Wong Tai Sin Temple is situated on the southern slope of Lion Rock, and is the most celebrated Taoist ancestral temple in Hong Kong.
Decorated in a variety of colors, Wong Tai Sin is an excellent example of a traditional Chinese temple. It features red pillars, a golden roof adorned with blue friezes, yellow latticework and multi-colored carvings.
On the main altar of the temple stands the painting of Wong Tai Sin. Legend has it that Wong Tai Sin was a Taoist disciple and merchant who took delight in helping others. He was ready to help whenever asked, therefore after his death people built this temple in his memory.
Another legend goes that Wong Tai Sin used to be a shepherd boy. When he was 15 years old, he was taught by an immortal how to refine cinnabar to produce a medicine capable of curing all illnesses. He spent 40 years in seclusion perfecting this technique, and then emerged to achieve fame as a healer. During his last year as a doctor, his readiness to offer help won him the love and respect of the people.
Wong Tai Sin Temple is very busy, especially during the Chinese lunar New Year, the seventh lunar month and on Wong Ta Sin's birthday - the 23rd day of the eighth lunar month.
Most people who visit the temple want their fortune told. The worshipper lights worship sticks, kneels before the main altar, makes a wish, and shakes a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshipper. |
