Tranquility Amidst Hong Kong’s Concrete Jungle – Nan Lian Garden & Chi Lin Nunnery

Nan Lian Garden & Chi Lin Nunnery – The Hidden Gems of Hong Kong

When one speaks of Hong Kong, what immediately comes to mind is the fantastic skyline of the city. A concrete jungle of tall skyscrapers, and perhaps the commonly known attractions such as the Victoria Peak, Disneyland and Ocean Park. And, of course, the amazing shopping venues and options that are available in the city.  As a frequent visitor to Hong Kong for several years now, where I travel mostly in connection with work, I have tried to find the time to explore the city in my spare time. On each trip, I try to find something new, and the city never fails to surprise me.

One place in particular had been on my bucket list for a long time – the Nan Lian Garden and the Chi Lin Nunnery complex. I had only read about the place once while searching Google for offbeat locations in Hong Kong. What I had read about the place, and the images that I had seen, were enough for me to make a mental note to visit there whenever the opportunity presented itself. Last year when I visited Hong Kong in July, I picked up a booklet called “Best In Hong Kong” from the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s visitor information counter at the airport. Surprisingly, even this booklet does not make any mention of the Nan Lian Garden or the Chi Lin Nunnery. In any case, I could not get around to visiting the place on that trip.

This year, towards the end of January, an opportunity presented itself to make another trip to Hong Kong. This time we had a Sunday in between so we decided to make good use of the free time to explore Hong Kong, and I was finally able to cross the place off my bucket list.

Nan Lian Garden – A Delight For The Senses

The place is an absolute delight for the senses. If you are a peace and tranquillity seeker you will certainly not be disappointed. The entrance is a very impressive carved wooden gate. There is a reception and information office to the left of the entrance where you can pick up the brochure of the garden and the adjoining nunnery complex. The brochure describes the place as “A classical garden in a modern city. Serenity in the midst of urban hustle and bustle. Ingenuous imitation of nature by man.” Bang on. That’s exactly what it is.

Some Glimpses of the entrance area of the Nan Lian garden

A designated public park, the entry to the place is free. Spread over an area of 35000 sq meters, the sprawling complex is a classical Chinese landscaped garden designed in the Tang Dynasty style. It is modeled along the lines of the famous Jiangshouju Garden in Shanxi Province. The government of Hong Kong SAR had entrusted the task of developing the park to the Chi Lin Nunnery, which is in a connected complex to the north of the park. The work was completed in the year 2006 and the place was thrown open to public from November in the same year. The garden is maintained and managed by the Chi Lin Nunnery under an agreement with the Hong Kong government.

What is most remarkable and striking about the garden is that though it is located in urban Kowloon, it stands as a world apart, even though it is surrounded on all sides by the usual concrete skyscrapers that Hong Kong is well known for. It is an oasis of tranquillity amidst the hustle and bustle of this busy city.

Once you are inside the complex, though, it is as if you have stepped into a different world altogether, or travelled back in time. Noise barriers have been placed all around the garden, which shield the place from the sounds of traffic outside, and trees planted on mounds all over the place act as natural filters, protecting the place from dust. The overall effect is mesmerizing. Just to give you an idea how huge this complex is, I have scanned and uploaded a picture (below) of the visual-map on the brochure that I had picked up from the information counter.

As you walk down the pathway you will be greeted by the beautifully landscaped garden, lined with carefully tended bonsai trees, shrubs with bright and colourful flowers, and even a banyan tree grove on one side. Beautiful rocks, lotus ponds and a lake are interspersed with the landscape, which add to the surreal beauty of the place. Every inch of the place is a visual treat. If you are on Instragram and love to share instantly, you will go crazy trying to decide which shot to upload !

A little further down the path you will first come across the Chinese Timber Architecture Gallery to your left, which contains wooden scale models of traditional Chinese timber structures and highlights the construction methods such as those used at Chi Lin Nunnery. The replicas and scale models of the ancient structures found inside this gallery give you an insight into how timber has been used in constructing traditional Chinese structures since ancient times. Below are some pictures from the gallery.

The Timber Architecture Gallery At Nan Lian Garden

Speaking of architecture,it would be pertinent to mention here that all the structures in the complex are built with timber, just as they would be in the olden days. There was one thing that caught my attention in particular. Unlike modern buildings, which have drain pipes attached to the walls for draining rain water, all the timber structures in this complex had something unique. Hanging from the side of all the roofs, you will see something like chains hanging all the way down to the metal covered drains, except that they are not really chains in the absolute sense of the word. These are interconnected, flexible bell-like metal pieces through which the water trickles down to the drains. Absolutely fascinating ! The pictures below will explain what I am trying to say.

The Flexible Drainage Pipes

Moving on from the Timber Gallery, you will come across a raised concrete platform with stairs from both sides of the platform leading up to the Chi Lin Nunnery. We, however, did the Nunnery complex visit later after completing the tour of the park first, so I will come back to that later. When you stand on this platform, you also get a good glimpse of the whole park, where you can see the lotus pond in the center, and the within the pond, on an island stands the Pavilion of Absolute Perfection – an octagonal structure in the Chinese pagoda style, painted in gold with dark blue roofs, and the bridges leading up to it painted in bright orange colour. The whole view is breath-taking. The picture below will explain it better.

The Pavilion of Absolute Perfection

Just below this platform, between the two staircases is a small pond with a marble fountain-like hexagon shaped structure. When you look closely at this structure, you will find that each side of the hexagon actually has a different type of ancient sundial design on it, which tells the time fairly accurately. Below are some pictures of the sundials.

Sundial At Nan Lian Garden

After the Sundial, we moved down the path and came to a complex on the left-hand side which houses several buildings within a walled complex. In the courtyard of the complex is a beautiful Bonsai Garden, with several large cemented planters bearing different variety of bonsai. Beautiful, yet sad, because it also highlights how nature can be manipulated by man.

Bonsai On Display at Nan Lian Garden

Inside the first building, there is a Rockery, which has on display some of the rocks which are used by the Chinese since ancient times not only in construction but also in landscaping. Rock samples of various varieties have been brought in from different parts of China and can be viewed here. Overall a very interesting display.

The next building houses a museum and souvenir shop. Sorry, no images to post as they don’t permit any photography in this particular area !

As we moved further down the path, we came across a breathtaking sight – a beautiful pond with a waterfall. One side of the pond had an actual wooden water-wheel, opposite the waterfall. This water-wheel powers a Watermill located in the building that you can see behind the wheel. We did not actually venture inside the Watermill building, as we were short of time. And almost hidden under the waterfall, a building that houses a vegetarian restaurant, with large glass windows instead of walls.

We did not dine or even enter the restaurant, again due to paucity of time, but I can certainly visualize the amazing views from there. Imagine sitting behind those glass windows, looking at the garden through cascading water. Check out the fantastic ambience of the area below.

The Watermill & The Restaurant Behind The Waterfall

Continuing down the pathway, on our right we come across the wooden Pavilion Bridge, overlooking a large pond with hundreds of colourful Koi fish. The pond is huge – almost a lake, and the Koi fish are plentiful. On the opposite side of the Pavilion Bridge is a large concrete terrace overlooking the lake, called the Lunar Reflection terrace.

Standing here, you can look down and see the frenzied activity of the fish as people standing on the terrace toss food to them. Watching the fish from the terrace is mesmerising and has a really soothing effect. It was with a lot of reluctance that I moved on from here. My watch was reminding me that I was running out of time.

The Pavilion Bridge & The Koi Pond

The path led us further down through the garden till we came across the breathtaking and appropriately named Pavilion of Absolute Perfection. It is a beautiful and majestic structure, standing in the middle of a lotus pond. Painted in bright golden, orange and green colours with a dark blue roof, the structure is connected to land on two sides by picturesque wooden bridges painted in a bright orange colour. Undoubtedly, it is the central attraction of the garden. The bridges on both sides are cordoned off by wooden fencing and access to the structure is not allowed. It is so picturesque that I went crazy clicking pictures from all sides and angles. Instagrammers will have a field day here, I assure you !

What is even more amazing about this place is that all around outside, you can see the tall skyscrapers that Hong Kong is famous for. And yet, the garden is like a peaceful and tranquil oasis in the middle of all this. The ancient, surrounded by the modern, yet undisturbed by the chaos outside.

The Pavilion of Absolute Perfection

Having completed our circular tour of the Nan Lian Garden, we were now back at the Sundial area. We then took the stairs and climbed up to the bridge leading to the Chi Lin Nunnery. But before I talk about the Nunnery complex, here are some more visuals of the Nan Lian Garden.

More Images From Nan Lian garden

The Chi Lin Nunnery

The Chi Lin Nunnery is a Buddhist complex dating back to the 1930s, that was rebuilt in the late 1990s. As is the case with all the structures in Nan Lian Garden, the construction is completely wooden without any nail being used. The platform leading from the Nan Lian Garden to the Nunnery is actually a bridge constructed over the dividing road between the two. The bridge is quite wide and forms the forecourt of the complex.

Bonsai trees on both sides line the approach to the triple gate of the Nunnery, known as Sam Mun. On the side of each Bonsai are beautiful carved-stone lanterns (I presume they are lanterns – not sure !). The carving, though, is exquisite. Below are some glimpses of the forecourt.

The Chi Lin Nunnery Forecourt

As you step through the Sam Mun or the Triple Gate, you enter the main complex of the Chi Lin Nunnery, you step into the Inner Courtyard, with the magnificent Lotus Pond garden. There are several concrete ponds in the courtyard, each being fed water by dragon-head fountains. Within the ponds, grown within large concrete pots submerged in water, are different varieties of lotus flowers of different colours.

After the courtyard lies the Hall of Celestial Kings, which has a large statue of the Sitting Buddha, surrounded by other deities. Behind that is the main hall, containing a statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha, along with two standing disciples as well as two seated Bodhisattvas. Unfortunately, I do not have picture of the Buddha statues, as photography is not allowed inside. I do, however, have several pictures of the inner courtyard of the Chi Lin Nunnery complex, shared below. I am sure you will agree with me that the architecture is amazing.

The Chi Lin Nunnery Complex – Inner Courtyard

With that, our visit to the complex came to an end, and very reluctantly we made our way back to the MTR. I do hope to visit the place again on one of my future trips – it is definitely worth it. Any time you are in Hong Kong, do try and visit this place. If Offbeat is your thing, I am positive that you will fall in love with the complex.

General Information – Getting There

If you are comfortable using the excellent MTR subway network of Hong Kong, you can get around anywhere in the city in the fastest possible time. Getting to Nan Lian Garden is easy. Just take the MTR to Diamond Hill station, and use Exit C2. Thereafter, you just have to follow the signs and walk for about 5 minutes to reach the place.