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Che Kung Temple
Che Kung Temple
As
in most former rural centres in the New Territories, Sha Tin features a range of
temples with a rich history. Perhaps the most unusual of these is the Che Kung
Temple in the Tai Wai area, which looks more like a Japanese shrine than a
traditional Chinese temple. Today, the temple is housed in a modern building
(completed in 1993), which stands in front of the original temple, built more
than 300 years ago. Although the modern temple is open to visitors, the original
is normally closed to the public.
The temple is dedicated to
the admirable "Che Kung" (General Che), a great soldier who achieved
fame by putting down a rebellion in South China during the Sung Dynasty (AD
960-1279). He is said to have accompanied the Emperor when he fled to Hong Kong
before the fall of the Sung Dynasty. After his death, people began worshipping
him for his courage and fealty.
Another
legend about the origin of the Che Kung Temple says that Che Kung accompanied
the last Emperor of the Sung Dynasty to Hong Kong, where they settled in Sai
Kung. Che Kung was well received by the villagers in this area because of his
obvious love for them and his medical knowledge. After his death, he was raised
to the status of a deity because he had saved the inhabitants of the Sha Tin
Valley from an outbreak of the plague; the villagers dedicated a temple to him
at Ho Chung in Sai Kung. Today, worshippers flock to the temple to wish Che Kung
happy birthday on the third day of the Lunar New Year (January/February).
In
the temple today, on the upper level of the two sides of the main altar, stand a
huge drum and bell. There is also a giant statue of Che Kung at the altar in the
main worship hall. Next to this is a fan-bladed wheel of fortune, which,
worshippers believe, will bring good luck when turned three times. An addition
to the modern temple is a very popular corridor of fortune-tellers, which can be
found to the left of the entrance.
Admission to the Che Kung
Temple is free, but it is customary to give a small donation to help towards the
maintenance of the complex. The Temple is open from 7am to 6pm daily.
Take the Kowloon
Canton Railway (KCR) from Hung Hom or Kowloon Tong to Tai Wai Station and follow
the signs from there to the temple, along Che Kung Temple Road and via a
pedestrian tunnel. The walk takes about eight minutes.