Kowloon City's Hau Wong Temple has recently had a facelift, courtesy of the Chinese Temples Committee's renovation project. This historic Kowloon City landmark will re-open on May 22 after months of refurbishment.

Located at the corner of Tung Tau Tsuen Road and Junction Road, the temple is believed to have been built in about 1730, in memory of Hau Wong, who was honored for his loyalty and courage and is revered as a god.

There are several interpretations as to Hau Wong's origin, but the most popular one is that he was the Song Dynasty general Yang Liangjie, who protected the dynasty's last emperor and escorted him to Kowloon during a war against Mongolian invaders.

Apart from Hau Wong, the temple also houses other deities including Kwun Yum, Tai Sui, and Lohans. A wealth of historical relics and cultural artifacts can also be found inside the temple.

Heritage value: The Chinese Temples Committee's Acting Secretary Lee Sheung-yuen says Kowloon City's Hau Wong Temple will re-open on May 22 after months of refurbishment, adding painstaking effort was taken to restore the temple's Shi Wan figurines.

Renovation details

The committee's Acting Secretary Lee Sheung-yuen told news.gov.hk the body decided in July 2004 to launch a pilot scheme to modernise the temple's management.

"We took this opportunity to renovate the temple which was in a dilapidated condition. The $4 million renovation cost is to be paid by the Chinese Temples Fund which relies on worshippers' donation."

The renovation works include the replacement of the main temple's roof tiles, repartitioning the temple for better utilisation, repainting the walls, restoring plaques and couplets, and refurbishing the temple's rear garden.

Some new facilities have been introduced including a poetry gallery, a wish corner and a blessing pond.

"We have also replaced the concrete pavilion with a Chinese style pavilion in the rear garden to ensure all components within the temple are compatible with each others," Mr Lee said.

Major difficulties

One of the major difficulties the project staff faced was restoring the temple's Shi Wan figurines - small, detailed sculptures that originated in the Ming Dynasty.

"It is unfortunate that in Hong Kong we do not have the expertise to maintain these figurines. So we had to take them down from the walls and transportd them back to the Mainland for restoration," Mr Lee said.

Since the temple is a Grade One Historical Building, it is best to use old or original materials for restoration. Since these were difficult to find, modern materials were used instead.

"With the assistance of the consultant architects and our project staff, we have succeeded in incorporating these modern materials into the historical temple without affecting its heritage value."

Enhanced protection 

To protect the newly renovated temple, the committee will educate worshippers to bring only a set of three joss-sticks into the temple and to burn their paper offerings outside.

"We have installed an environmentally-friendly incinerator to handle all the paper offerings. We hope all these measures can minimise the effect of smoke on the temple wall, keep the air fresh and protect worshippers' health. We have also heightened the temple's security measures by introducing a new monitoring system."

To promote public awareness of the temple, a Hau Wong parade and a variety show were organised in March last year, followed by a roving exhibition and crossword puzzle competition.

Publicity drive

"There will be a re-opening ceremony on May 21, and we will also hold religious talks and several competitions such as calligraphy contests and painting and sketches competitions."

The committee has also published temple tour 'passports' to encourage the public to visit its 24 temples. Information leaflets on individual temples have also bee prepared to help visitors learn about their historical background, features and relics.

For more pictures of the temple click here.