Our second Sunday

We've had a most excellent day today!

We decided to make the trip up to Fanling, which is quite close to the Chinese Border. We had 3 changes on the train, and the journey took about an hour. It cost the princely sum of £1 each!

We went to see the Taoist Temple of Fung Ying Seen Koon.


I'm quite drawn to the Taoist way of life - they believe in (a simplified form) no meat, no alcohol, and the reverence of all living creatures. Their temples are always so peaceful and calming.




Here is a picture of the ceiling of the area of worship.






All of the upper floors outside the temple are dedicated to crematoriums. The open fires are kept burning, and then the ashes are stored in walls of small boxes, with a photo of the deceased person on the outside. The most wealthy families have their own "room" of walls, whilst everyone else is laid to rest in smaller boxes on the lower levels. The families bring food and drink to place in shrines alongside the walls.

There was a lovely pond of koi carp by the crematoriums.

It is a very peaceful place to visit.








After leaving the temple, we took a little minibus to Lung Yeuk Tau for a walk along the Heritage Trail. It was quite an exciting ride, through little villages and out into the countryside.

The trail takes you through 12 centuries old villages of the New Territories, some of which are still behind stone walls. We started the trail at Tung Chung Ling Ancestral Hall, which was built in the early 16th Century.

It is being guarded by these two fellows!

Then we went along to the Tin Hau Temple. The main hall of the temple is devoted to the worship of Tin Hau and her guards, Chin Lei Ngan (who is believed to see things a thousand li [Chinese miles] away) and Shun Fung Yi (whose ears can hear sounds as far away as from heaven).


The oldest relics surviving in the temple are two cast iron bells which are kept in the east chamber of the rear hall. One of the bells was cast in 1695 as a gift from the Tang clan to thank Tin Hau after having their sons adopted by her. The other bell was cast in 1700 as an offering to Tin Hau so that the young men of the clan could be blessed during their journey to the city for taking the provincial examinations.


The next monument along is the Lo Wai walled village, built by the Tang Clan, which is not accessible to tourists as all the houses are still inhabited. They all live behind these walls.


We then took the minibus back to Fanling, and the train onto Sha Tin. There we had a lovely shop in the New Town Plaza, picking up some items that N_M had been searching for since we arrived! And now we're back in the hotel having a well deserved rest!