumanagedtoreclaimthemonasteryproperty.He
realisedthatthemonasterywasthefruitofhardworkand
shouldbeadequatelypreservedandprotected.Adopting
thesuggestionsbymany,hechangedLanYuekYuenintoa
monastery("shifangconglin")–TingWaiMonastery–and
registeredtheestablishmentasalimitedcompany.55
BesideslecturingonBuddhismalloverHongKong,
Zengxiu also invested a lot of effort in improving the
Monastery.HeclearedthelandinfrontoftheMainShrine
andbuiltthreepavilions.OntheleftisManMingChung
Ting(PavilionoftheBellofTenThousandNames),witha
bellweighing1,000catties.Thenamesof10,000sponsors
areinscribedonthebellandthisishowthebellgotitsname.
WaiTorHallisinthecentre,whileYauHeiTingisonthe
right.In1966,ZengxiuretiredfromhispositionasChief
MasterofTingWaiMonastery,andtheBoardofDirectors
appointedMasterMaoruiinhissuccession.TheDharma
ProtectionCommitteewasestablishedtopromoteBuddhism,
withlayBuddhistYeungYatLamaschairpersonandCheung
KwokSheungSauasvicechairperson.Meanwhile,Master
Traditional Religious Activities
QingyunMonasteryagainandstayedthereuntil1938,when
theJapaneseinvadedGuangdong.Asthewarprogressed,
manyBuddhistmonksandnunsfledtoHongKong,and
theywerereceivedbythemonasterieshere.Eventhoughlife
wasdifficult,LanYeukYuenstilltookinsixtypeopleand
providedtemporaryrefugetothem.
MaoruiwasalsofromGuangdongandhishometownwas
Kaiping.Herenouncedhissecularlifewhenhewastwenty
yearsold.In1931,whenhewas28,hewentonastudy
tourofthefamousmonasteriesinJianggnanandvisited
MasterDa-de.In1932,hecametoHongKongandfounded
NamTinChukMonasteryinTsuenWan.Afterthewar,he
donatedlandforthebuildingofTungLumNienFahTong.
LaterhebecameoneofthefamousmonksinHongKong.
MasterLeguosucceededMaorui.Amonkfromthenorth,
LeguocametoHongKongaftertheLiberation.Hewasone
ofthe"threeeldersfromtheNortheast"andalsowellknown
inHongKong.LeguowassucceededbyRuitao,whowas
alsofromnorth-easternChinaandwhostudiedBuddhismat
BanyueBuddhistSchoolinChangchun.AfterMasterRuitao,
MasterYanWai,alsochairmanoftheBoardofDirectors,
tookovermanagementofthemonastery.Duringhisterm,
hebuiltPoTungTowerandtheZengxiuMemorialHall.
YanWai'ssecularnamewasNganSiuTongandhewasalso
knownasSaiLeung.YanTsanwashisBuddhisttitle.He
wasanearlygraduateoftheUniversityofHongKonganda
well-knownlayBuddhist.HavinglearnedaboutBuddhism
whenhewasyoung,Nganhadnotleftthepursuitofthe
faithandstudiedZenwithMonkMasterXuyun.In1948,
Ms.JenningscametoseeXuyunfromtheUnitedStates,and
Nganwastheinterpreter.Hisinterpretationwasdescribedby
knowledgeablepeopleasjustright,"withoutanyredundancy,
norwasanymeaninglost.XuyundeliveredBuddhismwith
MonkMasterZengxiu'sAppointmentCertificateofTeacherissuedbythe
HongKongBuddhistSanghaAssociation.(Providedby
TingWaiMonastery)
Zengxiu Memorial Hall for the founding Monk Master Zengxiu.
(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
TheWaiTorHallintheTingWaiMonasteryinthepast.(providedby
TingWaiMonastery)
182
Atpresent,TingWanMonasteryischieflymanagedby
MasterTsorWai,whousedtobeMasterZengxiu'sdisciple.
PreviouslyheadofPoLinMonasteryonLantauIsland,he
ishighlyreputedinHongKong.Sincehisincumbency,he
hasactivelyengagedinreligiousteachingandthechanting
ofthescriptures.Besidesregularworshipservices,Ting
WaiMonasteryalsoprovidesreligiousservicestofollowers,
whocometothemonasterytohonourtheBuddha.However,
theworldthatthemonasteryisinhaschangedrapidly.Itis
nowlocatedbehindtallandbeautifulbuildings,andappears
decrepitincomparison.Inaddition,themainstructures,such
asLanYeukYuenandtheMainShrine,haveshownvisible
signsofdecay.Themonasteryiscurrentlyraisingfundsfor
renovation.
Tai Kwong Yuen in Shek Kwu Lung: First
Buddhist Lectorium to Promote Free Schooling
after the War
ShekKwuLung,asecludedplace,islocatednextto
KamShaninTaiPo.Inthe1960s,eventhechildrenlivingin
KamShanwouldnotplayinShekKwuLungbecauseitwas
deeplymysterious.Yet,theywouldrememberaBuddhistnun
fromthere,whoalwaysbroughtalongherradioandstrolled
inaleisurelymanner.Thiswell-likedBuddhistnunwasNun
MasterTszCheung,founderofBuddhistsiteTaiKwong
Yuen.
As mentioned above, the renouncement of secular
lifebyNunMasterTszCheung,whosesecularnamewas
Guo, was a well-known story. She was born in 1911 in
Shunde, Guangdong.After graduation from Guangzhou
NormalSchoolattheageofseventeen,shehadplannedto
continueherstudyofphilosophyatZhongshanUniversityin
Guangzhou.WhileshewasinHongKongwithherschool
183
friendsforvacation,shelearnedthatMasterXiaohangof
QingyunMonasteryinDinghuShanwaslecturinginLan
YeukYuen. Since she was interested in philosophy, she
wenttothelecturehopingtolearnaboutBuddhism.She
wasdeeplymovedbythelecture,andstudiedtheBuddhist
scripturegiventoherbyMasterXiaohang.Sherealisedthat
uncertaintywasafactoflife,andsowishedtorenounce
hersecularlife.ShewasordainedatLingWanMonastery
onKwunYumShan,andbecameadiscipleofXiaohang
andwasgiventheBuddhistnameKokYan.Shecontinued
topursuewisdom,andacceptedthepreceptsthefollowing
yearatQixiaMonasteryinNanjing.ShealsoinvitedMaster
Rongtongtobethemasterofhergrandpreceptceremony.
Hernewlifebeganasshejoinedstudytours,lecturedand
preached.
TaiKwongYuenusedtobethemeditationhalland
lecturevenueforKokYan.Thereareafewtheoriesregarding
thedateofitsfounding.Theearliestisbetween1927and
1928;somethinkitwas1930.Somesaid1931andeven
1937.GiventhatKokYanrenouncedhersecularlifein1928,
itwasquiteunlikelythatshewouldpurchaseaBuddhist
siteimmediatelyaftershehadbecomeanun.Astothedate
of1937,itwasalsounlikelybecausetherearerecordsofa
lecturebyMasterTaixuatTaiKwongYuenin1935.Thus,
thefoundingdateofTaiKwongYuenshouldhavebeenin
theearly1930s.AccordingtoMasterChukMo,TaiKwong
YuenwasoriginallyorganisedbythepeopleofTaiKwong
Daily (大光報).ItwaslatersoldtoMasterTszCheung.57Tai
KwongDaily (大光報)wasfoundedintheearlyRepublican
PeriodbyagroupofChristians,AuFungChi,WanManKai
andCheungChukLing,anditsestablishmentwasproposed
byDr.SunYatSen.In1927,TaiKwongDaily (大光報)
invited Lu Xun to Hong Kong, who delivered speeches
toHongKong'sintellectualsattheYMCAhallinSheung
Wan.Thespeeches,entitled"TheOldTuneisOver"(老
調子已經唱完)and "AVoiceless China" (無聲的中國),
sparkedthespreadofthenewculturetoHongKong.The
name"TaiKwong("DaGuang"inPutonghua,meaning"the
greatlight")"forthenewspaperwastakenfromtheBible.
Matthew 4:16 reads, "the people which sat in darkness
sawgreatlight;andtothemwhichsatinthereligionand
Traditional Religious Activities
depth,Yaninterpreteddeftly.TheAmericanMs.Jennings
couldfullyunderstandthePerfectSchool(Yuanzong),andit
washerblessing."56WhenNganwasseventyyearsold,Yan
renouncedhissecularlifeafterhiswifepassedawayandhis
childrengrewup,andbecameamonkatPoLinMonastery.
TheviewofTaiKwongYuenfromadistance(Photographyby
NgaiTingMing)
TheKwunYumChamberofTaiKwongYuen(Photographyby
NgaiTingMing)
TheChamberofBuddhaofTaiKwongYuen(Photographyby
NgaiTingMing)
TheinteriorchamberofTaiKwongYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
184
WhenKokYanwas24yearsoldin1935,shepreached
inFoshan.Oneofthemonkmastersheardherlectureand
thought that her lecture style resembled that of Master
Hairen,andheaskedherifshewasHairen'sstudent.When
helearnedthatshehadnevermetHairen,herecommended
hertovisitHairenonLantauIsland.Atthetime,Hairenwas
49yearsold,andwasmeditatinginaBuddhistlodgeinOn
Ping.HairenwasthefirstmodernmonkfromGuangdong
toseekBuddhisminthenorth.Hehadspenttenyearsinthe
monasteriesinJiangnanandacquiredvastknowledgeand
wisdom.Hewashailed"KingoftheSuramgamaSutra"of
HongKong'sBuddhismandwashighlyrespected.When
hewasonLantauIsland,Buddhistfollowersoftensought
his teaching. His disciples included lay Buddhist Lam
LingChen,bhikşusuchasWaiKwong,ChoYun,Chuen
Wai, Chen Sheung, Liu Chi,YuenWai,Wan Leung and
ShingYeung,andbhikşununssuchasTszCheung,Foon
Wing,FoonYu,ManSangandWaiKwong.Thesewereall
prominentBuddhistsinHongKong.KokYan'snewBuddhist
nameTszCheungwasgivenbyHairen.
UnderHairen'sguidance,TszCheungmadefurther
progressinherunderstandingofBuddhism.SinceHairen
waslongconnectedtoBuddhisminJiangnan,MasterTaixu,
aprominentleaderofBuddhism,cametoTaiKwongYuen
topreachinDecemberof1935.ThatwasTaixu'sfifthvisit
toHongKong.InTaixu'sspeechdeliveredatLeeGarden,
hediscussesBuddhisminaglobalcontext,andrecognises
that Hong Kong as an international city plays a special
185
role in the development of Buddhism. During this visit,
TaixualsovisitedTaiKwongYueninTaiPoandtheSiteof
EnlightenmentinShekKong,andgaveimportantspeeches
atthesetwovenues.InTaiKwongYuen,hedeliveredthe
speech, "The Practice of Seclusion and theTreasures of
Monkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶),whichcouldhavebeen
animpromptuarisingfromhisobservationsofTaiKwong
Yuen:
A retreat enables followers to live among the
mountains for meditation, which encourages indepth understanding of Buddhism. Observations and
thoughts are pure, where the mind is not tainted by
the affairs of the world. Soon, the Zen will descend
upon the thoughtful observer, who will be blessed
with enlightening wisdom. The understanding of the
universe comes after that.
I come here to Tai Kwong Yuen today, and feel this
sense of self-motivated liberation. Serenity comes
naturally to the one in retreat. Having learned
Buddhism, you can practise the principles here in both
thought and action. The three trades can be practised
and the six roots eliminated. Thus in your daily lives,
you will be engaged in the principles of Buddhism in
every one of your actions and thoughts.58
Taixu explained the key points to practising
Buddhisminretreat.Fromthisspeech,onecanseethat,
Taixu,pioneerofmodernHumanistBuddhism,stillplaced
muchimportanceinthepracticeofBuddhistmeditation
inretreat.Hethoughtthat"tobuildBuddhisminmodern
times,successfulpracticeofBuddhistprinciplesisvery
important. If some monks, as opposed to all, can reach
Buddhistenlightenment,itwouldbeimmenselybeneficialto
theestablishmentofmodernBuddhism.59Attheendofhis
speech,heemphasisedonceagain:
Now that there is Tai Kwong Yuen in Tai Po. This
is a very suitable venue for mediation because it has
all the favourable conditions for quiet meditation.
This place can be the central meditation venue with
Traditional Religious Activities
shadowofdeathlightissprungup.""Thegreatlight"can
beinterpretedashopeandredemption.Itisunknownwhy
KokYan did not change the name after she boughtTai
KwongYuen.Nevertheless,thegreatlightisnotaprivilege
ofChristians.IntheAmitabhaSutra (佛說阿彌陀經),the
Amitabha(infinitelight)BuddhaisoneoftheBuddhasof
thewest.Ithasbeensaidinthescripturethat"thegreatlight
illuminatesall,"thus"thebroadsweepofwisdomandlight
illuminatesthecommonpeople,"andwisdomandlightcan
reacheverylife.WithKokYan'seducationalbackground,it
isnotsurprisingthatshepreservedthenameofTaiKwong
Yuen.
others as supplementary. We have the old scriptures
as reference for the study of Buddhism. As for
teachers, we have Master Hairen to provide guidance.
You should deem this place an invaluable resource,
and with a devout heart, seek accomplishments and
progress in your meditation and enlightenment. You
will eventually become a strong group of Buddhist
followers.60
culture. Master Tsz Cheung felt that her monastery
was becoming too quiet and thought it could use a
little liveliness. In the New Territories, the War took
away many poor children's opportunity for education
and the urgent need for free schooling arose. Master
Tsz Cheung followed the principle of Buddhist
education, to mutually benefit herself and the children,
and decided to provide free Buddhist schooling.62
Thesewordsofencouragementbecamethemotivation
fordevoutfollowersatTaiKwongYuen,eventhoughthe
surroundingshadchangedsignificantlysinceTaixu'svisit.
The free school was established under diff icult
circumstances.However,MasterTszCheungperseveredand
ledherdisciplesthroughhardtimes:
Afterthisvisit,alonglastingrelationshipwascultivated
betweenTai KwongYuen and the disciples ofTaixu.
ExchangesbetweendisciplesofTaixu,suchasMasterChuk
MoandMasterYinshun,andTaiKwongYuenlastedtillthe
1950s.YinshunlivedinMuiShauJingSeh(present-dayTai
WoMonasteryhostingtheTaimonks)foraperiodoftime,
whichwasclosetoTaiKwongYuen.ThereYinshunedited
TheCompleteWorksofTaixu (太虛大師全書),asignificant
developmentforBuddhisminHongKong.
The society had only just begun to stabilise after the
War. The economy has been severely interrupted
and the circumstances were not favourable. Besides,
the Government provided little subsidy. Master Tsz
Cheung put in all that she had, probably only a
few hundred dollars, and started recruiting students
despite the risks and uncertainties. The facilities were
poor, but fortunately several supporters volunteered
to teach at the school and funds lasted for a while.
From 1947 to 1948, conditions improved and more
students were recruited. The small classroom could no
longer meet the increasing demand and Master Tsz
Cheung once again took the risk to construct a school
building. She was only able to complete construction
of the new building by selling her farmland and raising
funds from the community. The building now houses
the classrooms for Primary One to Five.63
Master Kok Kwong, chairman ofThe Hong Kong
BuddhistAssociation,saidMasterTszCheung("Cixiang"
inPutonghua,meaning"kind-hearted")hadtrulylivedup
toherBuddhistname:"Shehasakindheartandalwaysacts
inkind-heartedways."61Sherespectedherprofessionand
charitywork.DuringtheJapaneseOccupation,TaiKwong
Yuen was self-reliant and well respected for providing
refugeforthoseaffectedbytheWar.AftertheWarended,
sheestablishedTaiKwongFreeSchoolandtaughtchildren
whohadlosttheopportunityforeducation.Theschoolwas
indeedthefirstpioneeroffreeschoolinginHongKongafter
theWar and was an exemplary for generations to come.
AccordingtoMasterChukMo,TaiKwongFreeSchoolhad
thefollowingbeginning:
Initially, Master Tsz Chueng turned three bays in
one of the halls into classrooms and provided basic
education for orphans or children without education.
In 1950, three more classrooms were added; in 1952
the school had two additional classrooms. After the
War, the rural economy hardly revived. The twodollar tuition fee and stationery expenses charged to
private schools were paid by Tai Kwong Yuen, thus
it was a free school. The funds came from the selfreliant monks and followers in Tai Kwong Yuen, who
The establishment of Tai Kwong Free School in Tai
Kwong Yuen began in spring of 1946, according
to Master Tsz Cheung. After the War, Hong Kong
embarked on the reconstruction of education and
186
sold produce such as lychee, longan, papaya, honey
and seasonal flowers. The school was maintained for
a few decades, until the Hong Kong Government
implemented compulsory free primary education.64
It is not easy to set up a Buddhist school, but it is
even more difficult to write textbooks systematically,
from easier levels to more difficult ones. Master Tsz
Cheung referred to Textbooks for Buddhist Primary
Schools , published by the Hong Kong Buddhist
Association, and edited the textbooks herself. She has
already finished the textbooks for Primary Five, and
is working on illustrations for the textbooks to make
them more accessible to young minds."65
MasterTszChuengwasalsoveryconcernedwiththe
qualityoftheteachers.WhenMasterWingSheungfinished
secondaryschoolin1953,MasterTszCheungwantedher
toteachatthefreeschool.However,MasterWingSheung
feltthathereducationwasnotsufficientandrefused.Later
in1961,MasterWingSheungreceivedadiplomafromthe
ChineseDepartmentofUnitedCollege,andTszCheung
askedhertoteachatthefreeschoolagain.Thistime,Wing
Shuengreadilyacceptedtheofferandbecameateacher.
MasterBhiksuniTszChueng(ProvidedbyTaiKwongYuen)
UnderMasterTszCheung'sleadershipandcare,Tai
KwongFreeSchooldevelopedrapidly:
Master Tsz Cheung saw that poor students were not
able to continue with secondary education and that
there were hardly enough secondary schools in the
New Territories. So she applied to the Government in
1956 to start a secondary school. She registered Tai
Kwong Yuen as a non-profit provider of education and
began raising funds to build a school campus. The
first phase of construction was completed in August
of 1962, with an auditorium and four classrooms.
Soon, too many students were signing up and the
classrooms were unable to meet the needs. Phase
2 of construction thus began, a five-storey building
with twelve classrooms, a science laboratory and a
TaiKwongSchoolattheearlystageofestablishment.(Providedby
TaiKwongYuen)
187
Traditional Religious Activities
Besidesmanagingtheschool,MasterTszCheungalso
participatedactivelyincurriculumdesign:
1997,MasterTszCheungretiredduetoillhealth,andpassed
awayin1999.Herdisciple,MasterWingSheung,succeeded
herasmanagerofTaiKwongYuen.MasterTszCheung
instructedMasterWingSheungtoestablishtheBuddhist
TaiKwongYuenFoundationLimitedwithherlifesavings,
andtocontinueprovidingeducationandestablishingHope
SchoolslocallyandintheMainland.MasterWingSheung,
whosesecularnamewasChow,hadheldfriendshipswith
prominent Buddhists such as Hairen,Tsz Cheung, Lam
LingChen,HinChi,FatFong,YuenYingandManChi.
In 1966, she obtained her Bachelor ofArts degree from
The Chinese University of Hong Kong and became the
library. Construction fees exceeded the budget and the
school ran into financial difficulties. Master Yuen Wai
and lay Buddhist Lam Ling Chen extended helping
hands and raised funds at the Tok Ling Kok Yuen
fundraiser in August of 1965. Construction resumed
and was completed in March of 1967. The Hong
Kong Government approved Tai Kwong Free School
as a private subsidised school, and in 1975 it became
a fully subsidised secondary school.66
Besides expandingTai Kwong School, MasterTsz
Cheungcontinuedtobreaknewgroundineducation.In
1971,TaiKwongKindergartenwasestablishedinShekLei,
KwaiChung.Duringthemid-1990s,shecontributedtothe
buildingofschoolsinMainlandChinaaswell.Asaresultof
herexceptionalaccomplishmentsincharitywork,shewas
awardedtheM.B.EbytheBritishGovernmentin1978.In
succeedingdiscipleofMasterTszCheung.Shewasalsoan
activeparticipantincharityworkandhadcontributedtime
andeffortinbetteringthecommunitiesinHongKongand
MainlandChina.Unfortunately,shealsopassedawayin
2002.
Theexistingschoolbuildinghasbeenrenovated(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
188
ThecurrentMasterNunatTaiKwongYuenisMaster
YuenWai.ShewasMasterWingSheung'sdisciple,andshe
hasfollowedMastersTszCheungandWingSheungfor44
years.Besidesmanagingthelectorium'saffairs,sheisalso
adirectoroftheHongKongBuddhistAssociationandthe
chairpersonofBuddhistChiWaiDayNursery.
OnefeatureofmodernBuddhisminChinaisthatlay
Buddhistshavebecomeincreasinglyinfluential.Duringthe
lateQingDynastyandearlyRepublicanPeriod,intellectual
layBuddhistswhohadin-depthknowledgeofBuddhism
gaveadviceforthereformanddevelopmentoftheBuddhist
faithinChina.EnteringtheRepublicanperiod,Buddhism
becameincreasinglyurbanised.ManyBuddhistmerchants
were kind benefactors and they had assumed important
roles in Buddhist organisations.There emerged joint
effortsbymonksandlayfollowerstodevelopBuddhism.
In Hong Kong, lay Buddhist merchants supported the
religioninmanydifferentways,suchascontributingfunds
tobuildtemplesandmonasterieslikeTingWaiMonastery,
sponsoringprominentmonkstolectureinHongKong,such
asthe1920visitbyTaixuandhislectureinQuarryBay,or
foundinglayBuddhistorganisations.Someevenestablished
layBuddhistlectoriumsliketheHongKongMantraSchool
forLayBuddhistssetupin1925.
ThemainentranceofPunChunYuenoftheLotusAssociationofHong
Kong(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
ThemaingateofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
TheoldmainentranceofPunChunYuenoftheLotusAssociationofHong
Kong(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
189
Traditional Religious Activities
Pun Chun Yuen of the Lotus Association of Hong
Kong in Shek Kwu Lung: Lay Buddhist Lectorium
for the Worship of the Bodhisattva Tata
SceneofthegardenofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
LocatedinShekKwuLung,TaiPo,PunChunYuen
oftheLotusAssociationofHongKongisalayBuddhist
lectorium.ItisnowmanagedbytheLotusAssociationof
HongKong,establishedin1933.Yet,theassociationdidnot
foundthelectorium.TheoriginalnameofthesitewasPun
ChunYuen.In1967,itwasdonatedbytheoriginalowners
totheLotusAssociationofHongKong,whichchangedits
name.Accordingtoabriefintroductionfoundatthesite,
Pun Chun Yuen, with an area of over 20,000
square feet, is located at No. 17 Shek Kwu Lung in
Tai Po. Originally it was owned by the family of the
late gentry Wong Siu Wai. The lectorium has had a
long history. Even before the War, it was a Buddhist
lectorium frequented by many followers. Pun Chuen
Yuen's name came from the fact that lay Buddhist
Wong Siu Wai used to take a half-day trip to the site
to discuss Buddhism with two close friends. "Pun
Chun" ("Banchun" in Putonghua, literally meaning
"half spring") implies "three people and half a day".
TheoldmaingateofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
190
wassold,Iwenttheretounderstandthemarket.......Iwas
averybusymananddidnothavetimeforthepursuitof
spiritualknowledge."67Thewinerybusinessgrewunderhis
leadershipandthewinesoldverywellintheMainlandand
abroad.
Wong Siu Wan became interested in traditional
religionsin1924.ThefirstgodhecametoknowwasWong
TaiSin:
partner at the winery had severe stomach ache. The
Chinese doctors offered little help, and many western
doctors said he had to have his appendix removed
or he would die. He did not want the operation. He
was the only son in his lineage and could not take
the matter lightly. Yet at the same time, his condition
deteriorated and became critical. I thought Wong Tai
Sin was powerful, and wanted to see if advice could
be obtained for this situation and to prevent surgery.
A prescription was obtained, with advice on how to
use the traditional Chinese medicine. Shortly after
starting treatment, the partner emerged well from
the most critical condition. The next day, another
prescription was obtained. A black sesame concoction
was made, and just after one dose his condition
improved significantly. The third prescription was a
very common herbal concoction and he was completely
healed after taking it. From then on, I decided to
worship Wong Tai Sin.68
Around five years ago, a friend, who worshipped
Wong Tai Sin, gave fortune telling readings and cure
for illness through spirit calling in his spare time.
The advice he gave was always good, and he invited
me to one of his spirit calling sessions. Many people
were seeking advice there. Wong Tai Sin was always
right in his advice, and the people left contented
because their requests had been answered. I was
amazed. Later, my son slipped on his way to school
on a rainy day and hurt his left hand. His hand still
had not healed after a few months, and both Chinese
and western doctors were not able to find out why. I
brought him to see my friend, who told him to kneel
down and pray to Wong Tai Sin. My friend, Wong
Tai Sin's spirit in fact, directed us to get herbal
dressing from a certain bone setting practice that
would heal my son's hand immediately. I followed the
instruction, and the dressing indeed worked. I started
believing in Wong Tai Sin. Less than a month later, a
LayBuddhistWongSiuWan(ProvidedbyPunChunYuen)
191
Traditional Religious Activities
WongSiuWai,alsoknownasWongTakWai,was
aHongKongmerchant.HewastheownerofWingLee
WaiWine Merchants, which was founded in 1876 and
began its Hong Kong business in 1905.Wing LeeWai
Wine Merchants was a very important wine business in
modernChina–itsWujiaPijiu(alsoknownas"WuChia
PiChiew")andMeiguiluJiu(alsoknownasas"MeiKuei
Lu Chiew") were very well known.The success of the
winerycouldbeattributedlargelytoWongSiuWai'sefforts,
ashesaid,"Irememberhavingabandonededucationfor
businessovertwentyyearsago.SincethenIhavetravelled
alloverAsiaandtheAmericas.WhereWingLeeWaiwine
Afterthisincident,WongSiuWaibecameimmensely
interestedintraditionalreligion.Inordertobemoreclosely
connected withWongTai Sin, he started learning spirit
calling,althoughhewasnotsuccessfulinthebeginning.He
laterlearnedthatthespirit-callingpenwouldonlymoveifhe
hadchantedtheHeartSutrainhismindallday.Hefollowed
theinstructionandthepenfinallymoved.Afteramonth
WongSiuWaicouldworkacompletepieceofadvicefrom
thespirit.Sincethen,helearnedthereligionandpractised
spirit calling at night and whenever he was away from
work,andbecamequiteknowledgableinthesubject.Most
peopleusedspiritcallingforadviceandhealing,butWong
and emptiness", "human", "I", "living beings" and
"life", as well as the difference between the Buddhas
and immortal beings. This information was our basic
understanding of Buddhism.69
ThefollowersbecameclosertotheBuddhaasaresult
ofthespirit'sguidance:
A few months later, the spirit named a few faithful
followers and told us to go to the fourth floor of
the Wing Lee Wai Building in Hong Kong. There
Wong Tai Sin told everyone, "In this world today,
the hearts of men are corrupt and Buddhism is the
only salvation. You are all followers of the Buddha,
so I now tell you I am the Bodhisattva Tata. You
must follow the Buddha's way and stop spirit calling
at once. The spirit-calling altar was never a part of
Buddhism, so you must renounce the practice and
follow the righteous way. If you continue to do spirit
calling, you will go against the Buddha. I saw that you
did not have much wisdom, and you would not believe
unless something close to a miracle had happened.
Thus I spoke through the spirit to open the door
to Buddhism for you. Yet is it important for you to
understand that, you must stop spirit calling because
it can cause evil. Why? Since many spirits responding
to your call are not true immortal beings and gods, but
the evil spirit pretending to be them. You must stop
spirit calling, and study the Diamond Sutra and the
Dharani of Great Compassion regularly. It is not yet
time to promote Buddhism. Wait three more years,
then you may make your own plans for preaching. It
will be the right timing then.70
thoughtofitasawaytolearnaboutreligion.Thisreflects
hisimmensepassionfortraditionalreligion.However,the
teachingsofWongTaiSin,accordingtoWong,weremostly
onBuddhism:
I studied the Diamond Sutra, the Dharani of Great
Compassion and True Scripture of the Peach Garden
Holy Emperor Kuan Who Illuminates the Sacred
daily. I also printed Buddhist books for distribution,
books that guide followers to do good for society.
The spirit always urged followers to never do evil and
only do good deeds. I felt strongly that these words
of caution were beneficial to the world. When I called
the spirit every night for guidance, the first words were
always "everything we do we do for goodness' sake". I
continued my quest for spiritual faith and was joined
by more and more people. My young son also became
religious and started to perform spirit calling. He
was a better medium than I was. The messages he
got were usually about how to differentiate between
right and wrong, and sometimes the pen moved for
a thousand words in just a few minutes. When he
was not yet ten years old, he could write hundreds
of poems with the spirit and we made a volume of
the poetry, Collected Poems of the Wind and the
Waves. When he grew up, he learned more about
Buddhism and explained to us the concepts of "form
WithguidancefromWongTaiSin,stepsweretakento
practisethetransitiontotrueBuddhism.Thisincidentwas
recordedindetailbecause,toseekBuddhistguidance,Wong
SiuWaiwenttoShanghaiandbecameadiscipleofMaster
Yinguang,themodernmasterofBuddhisminChina.In
192
organisedalayBuddhistorganisation.Duringthe1930s,he
boughtPunChunYueninTaiPoanduseditasavenueto
discussBuddhismwithhisfriends.Thevenuelaterbecame
aproperworshipsite,alectoriumforlayBuddhists.In1953,
theTataBuddhistAssociationmovedtoPunChunYuen,
andthesitebecameanofficiallectorium.74WongSiuWai
transportedthreestatuesofthewesternThreeNoblesfrom
Jiangsutothelectorium,andplacedrarebronzekylinsto
guardthehall.TheMainShrine,wheretheBuddhasare
worshipped,hasbeenthoughtfullydesignedanddecoratedto
giveitabeautifulgardenlandscapeandanairofgrandeur.
Nevertheless,theBodhisattvaTatahasnotbeenforgotten.
respectformainstreamBuddhism.
A small chamber in the garden is used to worship the
Bodhisattva and daily incense is offered.The master of
PunChunYuensaidthat,eventoday,followersworshipthe
Bodhisattvainthelectoriumfrequently.
From your reply, I can tell that the Bodhisattva Tata
has been good with his guidance. The Bodhisattva
Kok Ming Miu Hang and the Bodhisattva Tata are
very much like each other. You should understand that
spirit calling cannot be relied upon. The Bodhisattva
has used an unconventional way to guide you to
true Buddhism – desires drive actions, leading you
to Buddhist epiphany. The Bodhisattva Tata has
helped you immensely and should not be forgotten,
but you should not include the Bodhisattva in the
formal worship rituals. If Buddhist rituals do not even
include the Bodhisattvas Manjusri, Samantabhadra,
Ksitigarbha, and Maitreya, then others should not be
a part either. Yet these Bodhisattvas are among the
Bodhistsattvas of Mahasthamaprapta. I do not see
any harm in your worshipping the Bodhisattva Tata
at the society, but if other people did not understand,
there would be trouble. Thus it is better to worship the
Bodhisattva Tata in a separate place.73
Wong Siu Wai was a merchant. His pursuit of
traditionalreligionarosefromapracticalneed,butoncehe
beganhispursuit,therewasnogoingback.Heoriginally
soughtthewaythroughspiritcalling(hebecameadisciple
ofSikSikYuenWongTaiSinTemple),thenhebecamea
spiritmediumandeventuallyconvertedtoBuddhismand
193
Thewallisdecoratedwithcharms(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
Traditional Religious Activities
1928,WongSiuWaifoundedtheTataBuddhistAssociation
inSanPoKong,Kowloon.Themottoofthesocietywas"to
practiseandlearnBuddhism,withthehopesthatknowledge
canbeacquired;topreachBuddhism,inordertobenefit
theselfandothers."71HesenttheprogrammeofBuddhist
learningtoMasterYinguangforhisreview,whoreplied,
"after the study of Buddhism, Guanyin followed.Then
addingtheworshipoftheBodhisattvaTata.MayIaskhow
youdecidedonthis?"72Wongthenwrotedownthereasons
andsoughtYinguang'sguidance.MasterYinguanggavehim
detailedinstructions,andremindedhimtostrikeabalance
between his gratitude for the BodhisattvaTata and the
his friend, Chow Ching Shui, to acquire a sarira, a
headgear, a robe, and a pair each of socks and shoes
[of Master Yinguang], to be placed temporarily in
Pun Chun Yuen in Tai Po. He had planned to seek
the right site to build a memorial hall. Lay Buddhists
Ma Foon Kwong, Lo Chi Chung and Shek Shun
Fook heard about the plan and suggested that Tung
Lum Nien Fah Tong in Village Wan build the sarira
pagoda. Mrs. Wong Siu Wai and her nephew Yiu
Suen agreed immediately and Mrs. Wong contributed
1,000 dollars as a start. After two years and with
efforts by many lay Buddhists, the pagoda was
completed. Construction costs stood at approximately
60,000 dollars.75
AbronzeplaqueoftheBodhisattvaTataSocietyishungonthemaindoor
(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
InMayof1967,Ms.WongSiuWaifollowedthewish
ofherlatehusbandanddonatedPunChunYuentotheLotus
AssociationofHongKongsothatitcouldbedeveloped.
TheLotusAssociationofHongKongwasestablishedin
1933byTsangPikShan,LeeKungTatandChaoFutWai.It
wasalayBuddhistassociationforthepreachingofAmida
Buddhism.TsangPikShan,anativeofPanyuinGuangdong,
wasawell-knownBuddhistactivistandeducatorinHong
Kong. In 1964,Tsang was awarded the M.B.E. by the
QueenoftheUnitedKingdomtorecognisehisimmense
contributiontoHongKong.Tsangwasthefirsteducatorto
receivethisrecognition.
ThethreeBuddhaimagesintheGreatHallofPunChunYuen.Theimages
werecraftedbyfamousJiangsucraftsmen.(Photographyby
NgaiTingMing)
Wong SiuWai respected MasterYinguang greatly.
HehadalwayswishedtoinviteYinguangtopreachinHong
Kong,butunfortunatelythemasterpassedawayin1940and
nevercametoHongKong.AfterMasterYinguangpassed
away,WongSiuWaiaskedafriendofhistoseekasariraof
themasterfromMonkMiaozhen,alongwitharobe,shoes
andsocks,tobeplacedtemporarilyinPunChunYuen.He
wasgoingtobuildapagodatopermanentlyhosttheitems.
However,tenyearswentbyandtheplanwasneverrealised,
not even afterWong SiuWai passed away. However, it
eventuallyfacilitatedtheconstructionoftheSariraPagoda
ofMasterYinguangbyTungLumNienFahTongin1960.
PunChunYuenwasrenamedPunChunYuenofthe
LotusAssociationofHongKong,andimprovementswere
made.ThelotuspondintheMainShrinewasrenovated,
andnewadditionsweremade,includingtheBodhisattva
Ksitigarbha Chamber, KwunYum Chamber, Buddhist
ScriptureLibraryandMemorialHall.Structuredamaged
duringtheWar,suchasTakWaiTongandtheGlassHouse,
havebeenrestoredpreservingtheirpre-warcharacteristics.
In 1979, Master Daoyuan conducted the consecration
ceremonyfortheKwunYumStatueinKwunYumHall.He
alsopreachedforsevendaysinthelectorium.In1999,the
AntiquitiesandMonumentOfficedeclaredtheMainShrine,
TakWaiTong and the Glass House in Pun ChunYuen
protectedmonuments.
Hong Kong lay Buddhist Wong Siu Wai had asked
194
Traditional Religious Activities
TheKwunYumChamberofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
Ahouseinthegarden(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
AposterinthegardenintroducingPunChunYuenoftheLotusAssociation
ofHongKong(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
195
TheGreatHallofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
ApairofbronzeunicornsguardtheHall(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
196
Footnotes
2
3
4
Faure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptionsand
EpitaphsinHongKong (香港碑銘匯編)vol.3(HongKong:Hong
KongUrbanCouncil,1986),p.81.
18
NgBaLing,SceneriesandCulturesoftheNewTerritories (新界風光)
(HongKong:OverseaChineseDaily,19601sted.,19623rded).
HongKongSingKungChoTong,ed.,ABriefRecordofHongKong's
GuangchengTemple (港堂廣成宮事略)(1961),pp.5-7.
19
HongKongSingKungChoTong,ed.,ABriefRecordofHongKong's
KwongShingGong (港堂廣成宮事略),pp.1-2.
20
HongKongSingKungChoTong,ed.,ABriefRecordofHongKong's
KwongShingGong (港堂廣成宮事略),pp.7-9.
21
ForthedatesofcelebrationsforSingKungChoTong'sgods,please
refertoSayingsofMasterGuangcheng (廣成仙師信語)(HongKong:
SingKungChoTong,1992,2nded.),p.10.
22
SeeYauChiOn,ed.,AHundredYear'sTaoism:TaoismandTaoist
TemplesinHongKong (道風百年),pp.168-173,thesectiononSing
KungChoTong.
23
SiuKwokKin,ShumSze,ManCheukFei,eds.,ATourofAncientSites
onHongKongIsland (香港島訪古遊)(HongKong:ChunghwaBook
Company,1992),p.37.
24
LamHingSau,ed.,SpecialCommemorativeIssuefortheThirtieth
AnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanandtheReconstructionofthe
AncientTemple (崇心道德壇創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊)(Hong
Kong:SungSumToTakTan,1978),p.4.
25
LamHingSau,ed.,SpecialCommemorativeIssuefortheThirtieth
AnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanandtheReconstructionofthe
AncientTemple (崇心道德壇創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊),p.57.
26
CheungSinTin,"ForewordontheDebutIssue:WellWishesforthe
EstablishmentoftheAltarandtheRenovationoftheTemple"(創刊
詞：立壇修廟紀祝),SpecialCommemorativeIssuefortheThirtieth
AnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanandtheReconstructionofthe
AncientTemple (崇心道德壇創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊),p.3.
27
ChoiMukShui,"ABriefHistoryoftheTaiPoChiuChowNative
AssociationLimited"(大埔潮州同鄉會會史紀略),Commemorationof
the25thAnniversaryoftheFoundingoftheTaiPoChiuChowNative
AssociationLimited (大埔潮州同鄉會成立二十五週年紀念特
刊)(HongKong:TaiPoChiuChowNativeAssociationLimited,1995),
p.20.
28
InterviewwithCheungYingShun,12April2008,atSungSumToTak
Tan.
29
(Yau)ChingMiu,"OurTemple'sFiftyTurbulentYears"(本社五十年的
滄桑史),CommemorativeIssueonYanLo'sFiftiethAnniversary (隱廬
五十週年紀念刊)(HongKong:YanLoBuddhistMonastery,1980),pp.
17-18.
30
Taoist Wan Neng, "The Origins ofYan Lo" (本社的起源), in
CommemorativeIssueonYanLo'sFiftiethAnniversary (隱廬五十週年
紀念刊),p.16.
31
FoundingofYanLoBuddhistMonasteryinTaiPo (隱廬佛社重修大
埔堂落成記),1968,theinscriptionepitaphislocatedatYanLo'sTaiPo
SiteinKamShan.
"TheGrandOpeningoftheRenovatedYanLoBuddhistMonastery"(隱
廬佛社重修大埔堂落成記),1968;theinscriptionisfoundatYanLo
BuddhistMonastery'sTaiPositeinKamShan.
TheresearchonWunYiu'sFanSinTemplewasbasedonYauChiOn's
researchproject:GodofPotters,TemplesandCommunityHistory:
WunYiu,TaiPo,2007-2008,commissionedbytheAntiquitiesand
MonumentsOffice,LeisureandCulturalServicesDepartment.
5
SeeFaure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptions
andEpitaphsinHongKong (香港碑銘匯編),p.307.
6
SeeFaure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptions
andEpitaphsinHongKong (香港碑銘匯編),p.83,p.307.
7
See"TraditionalFestivals:AllEyesonTaiPingQingJiao"byChoiChi
CheungandLuiWingSinginthisbook.
8
Formoredetails,seeTanakaIssei,LineageandTheatreinChina (中國
の宗族と演劇)(Tokyo:TokyoUniversityPress,1985),vol.2,chapter3.
9
LeungYuWah,WalkingThroughtheVillages:History,Folkloresand
AffectionsfortheCountryside (穿村：鄉郊歷史、傳聞與鄉情)(Hong
Kong:CosmosBooks,2002),pp.54-55.
10
InscriptionepitaphofFanSinTemple's1976Renovation,placedinside
thetemple.
11
ItisanacceptedviewthatToYuenTungwasfoundedin1924,but
accordingtoTheOriginofSinTinTao (道脈總源流),"ToYuenTungin
TaiPowasestablishedduringtheJiayinyearoftheRepublicanPeriod
toprovideanescapefromworldlyaffairs.Constructionwascompleted
inWuwu.TwoscrollsofCollectedPoemsofToYuen(桃源詩聯集)
weredistributedtofriends."ThusToYuenTung'sconstructionshould
havebeencompletedin1918(theWuwuyear)insteadof1924.SeeTin
SiuTsuen,TheOriginofSinTinTao (道脈總源流)(1924),p.28.
12
SeeYauChiOn,ed.,AHundredYear'sTaoism:TaoismandTaoist
TemplesinHongKong (道風百年)(HongKong:LeemanPublishing,
TaoistCulture&InformationCentreofFungYingSeenKoon,2002),
pp.87-88,thesectiononToYuenTung.
13
SeeFaure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptions
andEpitaphsinHongKong (香港碑銘彙編),p.467.
14
LiXin,NewTerritoriesOverview (新界概覽)vol.1(NewTerritories:
NewTerritoriesPublishingHouse,1954),p.70.
15
RitesofGratitudeinCanton (粵境酧恩)(16thyearoftheGuangxu
Reign),p.5.
16
Yip Chu Ming, "The Fragrance of Confucianism"(芳草儒林),
GuangzhouWenyi (廣州文藝),vol.339,issue3,2004,p.66.
17
Author'snote:thebronzestatueMasterGuangchengwaslostduringthe
Japaneseoccupation.Afterthe1990reconstructionoftheestablishment,
thecurrentceramicstatuewasmadebasedonaportrait.Interviewwith
197
WongWingYinandLeeKwongTai,19April2008,atHongKongSing
KungChoTong.
Traditional Religious Activities
1
32
ManTakChiSinSeh,QiaoYangYuShu (樵陽玉書)(HongKong:Man
TakChiSinSeh,1957),p.2.
46
YuLingbo,"MasterHairen"(海仁法師)(http://www.china2551.org/
Article/gafj/r/200712/2609.html).
33
InterviewwithMasterChoiHiuandYipTung,8May2008.
47
34
FordivineportraitspaintedbyMasterChoiHiu(alsoknownasSung
King),seeChoiSungKing,ed.,DivineArt:CollectionofConfucian,
BuddhistandTaoistArtisticMasterpieces (道裏仙風：三教文化藝術
搜神集)(HongKong:EvergreenTaoismSocietyLimited,2007).
ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistWorshipSitesinHongKong (香江梵宇)
(HongKong:EditorialBoardofBuddhistWorshipSitesinHongKong,
1999).
48
ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistWorshipSitesinHongKong (香江梵宇).
49
NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略)(HongKong:BuddhistCommitteeofTingWaiMonasteryofTai
Po,1948).
50
InscriptionoftheGrandOpeningofTingWaiMonastery'sRenovation
andIts70thAnniversary(定慧寺佛殿重修落成暨建寺七十周年紀念
碑記),theInscriptionEpitaphisfoundinsidetheMainShrine.
51
NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
52
NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
53
NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
54
NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
55
NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
56
ShenXuelu,ed.,ATimelineBiographyofMasterXuyun,inthe37th
YearoftheRepublicanPeriodwhenhewouldhavebeen109Years
Old (虛雲老和尚年譜•民國三十七年戊子一百有九歲) (Jiangxi:
ShanzhenRuTemple,Yunju,2004).
57
MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起)(http://www.mba.net.my/NewsEvents/FaHaiYunJi/
zhumo/zhumo-b21/zhumo-b21-34.htm).
58
SpeechbyMasterTaixu,transcribedbyMasterChukMo,"ThePractice
ofSeclusionandtheTreasuresofMonkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶),
35
Informationregardingtheyear(s)ofconstructionofManTakYuenis
largelybasedoninterviews.Informationonthesite'sarchitecturallayout
hasbeendrawnfromChuKwunChun,ed.,AJewelintheDepthsofthe
Mountains:ManTakYuen,HongKong'sHeavenlyParadise (養在深山
人未識：香港的世外桃源——萬德苑)(HongKong:ManTakYuen,
yearofpublicationunknown),pp.30-31.
36
InterviewwithMasterPoonKaLai,21April2008.
37
ManTakChiSinSeh,ed.,SpecialIssueCommemoratingManTak
Yuen'sLunarNewYearPrayerofBlessingFair (萬德至善社林村萬德
苑新春祈福大會特刊)(HongKong:ManTakChiSinSeh,2001).
38
39
40
41
ChanTszShek,"ThePastandFutureofLoFungAcademy"(本院過去
與未來),NewYearSpecialIssue,LoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute (鑪
峰精神修養學院新年特刊)(HongKong:LoFungSpiritualPractice
Institute,1958),p.6.
InterviewwithMasterLaiTszHing,23April2008.MasterLaiTsz
HingwasthediscipleofChanTszShek.Hewasbornin1921and
becameChan'sfollowerwhenhewasalittleolderthanthirty.HisTaoist
nameisTingTsz.HestillworshipstheportraitsoftheSanYangMasters
athishome.
ChanTszShekhasauthoredover100books,manyofwhichareon
Taoism,suchasExpressionsofLuTsu (呂祖口訣),TheSecretofLife
(一孔竅),TheLifeExtensionMirror (延命鏡),TheBookofLongLife
(長生集),Onlife (性命篇),etc.AlistofChan'sbookscanbefoundon
thebackcoverofExpressionsofLuTsu (呂祖口訣)(HongKong:Lo
FungTaoistPublishing,1953).
Fordetails,seeChanTszShek,"AQuickTourofLoFung'sBlessed
Land"(鑪峰聖地小遊記);alsoChanTszShek,ed.,TheHeavenlyTo
Yuen (桃源仙境)(HongKong:LoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute,
1969).
seeHoiChiuYum (海潮音),vol.13,issue7.
59
SpeechbyMasterTaixu,transcribedbyMasterChukMo,"ThePractice
ofSeclusionandtheTreasuresofMonkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶).
60
SpeechbyMasterTaixu,transcribedbyMasterChukMo,"ThePractice
ofSeclusionandtheTreasuresofMonkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶).
42
SeeChanTszShek,ed.,TheHeavenlyToYuen (桃源仙境),photograph
onthebackcover.
43
SeereportintheOverseasChineseDaily (華僑日報),14January1963.
61
44
ChanTszShek,ed.,CommemorationofMasterSitToKwongbyLo
FungSpiritualPracticeInstitute (鑪峰精神脩養學院薛道光祖師紀念
刊).
MasterKokKwong,"OpeningSpeech:SuccessionCeremonyofMaster
YuenWai"(圓慧法師陞座大典致詞),inHongKongBuddhist (香港佛
教),issue523,2003.
62
45
ChanTszShek,ed.,BriefRecordsoftheConstructionoftheSpiritual
PracticeInstitutebyLoFungAcademy (鑪峰學院籌建精神脩養院簡
章),inNamesofOfficialsfortheConstructionoftheSpiritualPractice
InstituteofLoFungAcademy(1961),p.6.Therewereatotalofeighty
disciplesundertheChanTszShekSchool,whoallhadTaoistnames
startingwiththecharacter"Ting("Ding"inPutonghua)".
MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起).
63
MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起).
64
ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistMonasteriesinHongKong(香江梵宇).
pp.240-241.
198
65
MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起).
66
ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistMonasteriesinHongKong (香江梵宇),
p.241.
73
WongSiuWai,"LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiu
Wai" (黃德煒居士上印公法師書), in MasterYinguang,PureLand
Essentials(II)Footnote:DeedsofBodhisattvaKokMingMiuHang
andBodhisattvaTata (淨土輯要(下篇)•附錄：覺明妙行菩薩及哆
哆婆娑呵菩薩應化事迹)(Taipei:theCorporateBodyoftheBuddha
EducationalFoundation,2001).
MasterYinguang,"ReplytoLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(覆黃德煒居
士書),inMasterYinguang,CollectedWorksofMasterYinguangvol.3,
issue3 (印光法師文鈔(三篇卷三))(Beijing:ChinaReligionPublishing
House,2000).
74
WongSiuWaiworshippedWongTaiSinunderthenametheBodhisattva
Tata.Fordetails,seeYauChiOn,"FusionofThreeReligionsinWong
Tai Sin Cult in Guangdong and Hong Kong Regions" (粵港地區
黃大仙信仰的三教兼融),inLaiChiTim,ed.,PeaceandConflicts
ofReligions:ACollectionofAcademicDissertationsforReligious
ResearchofTheChineseUniversityofHongKongandthePeking
University (宗教的和平與衝突：香港中文大學與北京大學宗教研
究學術論文集)(HongKong:ChunghuaBookCompany,2008),pp.
142-144.
75
MasterTingSai,"ReportontheSariraTowerCommemoratingMaster
Yinguang" (印光大師紀念堂舍利塔落成報告經過), inTung Lum
NienFahTong,eds,TungLumRecords:RememberingMasterTingSai
(東林小志：定西大師紀念集合刊)(HongKong:TungLumNienFah
Tong,1962).
68
"LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
69
"LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
70
"LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
71
"LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
72
MasterYinguang,"LayBuddhistBookofFookKongKingChun(II)"
199
Traditional Religious Activities
67
(覆江景春居士書二),inMasterYinguang,CollectedWorksofMaster
Yinguang(vol.Iofthecontinuededition) (印光法師文鈔(續篇卷上))
(Beijing:ChinaReligionPublishingHouse,2000).
Bibliography
1.
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KwongbyLoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute (鑪峰
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FungSpiritualPracticeInstitute,1959).
LamHingSau,ed.,SpecialCommemorativeIssuefor
theThirtiethAnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanand
theReconstructionoftheAncientTemple (崇心道德壇
創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊)(HongKong:Sung
SumToTakTan,1978).
ChanTszShek,ed.,TheHeavenlyToYuen (桃源仙
境)(HongKong:LoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute,
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LeungYuWah,WalkingThroughtheVillages:History,
Folklores andAffections for the Countryside (穿
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Books,2002).
ChanTsz Shek,ExpressionsofLuTsu (呂祖口訣)
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EvergreenTaoismSocietyLimited,2007).
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ManTakYuen'sLunarNewYearPrayerofBlessing
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(HongKong:ManTakChiSinSeh,2001).
ChuKwunChun,ed.,AJewelintheDepthsofthe
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德苑)(HongKong:ManTakYuen,yearofpublication
unknown).
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1986).
MasterYinguang,PureLandEssentials(II)Footnote:
Deeds of Bodhisattva Kok Ming Miu Hang and
BodhisattvaTata (淨土輯要(下篇)•附錄：覺明妙
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thePekingUniversity (宗教的和平與衝突：香港中文
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200
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2003.
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2.
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InterviewwithMasterLaiTszHing,23April2008.
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InterviewwithWongWingYinandLeeKwongTai,19
April,2008.
5.
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ChoiMukShui,"ABriefHistoryoftheTaiPoChiu
ChowNativeAssociationLimited"(大埔潮州同鄉會
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of the Founding of theTai Po Chiu Chow Native
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201
6.
Websites
Master Chuk Mo, "Beginning with theVisit ofTai
Kwong School" (從參觀大光學校說起) (http://
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Mo,"ThePracticeofSeclusionandtheTreasuresof
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202