January 12, 2014

Although today was a free day, most of our class decided to tour the same areas. We went to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, the Chi Lin Nunnery and gardens, and in the evening we met up again for the Symphony of Lights.

                Our first stop was the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, located in a village near the Sha Tin station. Admission to the temple is free and there are signs warning about scams and false monks just outside the entrance of the monastery. Sure enough there were “monks” outside of the entrance asking for money in exchange for a Buddhist blessing and a bracelet. You can avoid scams by refusing to engage with the false monks, and as long as you keep walking the false monks are fairly harmless.

                Beyond the entrance of the monastery are steps leading up to the main temple. Lining the steps on either side are statues of Buddhist monks, each one of them with a unique face and pose. Although the walk to the temple is relatively short, it is a fairly steep climb. However, pausing to take a picture of a statue is a good excuse to take a quick break.

                The main temple is located at the top of the stairs. Before the entrance there is a large cauldron-shaped pot where incense can be purchased and burned as an offering. The smell of incense was the first thing we noticed as we reached the top of the steps. Just outside the temple there is a small restaurant. Orders are sent to the kitchen by clipping a slip of paper to a clothespin and sending it downstairs on a clothesline.

                Inside the main temple there are over ten thousand small Buddha statutes – twelve thousand eight hundred to be exact. Each statue is about one foot tall and is shaped into a different pose. All the miniature statues are inset into the walls of the temple. In the center of the temple there is a large Buddha statue where people can kneel pray to ask for a blessing. People do not necessarily have to be practicing Buddhists to do this ritual. In front of the large Buddha statue is a table containing offerings of fresh fruit such as oranges, grapes, or apples. A member of our class said he saw a monkey sneak into the temple and steal a vine of grapes. More monkeys were seen on our way up to the temple and we saw a maintenance man with a broom scare away a curious monkey.

                The group’s next destination was the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens located near the Diamond Hill station. Inside the temple area of the Buddhist nunnery we could hear the beating of a drum and the chanting of Buddhist monks. There are also four Buddhist statues along each wall of the temple square. The statues have different meanings, such as a statue for wealth, good fortune, guardianship, or grief. This has been the first time we have seen practicing Buddhists on the trip, and it was very peaceful to hear their chanting in the middle of a scenic garden.

The Buddhist nunnery is also famous for its wooden architecture, manicured gardens, and bonsai trees. We noticed that the bonsai trees were shaped by attaching wire from the branches to the trunk of the tree, or by using small metal poles to support the branches. There seems to be an ideal shape that the trees must conform to – a long and thick lower branch and smaller, shorter branches near the top. Some of the trees are reminiscent of mountains; others look like trees from a Dr. Seuss book. In a room outside the monastery there is a building containing wooden models of Chinese architecture. The models are very impressive because of the amount of detail and accuracy placed into the replicas. Even though the models are on a smaller scale, some of them can be very large. The largest model was about eight feet long.

Just outside the nunnery was the Nan Lian Gardens. This area had a less manicured feel, but was still very peaceful. There was an expensive tea house in one end of the garden serving rare and exotic types of tea. The price one cup of tea was anywhere from $180 to $360 HKD ($25 - $50 USD). There was also a nice looking restaurant at the other end of the garden with a waterfall cascading from the roof to a pond below. The experience made us forget that we were in a big city, even though there were tall buildings looming just outside the gardens.

                Our last activity as a group was the Symphony of Lights at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. The city stages the light show every night at 8:00pm, and it lasts for about 15 minutes. We met at the Cultural Center because it offered the best vantage point for the show. We stood on a balcony of the Hong Kong Cultural Center and saw the city lights stretch out in a 180 degree arc along the coast of Hong Kong Harbor. Although the light show has a famous reputation, many students from our class felt that the reputation of the show preceded the actual performance. The show consisted of green lasers and bright lights mounted on top of five of the tallest buildings. These lights were synchronized with music and are used to represent the power, energy, and diversity of Hong Kong. Many students were somewhat disappointed with the show and felt that it would have been better if more buildings had been involved. Other students simply appreciated the view of Hong Kong’s city lights reflecting against the water and felt that watching the city from beyond was a worthwhile view, regardless of the light show.

            

    While today was a very busy day, I felt that our class was able to experience two sides of Hong Kong’s culture. On one hand, the Buddhist temples and gardens show that Hong Kong values its cultural traditions, religious rituals, and art. On the other hand, the Symphony of Lights uses technology and art to celebrate Hong Kong’s growth and advancement. Personally, I feel that today is a reflection of Hong Kong’s ability to preserve the past and look ahead to the future.

--Hannah Cruze & Brennan Metzelaar