Shaolin Monastery, the birthplace of kung fu and Zen Buddhism, is seeking land and funding to build a temple in Hong Kong.
It will hold a press conference at the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui this afternoon to discuss its plans.
'We hope to build a temple similar in scale to the Shaolin Monastery in Henan,' said Shi Yanchang, abbot of Hong Kong Shaolin Temple, a non-profit-making group registered in the city in 2000.
He said the group received a letter from the government in December in response to a request for land, requiring it to specify the source of its funds. Interpreting this as a breakthrough after years trying to secure a plot, he hoped to raise funds as quickly as possible to start the project.
The building cost of the temple was estimated at about HK$420 million. Abbot Yanchang did not say how much money had been raised.
Known as one of the birthplaces of martial arts, the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Monastery in Henan province has been pursuing worldwide expansion in recent years.
Led by Shi Yongxin, an abbot who will attend the media briefing, the monastery has set up more than 30 overseas branches in the form of temples or martial arts schools in countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy and the United States.