Visiting Wong Tai Sin Temple to Develop a Broad Cultural Awareness
Encouraging a better understanding of the local cultural environment
Most of our students are not native to Hong Kong and have a broader knowledge of various places around the world compared to many children. As an international school, we aim to cultivate this extensive knowledge by organising local visits that allow the discovery of the culture, tradition, and history of their adopted country.
It is in this perspective that on Tuesday, 26th November, the CM1 SIA (B & G) classes visited the Wong Tai Sin Temple, which holds a unique place in Chinese culture due to the atypical coexistence of different religions within its premises (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism), making it an even more interesting place to visit for our young learners.
The students were fascinated by the architecture and rituals of the temple
This temple features traditional Chinese architecture with its red pillars, golden roof, blue friezes, and multicolored sculptures. It includes a wall of nine dragons modeled after the one in Beijing.
Among the buildings are the Main Hall (大雄寶殿) and the Hall of Three Saints (三聖堂) dedicated to Lü Dongbin, Guanyin, and Guan Yu.
Most visitors come to the temple seeking spiritual answers through a practice called kau chim. They light incense sticks, kneel before the main altar, make a wish, and shake a bamboo container which contains fortune sticks until one falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper with the same number, and then the fortune teller interprets the good fortune on the paper for the believer. Often, the same piece is taken to multiple shops for verification purposes. Some shops offer palm reading services.
The children were fascinated. Each of them suggested how the ritual unfolded, and then, with the Mandarin teacher, we asked them to observe carefully by counting the number of incense sticks held by each person (9), the type of offerings placed (fruits), and the actions performed (kneeling position, bowing, shaking the 100 sticks until one falls out).
And they learned while strolling around
Amidst admiration for the architecture and a stroll through the gardens, the students were required to read the information about the various deities depicted on the gallery frescoes and connect them to the mentioned religions. The Mandarin teacher assisted each student in understanding the written messages. Through their question booklet, they were able to learn more about the philosophy of Confucianism, as well as about the Buddhist and Taoist religions.
It was a beautiful day filled with discoveries and learning about the local culture in a festive atmosphere.
Photo credit: Georges Papadopoulos
