Hidden history in the hills

JOURNEYS into the afterlife are becoming faster and much more comfortable than they used to be, it seems. The days were when the deceased would be given a paper car to explore the other side, but this gentleman would travel by Jumbo jet.

I was walking through the grounds of the Yuen Yuen Institute monastery complex in the hills behind Tsuen Wan, which is devoted to what are known as the three religions, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, when the chants of a funeral service caught my attention.

The practice of giving loved ones paper cars and houses to help them settle quickly in the spirit world is a dying art, if you will pardon the pun. Few people make them these days, and they are very expensive, so only the wealthy indulge.

The journey ahead would no doubt be very smooth for today's 'departure': in the courtyard, along with the paper and wood Jumbo jet, were a luxury cruiser, two cars and two houses.

I had arrived just in time. Minutes later, the gifts were carted away and reduced to ashes.

Yuen Yuen is in a beautiful setting, offering fine views, and is only a few minutes by minibus from the urban horrors of Tsuen Wan. It may well be the most attractive monastic complex in Hong Kong, and surely the most unusual.

After wandering around the temples and pavilions, I popped into their vegetarian restaurant, and the waiters sat me at a table in front of a deity and an altar covered with offerings of fruit. Here, I rather guiltily consumed a can of beer as I waited for the food. There were only a handful of diners in the restaurant, which is open seven days a week, and serves food throughout the day. Few tourists seem to know about Yuen Yuen, unlike Po Lin monastery on Lantau where the dining room can have all the dignity of a school canteen.