Tao Fong Shan (), officially known as To Fung Shan, is a hill with a height of . It is in
Sha Tin
Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project.
The new ...
,
New Territories, Hong Kong
The New Territories (N.T., Chinese: ) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it is th ...
. A road called To Fung Shan Road leads to the summit, where a Christian Centre can be found.
Place of Religious Worship
Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre () is situated at Tao Fong Shan, Sha Tin, in Hong Kong. The Centre was founded in 1930 by the
Norwegian missionary
Karl Ludvig Reichelt
Karl Ludvig Reichelt (1 September 1877 – 13 March 1952) was a Norwegian Lutheran missionary and religious scholar who worked in China. He was a missionary for the Norwegian Missionary Society from 1903 to 1922. In 1922, he established the Nor ...
(1877–1952). Reichelt was sent to
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
province in China in 1904. There he gradually developed an idea to share the gospel with
Buddhists
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...
. In 1929, he established Jing Fong Shan in
Nanjing
Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400.
Situated in the Yang ...
. In 1930, due to the chaos of the
Chinese civil war
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
, Reichelt moved his work to Sha Tin, Hong Kong, and asked a
Danish architect,
Johannes Prip-Moller to design the buildings. Reichelt died on 13 March 1952 and was buried at the Tao Fong Shan cemetery.
In February 2010, Tao Fong Shan became an statutory foundation in Hong Kong under the name "Tao Fong Shan Service Foundation Limited".
The buildings at the Centre are classified as
Grade II historical building. Extensive restoration work took place from 2009 to 2011 with the help of the Hong Kong government's Financial Assistance for Maintenance Scheme.
Described as "A remarkable Christian retreat centre... high in the hills behind Sha Tin" by the Hong Kong government, the picturesque site is very well-known and popular among Christians in Hong Kong.
The Centre is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.
Facilities
The Centre includes a chapel, a library and an art shop.
* The
Chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
(known as The Christ Temple) is an octagonal structure;
Sunday Worship
In Christianity, the Lord's Day refers to Sunday, the traditional day of communal worship. It is the first day of the week in the Hebrew calendar and traditional Christian calendars. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the ...
is available in the building.
* The Art Shop sells a wide range of primarily Chinese-style Christian-themed paintings, hand-painted porcelain and handicrafts. Prayer and meditation aids such as the
Pearls of Life are available here. The Art Shop has recently launched online shopping.
* Pilgrim's Hall is a Christian retreat guest house patterned after the "Cloud and Water Halls" as seen at Buddhist sites in mainland China and offers accommodation for up to 40 people in 18 double rooms. A dining hall and lounge with a capacity of 100 people are incorporated into Pilgrim's Hall.
* The Conference Hall is a traditional Chinese-style hall; it is designed for conferences and seminars, with a seating capacity for 60 people.
* A 12-metre-high cross, facing Sha Tin, is the hallmark of the Centre. The cross is a popular among visitors and is a place for outside gatherings and meetings.
* Ascension House, a former hostel located off of the main Centre grounds, has been renovated and is now used to supplement Pilgrim's Hall to accommodate overnight retreat guests and volunteers. Common kitchen facilities are available here, unlike the accommodation at Pilgrim's Hall. The nearby, 5-room Ching Fong Tai serves a purpose similar to Ascension House but only accommodates up to 7 people.
* A
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...
is located next to the Lotus Pond, and is used for
prayer
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
and
contemplation
In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the Divinity, divine which Transcendence (religion), transcends the intellect, often in accordance with religious practices such as meditation or contemplative pr ...
.
Transportation
Tao Fong Shan is located in the rural part of Sha Tin, but can be easily reached by walking. From
East Rail line
The East Rail line () is one of the ten lines that form MTR, the rapid transit, mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu station, Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau station, Lok Ma Chau, both of which are Border checkpoint, b ...
's
Sha Tin station
Sha Tin station, formerly known as Sha Tin railway station ( or ) is a List of MTR stations, station on the of Hong Kong's MTR, Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system. The station is located in the town centre of Sha Tin.
The station was formerly ...
, it only takes 20 minutes to get to the centre via a hiking trail.
For guests and visitors, the most common type of transportation is the taxi, which is HK$25 if taken from
Tai Wai
Tai Wai (Chinese: 大圍 ) is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin and the Lion Rock, within the Sha Tin District.
With three rapid transit stations, one of which an interchange station serving two lines, fiv ...
. In addition, Tao Fong Shan Service Unit also operates a shuttle bus just for staff and guests at the Centre a few times daily from Sha Tin.
Gallery
File:Temple, Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre 1.JPG, The Chapel
File:TaoFungShan Bell2.jpg, The Bell outside the Chapel
Image:TaoFungShan_Building1.jpg, The Offices and Art Shop
Image:TaoFungShan_KeyHole2.jpg, 'Keyhole Styled' entrance to main buildings
Image:TaoFungShan_Entrance1.jpg, The 'covered driveway'
Image:TaoFungShan_Pavilion.jpg, Pavilion of Tao Fong Shan
Image:TaoFungShan_Cross.jpg, The Cross facing Sha Tin
Image:TaoFungShan_AmahRock.jpg, A replica of Amah Rock
Amah Rock (, ''Mong Fu Shek'', "husband-watching stone") is a naturally shaped Rock (geology), rock located on a hilltop in southwest Sha Tin District, Hong Kong.
Description
The rock is approximately 15 meters in height, and is shaped much l ...
, located at Tao Fung Shan
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official Website of the Tao Fong Shan Christian CentreOfficial Website of the Tao Fong Shan Service UnitTao Fong Shan Online ShopReichelt Collection 艾香德紀念圖書館藏書Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity by Hong Kong Baptist University Library. The Reichelt Collection was originally part of the Karl. L. Reichelt Memorial Library Collections held at the Institute of Sino-Christian Studies.
{{Coord, 22.3842, 114.1821, region:HK_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title
Sha Tin
Mountains, peaks and hills of Hong Kong
Grade II historic buildings in Hong Kong
Protestantism in Hong Kong