Wong Tai Sin Temple

 

Facts to Know about Wong Tai Sin Temple

Chinese Name: 黄大仙祠 Pronunciation: Huángdàxiān Cí

Admission Ticket Fare: Free

Building Time: 1945

Best Visiting Time: All year round

Suggested Visiting Hours: 2-3 Hours

Address: Wong Tai Sin District, Hong Kong, China

Popular Activity: Visit the shrine and worship the Buddha

 

Opening Time

Place	Service Time
Wong Tai Sin Temple	7:30 am to 4:30 pm
General Office	8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Tai Sui Yuan Chen Hall	8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Note: The opening hours of the temple will be changed for some reason. Please refer to the official website

 

Brief Introduction of Wong Tai Sin Temple

Built in 1945, Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the most famous scenic spots and Taoism temples in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Enjoying a good reputation, the temple gets a prosperous offering and incense. Every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Hong Kong citizens will compete for the first stick of incense. According to legend, the fairy Wong Tai Sin enshrined in the temple is very efficacious and will respond to everyone’s prayer. The temple is also the only Taoist temple in Hong Kong that can hold weddings with Taoist characteristics
 

Sik Sik Yuan, which is the predecessor of Wong Tai Sin Temple, was founded in 1921. After decades of careful management, the whole temple is rather resplendent and magnificent.
 

The whole temple covers an area of more than 18,000 square meters. According to legend, Wong Tai Sin is widely known for practicing medicine to save people in ancient China.
 

From the first day to the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year, a large number of believers visit the temple. They gather in the main hall of the temple to participate in worship activities.

 
At the beginning of the 20th century, Taoist Liang Ren’an and his followers came to Hong Kong from Puqing Ancestral Altar in Xiqiao Mountain, Guangdong Province for protecting the treasured statue of Red Pine Fairy. At first, he set an altar in Wan Chai region for preaching and worshiping the Red Pine Fairy.
 

In 1921, after being instructed by the fairy, they chose to build the shrine on Longxiang Road under the Kowloon Lion Mountain. Later, the number of believers increased and the Wong Tai Sin Temple became one of the famous temples in Hong Kong and Kowloon.
 

According to Jinhua County Record in Wanli Period(1573-1620) of Ming Dynasty, Wong Tai Sin, formerly known as Huang Chuping, was born in Lanxi county, Jinhua city, Zhejiang Province. He, born in 328, was raised in a poor family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty(317-420). At the age of 8, little Huang Chuping shepherded sheep on Chisong Mountain in ancient Jinhua city, Zhejiang Province. At the age of 15, when he went up the mountain to shepherd sheep, he met a Taoist priest Shanbu.
 

Shanbu recognized that this little boy had wisdom of Taoism. Hence, Huang Chuping was taken to Chisong Mountain in Jinhua city to learn Taoism for 40 years and finally became immortal. Later, his elder brother Huang Chuqi went to look for him. When the brothers met each other, the elder one asked, “Where is the sheep?” Chuping said a spell: “Sheep rise!” The white stones all over the mountain immediately turned into sheep.
 

The couplet at the gate of Wong Tai Sin Temple in Guangzhou city records Chuping’s legendary story. In the rebuilt temple of Hong Kong, the same couplet is hung on the gate of Wong Tai Sin Temple.
 

Taoism is a polytheistic religion. Among many gods, Wong Tai Sin is quite famous.

In those days, Wong Tai Sin traveled all over the world for saving lives, leaving behind many immortal stories. His merits and virtues were well known and praised by the general public, and shrines were set up one after another to honor him.

 

History of Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple in Guangzhou was built in 1899, and was rebuilt in 1904 with donations from faithful people from all walks of society. In those days, although the temple was remote, it was once one of the religious holy places in Guangzhou City and had a great influence in Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta.
 

Although the temple was destroyed in 1910, the remains left by the old temple, such as stone couplets, relief stone pillars, flat foreheads, door ornaments and stone lions are all decorated with exquisite carvings. From those remains, we can imagine the grand scale and exquisite architectural art of the temple in those days.
 

In 1915, the former abbot of Wong Tai Sin Temple, Taoist Priest Liang Yan’an, moved south to Hong Kong and built the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong in 1921.

 

Activities of Wong Tai Sin Temple

Worship Activity

All disciples and guests of Wong Tai Sin will gather in the main hall of the temple at noon to participate in the worship activities, and the scene is lively. Besides, Wong Tai Sin Temple is the only Taoist temple in Hong Kong that can hold Taoist weddings. If you are lucky enough, you may be able to see the process of Taoist weddings.
 

Visiting the Shrine

At the entrance of the temple, there are usually many stalls selling incense sticks and fruits. The incense sticks are about 10 yuan for per bundle, which is affordable. When offering incense, you may worship with two hands together, and then offer incense with your left hand, which is the behavior of respect for gods. Please remember the number of incenses should be one or three.
 

Asking for Spiritual Answer

It is said that Wong Tai Sin’s Spiritual Answer is very efficacious, so many believers come from afar to ask for guidance. Visitors can get a bamboo cylinder containing 100 bamboo sticks, also called fortune sticks, which are numbered 1-100 respectively. For each question, shake the bamboo cylinder until one of the bamboo sticks falls out. Getting the signed paper according to the number. The scripture on the signed paper is the response from Wong Tai Sin.
 

The two-story building next to the temple is the place where the signatures are released. Many professional Taoist priests offer the service of explaining the signatures to you. The price is about 20 to 30 HKD per signature.

 

Warm Tips

For you are traveling in a Taoism temple, please respect the religious customs.

 

How to Reach Wong Tai Sin Temple

By Bus

Bus lines with a stop at Wong Tai Sin Temple: Kowloon Special Line 11C, Kowloon Special Line 211 circular Line and Kowloon Special Line 211.

Bus lines with a stop at Wong Tai Sin Road: Kowloon Special Line 52, 66S,72.
 

By Subway

Take MTR Kwun Tong Line and get off at Wong Tai Sin Temple Station, Exit A or E.
 

By Taxi

Chinese: 请带我去黄大仙祠。English: Please take me to the Wong Tai Sin Temple.

If you go to the Wong Tai Sin Temple from the Hong Kong International Airport, it takes about 33 minutes and may charge 240 HK$ (35 kilometers).

If you go to the Wong Tai Sin Temple from the Hong Kong West Kowloon Railway Station, it takes about 14 minutes and may charge 85 HK$ (7.9 kilometers).

If you go to the Wong Tai Sin Temple from the Hung Hom Station, it takes about 13 minutes and may charge 80 HK$ (7.5 kilometers).