Hong Kong Touring

Monday was a day of temples and history. I spent the morning at Chi Lin, which is a Buddhist Nunnery and garden. I then toured Wen Tai Sin, which is a Taoist temple and garden. After Wen Tai Sin, I went to the Hong Kong History Museum.

The Nunnery was empty on a Monday morning, so I wandered the compound with only the gardeners around. It was very peaceful, the sounds of morning chants coming from the rooms of the nuns. The garden was gorgeous, didn't realize that such a green space was in the heart of one of Asia's largest cities. There was a traditional rock garden as well as a lake, and some walkways amongst flowers. I still don't understand rock gardens, but it was still fascinating to see all the shapes.

Wen Tai Sin was a complete contrast from Chi Lin. It was packed! I think there was a festival for a god or something because there was a lot of incense being sold and families coming with gifts for the temple. It is still a foreign place for me to be caught in the middle of an event like that. I don't understand the meaning behind it so it confuses me as I try to see what is going on. The garden was lovely. It overlooked the temple so it was a good way to see the festival going on in the temple.

I received quite an education at the History Museum after visiting Wen Tai Sin. I learned a lot about the politics of the Opium Wars and how much it changed Hong Kong socially, economically, and politically. I also learned a lot about Hong Kong's involvement in WWII. The story of the people of Hong Kong trying to defend their city from the Japanese and the resulting atrocities committed by the Japanese was something I had never learned. It was one of the most well arranged history museums I have seen. There is no place in the world that has had such a contrast of two cultures trying to find harmony together.

I spent Tuesday with my friend Bernice and her friend Melanie. Bernice is my friend from SCH who has family in Hong Kong. We went to visit the Lantau Buddha and see the Kung Fu festival. We took the subway to the gondola terminal where we took a 20 minute gondola ride to Lantau peak. As we rode the gondola, we were able to see the airport from above as well as the island of Lantau. Lantau is like the countryside of Hong Kong. It has a lot of open land and the quiet nature of a small town. Once we reached the top, we made our way to see the big Buddha. He was a big one! We went inside the Buddha to see a display about Buddhism in Hong Kong and a "tooth" from the Buddha. It was an interesting display. The view from the overlook by the Buddha was breathtaking. Lantau is so lush with vibrant greens in the trees and deep blues in the ocean. Combine that with gorgeous coasts and it's quite a sight!

After the Buddha we went to Ngong village (which is adjacent to the Buddha) to see the Shaolin Kung Fu festival. We made it just in time to see a performance from the monks. Oh my gosh, they were unbelievable! I was amazed by the feats they performed and shocked by effect this training had on their bodies. They were dense, all muscle, it looks so unnatural. The intensity of their performance and how every movement is so deliberate and determined was very impressive.

Wednesday was an epic day: museum day. I spent the morning in the Art Museum soaking up beautiful Chinese art as well as innovative contemporary pieces. I then went to the Space Museum, which displayed the history of astronomy from an Eastern viewpoint, very interesting. China hopes to put a man on the moon by 2020, we'll see....

After these morning museums I went to the Avenue of Stars, the Hollywood Stars for Asian film. I stopped to take pictures of some of my favorite Asian moviestars plaques and soak up the view of the city from the waterfront.

I then went to the Coastal Defense Museum, which is located in a coastal fortress built in the 1800's. It was an expansive museum, but a great display of history coming to life.