Chi Lin Nunnery
Tang Dynasty wooden Buddhist complex rebuilt without a single nail, set amid lotus ponds.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Chi Lin Nunnery in Kowloon traces how a modest 1930s convent, cleared away for a tunnel project in 1988, was rebuilt from a painted vision of paradise found in the Mogao Caves. It follows the decision to recreate an entire Tang Dynasty complex using dougong, the ancient system of interlocking wooden brackets rather than nails. Look past the lotus ponds to the tower blocks of Kowloon crowding in on every side.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Nan Lian Garden
Tang Dynasty-style classical garden modelled on ancient Shanxi blueprints, surrounded by Hong Kong high-rises.
Po Lin Monastery
Century-old Chan Buddhist monastery on a misty plateau, home to a colossal bronze Buddha statue.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
Hilltop Buddhist monastery reached by over four hundred steps, housing nearly thirteen thousand golden statues and a gold-leafed preserved founder.
Tian Tan Buddha
Colossal bronze Buddha atop a mountain plateau, reached by two hundred and sixty-eight steps, with a monastery and relics below.
Wisdom Path
Thirty-eight towering timber columns inscribed with the Heart Sutra, arranged in an infinity loop on a Lantau hillside.
Sam Tung Uk Museum
Restored Hakka walled village from seventeen eighty-six, now a free museum of clan life amid Tsuen Wan's towers.