• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

2716 9962; www.lcsd.gov.hk/parks/kwcp/en/index.php; Tung Tau Tsuen, Tung Tsing, cnr Carpenter Rd & Junction Rd; 6.30am-11pm; 1 from Star Ferry pier, alight opposite the park at Tung Tau Tsuen Rd

The walls that enclose this beautiful park were once the perimeter of a notorious village that technically remained part of China throughout British rule, as it was never included in the 1898 lease of the New Territories. The enclave was known for its vice, prostitution, gambling and illegal dentists. In 1984 the Hong Kong government acquired the area, rehoused the residents elsewhere, built pavilions and ponds filled with turtles and goldfish and planted exquisite trees and shrubs, including a long hedge coaxed into the form of a dragon. The park opened in 1996. Close to the Carpenter Rd entrance of the park is the renovated Yamen building, once an almshouse. It contains displays on the history of the walled city, with a scale model of the village in the mid-19th century. At the park’s north side are the remnants of the original South and East Gates.

* * *

TRANSPORT – NEW KOWLOON

Bus Buses 5 and 26 leave from Tsim Sha Tsui to Ma Tau Chung Rd for Kowloon.

MTR The two MTR lines running up the spine of Kowloon are useful for getting around New Kowloon. Key stops on the Tsuen Wan line include Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan MTR stations; key stops on the Kwun Tong line include Kowloon Tong, Lok Fu, Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill MTR stations. The most important stop on the MTR East Rail line is Kowloon Tong station, which has an interchange with Kowloon Tong MTR station.

* * *

Wong Tai Sin

The district of Wong Tai Sin to the north of Kowloon City is known for two things: its enormous and faceless housing estate and one of the most active and interesting temples in the territory.

SIK SIK YUEN WONG TAI SIN TEMPLE Map

2327 8141; Wong Tai Sin Rd; $2 donation requested; 7am-5.30pm; MTR Wong Tai Sin

An explosion of colourful pillars, roofs, lattice work, flowers and incense, this busy temple is a destination for all walks of Hong Kong society, from pensioners and businesspeople to parents and young professionals.

Some come simply to pray, others to divine the future with chìm – bamboo ‘fortune sticks’ that are shaken out of a box on to the ground and then read by a fortune-teller (they’re available free from the left of the main temple).

The complex, adjacent to the Wong Tai Sin housing estate, was built in 1973 and is dedicated to the god of that name, who began his life as a humble shepherd in Zhejiang province. When he was 15 an immortal taught Wong Tai Sin how to make a herbal potion that could cure all illnesses. He is thus worshipped both by the sick and those trying to avoid illness. He is also a favourite god of businesspeople. The image of the god in the main temple was brought to Hong Kong from Guangdong province in 1915 and was initially installed in a temple in Wan Chai, where it remained until being moved to the present site in 1921.

Behind the main temple and to the right are the Good Wish Gardens ($2 donation requested; 9am-4pm), replete with colourful pavilions (the hexagonal Unicorn Hall, with carved doors and windows, is the most beautiful), zigzag bridges, waterfalls and carp ponds.

Below the main temple and to the left as you enter the complex is an arcade filled with dozens of booths operated by fortune-tellers, some of whom speak English. Expect a consultation to cost upwards of $100.

The busiest times at the temple are around Chinese New Year, Wong Tai Sin’s birthday (23rd day of the eighth month –usually in September) and on weekends. Getting to the temple is easy. From the Wong Tai Sin MTR station, take exit B2 and then follow the signs or the crowds (or both).

Diamond Hill

Spread out below the peak of the same name, the residential district of Diamond Hill is due east of Wong Tai Sin and worth visiting solely for the nearby nunnery.

CHI LIN NUNNERY Map

2354 1888; 5 Chi Lin Dr; admission free; nunnery 9am-5pm, garden 6.30am-7pm; MTR Diamond Hill

One of the most