Wong Tai Sin Temple, a
Taoist temple established in 1921, is one of the most famous temples
in Hong Kong. It is also renowned
among overseas Chinese in Southern Asia, Europe, and America.
Wong Tai Sin Temple is named after Wong Chuping. When
Wong Chuping was 15, he began to follow Taoism. Forty years later,
he achieved enlightenment and became immortal. People called him
Wong Tai Sin from then on. It is said that he punishes evils, heals
the wounded, and rescues the dying. The influence of Wong Tai Sin
spread from Guangdong Province to Hong Kong in the early 20th
century. With his mercy and his power, he is said to grant whatever
is requested. Wong Tai Sin Temple is known for its fortune-telling.
The fortune sticks (or lots) in Wong Tai Sin Temple are very
accurate. Many people who visit the temple come to have their
fortunes told. Generally, worshippers entreat the fate of the same
year. They light worship sticks, kneel before the main altar, make a
wish, and shake a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until
one falls out. The stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing
the same number, and the soothsayer then interprets the fortune on
the paper for the worshipper. Wong Tai Sin has many worshippers in
Hong Kong, so the joss sticks and candles burn exuberantly all year
round, especially during the Chinese Lunar New Year and Wong Tai
Sin's birthday - the 23rd day of the eighth lunar month.
Wong Tai Sin Temple is also called Sik Sik Yuen. The
architecture of Wong Tai Sin Temple is in the traditional Chinese
temple style: grand red pillars, a magnificent golden roof adorned
with blue friezes, yellow latticework, and resplendent multi-colored
carvings. Aside from the Daxiong-baodian or Grand Hall, Sansheng
Hall and the Good Wish Garden are also worth seeing. The temple
grounds also feature three memorial archways. The first one stands
outside the temple and is carved with the name of the temple. If you
walk past the soothsayers and the fortune-telling stalls, you can
see another memorial archway. And if you continue further along the
third memorial archway standing before you. Memorial archways are a
common feature of traditional Chinese architecture. Also at the
temple are the Nine Dragon Wall--a replica of the renowned Nine
Dragon Wall in Beijing, and the Good Wish Garden - a miniature copy
of Beijing's Summer Palace .
Additionally, Wong Tai Sin Temple is the only temple
that offers facilities for wedding ceremonies in Hong Kong.
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