Che Kung Temple, Sha Tin (車公廟)
Sha Tin Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin is a Taoist temple dedicated to Che Kung a 13th-century, Song Dynasty general.
Che Kung escorted the last emperor of the Song dynasty to southern China to escape the Mongol invasion.
Prayers to him are credited with having rid the area of plague, thought to be cholera, after the temple was completed.
History
The large grounds have both Ming period and more modern buildings. Che Kung Temple dates originally from the 17th century. The temple has been renovated twice since, first in 1890 and again in 1993-1994.
The temple receives many visitors, including many local Hong Kong public servants and government officials, during the second and the third days of Chinese New Year.
From 1995 on Che Kung has been the official temple for the Hong Kong government to seek good fortune and predictions.
Visitors spin the wheel of fortune and beat the large drum within the temple. This helps ensure good luck for the coming year.
Sha Tin Access
Che Kung Temple Station is the nearest station on the MTR, take Exit A.
Che Kung Temple
Che Kung Miu Road
Hong Kong
Tel: 2691 1733
www: ctc.org.hk
The temple is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.
Nearby
Also in Sha Tin is the Po Fook Hill Cemetery which has views looking the local area. The cemetery holds the ashes of thousands of people who pay a fair sum to be interred here. Next to the cemetery is the well-known Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas which was founded in 1949.
The temple contains over 12,000 images of Buddha on the 8 hectares site. Large golden Buddhas in various poses line the 400 steps to the temple at the top of the hill.
Just across the river from the Che Kung Temple is the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, housed in a modern reconstruction of a traditional ancestral hall.
The three story museum holds temporary exhibitions from other museums around the world as well as its own impressive permanent collection.
Other notable temples in Hong Kong include Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan, Po Lin Temple with its enormous Buddha statue on Lantau, Tin Hau Temple in Stanley and Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon.
Sha Tin Map
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