Wish granted as Wong Tai Sin Temple added to national heritage list
Hong Kong's favourite temple for seeking the granting of wishes - Wong Tai Sin - is one of four items of the city's intangible cultural heritage to be added to the latest national list, the government announced yesterday.
Hong Kong's favourite temple for seeking the granting of wishes - Wong Tai Sin - is one of four items of the city's intangible cultural heritage to be added to the latest national list, the government announced yesterday.
The others are the Hang Hau Hakka unicorn dance, Quanzhen temples' Taoist ritual music and the arts of the guqin, a traditional stringed instrument.
Beliefs and customs surrounding Wong Tai Sin date back to 1915, although the folk religion originated in Jinhua , Zhejiang province centuries ago and was introduced into the Lingnan region at the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
In 1921, the Sik Sik Yuen group assumed management of the Wong Tai Sin Temple, and today the folk religion plays an important charitable role.
Sik Sik Yuen has established various social services for the local community, in keeping with Wong Tai Sin's spirit of granting every wish.
The Hang Hau Hakka unicorn dance has been practised for more than 200 years. The Hakka people believe the Chinese unicorn, the qilin, is an auspicious animal that can ward off evil.