The Asian Chapter: Chi Lin Nunnery

I've been wanting to visit Chi Lin Nunnery since I first arrived, but for one reason or another did not make it there until this week and I have no doubt that I will return. It's another of those precious places where although surrounded by the city life, noise, hustle n bustle, you can really retreat and almost forget the Real World. I loved it.

It's basically a large buddhist temple complex located in Kowloon, covering more than 33000 square metres. The complex includes a nunnery, temple halls, chinese gardens, visitor's hostels and a rather good vegetarian restaurant.

I'm not normally one for dates and facts, I prefer simply to take in my surroundings and just enjoy being there, but I was intrigued on this occasion so I'll share just a few facts....

The nunnery was founded in 1934 and was rebuilt in 1990 following the style of Tang Dynasty traditional chinese architecture. The buildings are wood frame and constructed without any iron nails, instead a special interlocking system is cut into the wood to hold them in place and apparently these buildings are the only ones to be built in this style in modern day Hong Kong.