A refuge for monks and nuns fleeing civil war
The 70-year-old Kai Yuen temple, on a site with good fung shui, was a refuge for monks and nuns fleeing the mainland some 60 years ago. It gave meals as well as spiritual lessons to the Buddhists, displaced during the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists in the late 1940s.
But its historical significance has been nearly forgotten, with even the Antiquities and Monuments Office rejecting the idea of grading the worn structure and the ancillary house that has just been converted into a columbarium. At the February meeting of the Antiquities Advisory Board, members confirmed that Kai Yuen, out of 1,440 structures across the city shortlisted for preservation of heritage and historical value, should not be graded. They said the structure was in poor condition and its authenticity had been diminished. However, they did recognise the historical role of the temple in the development of Buddhism in the area.
According to the office, the Kai Yuen temple was destroyed during the Japanese invasion but rebuilt in 1945. It says the building, in Chinese-eclectic style, has some heritage value.
It described Kai Yuen as having good fung shui, with unobstructed views of Tsuen Wan, backed by mountains, making it one of the best nurturing grounds for religious leaders.
One of the monks who went to the temple after the war was Shengyi, who escaped from the mainland to Hong Kong in 1948. Shengyi later served at the Po Lam Monastery, Lantau, in the '60s, and became head of the Po Lin Monastery in 1983. Another monk, Kong Wing-hon, said he was one of many students of Shengyi's and that many celebrities and VIPs had followed him.
