Hong Kong was ceded as a British colony in 1841. With western influences, it soon developed into a cosmopolitan city. The majority of its population, over 90%, was Chinese. They were accustomed to living by traditional Chinese ethics and customs. At the convergence of Chinese and western cultures, Buddhism began to flourish in Hong Kong.

In the late Qing and early Republican periods, Hong Kong was a “peaceful and tranquil haven” compared to the war-torn China. It attracted an influx of refugees from the Mainland, including some Buddhist monks. The monks, in pursuit of their religious practice, started to build cottages, plough the land and practise meditation on remote Lantau Island. There were about eighty such hermitages on Lantau Island in the early 1920s. When the second wave of the “Convert Temples to Schools Movement” broke out in China in the twenties and thirties, small and large monasteries were similarly affected. This prompted more mainlanders and monks to migrate south to Hong Kong. Among them were some highly respected and learned monks who had held important posts in Chinese temples. They began to promote the teachings of Buddha for the benefit of Hong Kong people. Subsequently, many followers became Buddhist and Buddhist establishments of various sizes were established all over the Colony. The wisdom of Buddhism that flourished in China for over a thousand years has finally proliferated in Hong Kong.

Chi Lin Nunnery is situated on

the southern foothill of Diamond Hill,

Kowloon, Hong Kong,

with the Lion Rock

to its west.

Facing the sea,

it overlooks Hong Kong Island

with the mountain as its backdrop. Originally it was named the Chan Chat Mansion, which was donated by a Buddhist,

Madam Nam Chong Yuen,

in 1934. She offered it to Ven. Kok Yat and Ven. Wai Um of the Pure Land School to set up a Buddhist establishment for the propagation of Buddhism. The two masters vowed to nurture Buddhist talents and to establish a full-scale “conglin” to welcome nuns from all quarters to pursue their religious practice. They named it Chi Lin Nunnery, (“Chi” means aspiration and “Lin” means lotus - a symbol of the Pure Land) wishing to enhance the Pure Land School practice in Hong Kong.

Initially, Chi Lin Nunnery

had a Buddhist hall and a reception hall, where Buddhist followers could hold prayer meetings and attend lectures. Ven. Wai Um was a learned monk who wanted to train monks from Guangdong Province. In 1939, he held a course on Buddhism and lectured in person. Sheds were erected in the open space of the Nunnery to accommodate students from afar. The Buddhist courses were very popular with high attendance. Among them, there were three female students. At a time when it was a male dominant society, Ven. Wai Um was open-minded and far-sighted. He encouraged nuns to delve into Buddhist scriptures and he aimed to set up a “conglin” for nuns from all quarters so that they could devote themselves to religious practice under the shelter of the nunnery.

The founders had many development plans for Chi Lin. Ven. Wai Um began by acquiring Buddhist statues, raising funds and applying for land to build a Main Hall. On 8 December 1941, Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese and the project came to a halt.

The Japanese occupation lasted for three years and eight months. In 1941, all religious activities came to a halt. Ven. Kok Yat, Ven. Wai Um and several disciples remained in Chi Lin, fully committed to the protection of the Nunnery. Despite the hardship, they persevered in safeguarding the Buddhist establishment.

Regrettably, in 1943 Ven. Wai Um, suffering from an incurable disease at that time, died at the young age of 38. His master, Ven. Kok Yat, also passed away 4 days later at the age of 54. With the loss of two founders, Chi Lin Nunnery was left in a dilemma.

The monastics and lay followers of Chi Lin and the Hong Kong’s Buddhist community worried that Chi Lin, without an abbot, would be in disarray. To resolve the dire situation, they established the Chi Lin Maintenance Committee in May 1943 and Ven. Oi Ting was invited to be the succeeding abbot of Chi Lin. Ven. Oi Ting was an eminent monk and an advocate of education. In 1928, he established the Zhulin Buddhist Academy in China for the training of the sangha.

In 1932, he came to Hong Kong

as Abbot of Tung Lin Kok Yuen and soon established the Po Kok Buddhist Institute to further Buddhist education. He also preached and lectured at various Buddhist establishments in Hong Kong and Macau. His appointment at such a critical time was indeed timely and warmly appreciated.

It was impossible for Chi Lin to keep out of trouble during the Japanese occupation. In February 1945, the Japanese government in Hong Kong commandeered the premises of Chi Lin and ordered all Buddhist statues and furnishings removed. Fortunately, the Fa Yun Ching She generously lent Chi Lin a building to accommodate its Buddhist statues, ritual implements and furniture. With the joint effort of Ven. Oi Ting and other Buddhist followers, Chi Lin was fortunately preserved.

In August 1945, the Japanese surrendered and World War II ended. Ven. Oi Ting resigned as abbot and Ven. Wang Chi succeeded him.

After the war, Hong Kong was devastated and order not yet restored. Social problems such as inflation, unemployment, crime, lack of hygiene abound.

At Chi Lin Nunnery, the buildings were severely damaged during

the war

. Ven. Wang Chi was upright, disciplined and orderly. Though with financial constraint, she began partial restoration of the buildings.

In October 1946, the monastics and the laity gathered to lay plans for the expansion of Chi Lin into a “conglin” exclusively for nuns since no such establishment existed in Hong Kong then. As all conditions were favourable, in a special committee meeting held on 2 June, 1947, it was confirmed that Chi Lin as a “conglin” would welcome nuns from all quarters. The resolution was passed unanimously at the general meeting held on 18 July, 1948. At last, the wish of Ven. Wai Um could be materialised and fulfilled.

In the 1940s after the War, the Diamond Hill area was sparsely populated and in impoverishment. The residents were poor and many children had no schooling. The nearest schools in Kowloon City were mostly private. Public schools were far away and transportation was inconvenient. Out of compassion, Ven. Wang Chi decided to set up a charity school in Chi Lin Nunnery for the needy children in the neighbourhood.

The school was opened in 1947. Ven. Wang Chi was the headmistress as well as a teacher of the School. With the help of enthusiastic educators, the school operated smoothly for the first three terms. Then in 1948, the

“Chi Lin Yi School” (Chi Lin Free School)

was formally registered with the Government. A Board of School Managers was set up and two teachers were employed. Initially it comprised 59 pupils attending classes in two temporary classrooms in the Nunnery. Notwithstanding the scarce amenities and the teachers’ modest income, the School flourished with concerted efforts. This was the beginning of Chi Lin’s educational services contributing to the community.

In July, 1949, Ven. Wang Chi completed her term of office. Ven. Foon Wai who was a disciple of the prominent Ven. Hsu Yun, succeeded as the 4th Abbess of Chi Lin.

Ven. Foon Wai was magnanimous and decisive. She soon set out

the rules of

communal living for nuns

and put them into effect. She also started to repair the dilapidated buildings and planned on the

expansion of the halls

. Exemplary in her generosity, she also succeeded in raising funds. With the personal advice of Ven. Hsu Yun, the construction of various halls such as the Main Hall, the Hall of Avalokitesvara, the Hall of Ksitigarbha, Pu Tong Ta and the Ancestral Hall were designated. Ven. Hsu Yun exhorted Ven. Foon Wai to enrich the environment with landscaping so that a well-established “conglin” would be accomplished.

After the War, many nuns returned to Hong Kong and the residents of Chi Lin grew in number. The Nunnery was already under financial strain and expenses kept mounting. To tide over the difficulties, the nuns cultivated vegetables on lands adjacent to Chi Lin and started a towel weaving cottage industry to sustain their living.

At the same time,

the propagation of Buddhism

started again after the disruption of the War. At the end of 1949, Ven. Hoi Yan was invited to lecture on the Lotus Sutra. Following his steps were other eminent monks and nuns such as Ven. Fat Ho, Ven. Hin Tsz, Ven. Wai Kwong, Ven. Yuan Wai, Ven. Ting Sai, Ven. Shing Yat, Ven. Tsz Cheung, Ven. Man Sang and Ven. Kai Hong.

Hong Kong became a refuge during the civil war in China with an influx of immigrants. Many of them lived in squatter huts in the open grounds of Diamond Hill. The vicinity around Chi Lin became

the main squatter area

in Hong Kong

. The huts lacked water and electricity supply and there were frequent outbreaks of fire. The sanitation was deplorable. Many children and elderly people were left without any family support. While rebuilding Chi Lin, Ven. Foon Wai, out of the compassionate spirit of Buddhism, also allocated the limited resources for education and charity.

In 1950, Chi Lin Primary School, a well-established educational institution, was approved by the Education Department to be a subsidized school.

In 1954, Chi Lin started her elderly and welfare services. Ven. Foon Wai initiated to build

a home for the aged

and an orphanage

.

Mr. Aw Boon Haw

, a renowned philanthropist in Hong Kong, donated generously to fund the project and Sir Lo Man Kam helped apply to the Government for allocation of land. After completion, the home provided 100 beds for the elderly and 50 for children.

On 7 February 1957,

Mrs. Aw Boon Haw was invited to officiate at the opening ceremony

of the home which had the capacity for 100 elderly people and 17 orphan girls. All services were free.

In 1964, the

“Madam Ho Kwai Wing Memorial Home”

, a 50-bed new building was donated by Mr. Ho Iu Kwong, in memory of his mother.

The new and old homes

catered for 150 elderly people, meeting the needs of society.

At the same time, Chi Lin was also enthusiastic about supporting local charity services. In the winter of 1958, around 500,000 Buddhist followers initiated the establishment of a Buddhist hospital for the needy in Hong Kong, which was densely populated. Ven. Foon Wai was a member of the “Hospital Preparatory Committee”. In the following year, she held a

Dharma assembly in memory of Ven.

Hsu Yun

in Chi Lin Nunnery with all proceeds from the event donated to the Buddhist hospital building fund. During the Ching Ming Festival in 1964, a large scale

fund-raising Dharma assembly

for the Buddhist hospital was held in Chi Lin for seven consecutive days. The hospital building project lasted for more than a decade. It was finally completed with the generous support of many benefactors. In 1971, the Buddhist hospital was officially opened.

In 1963, Chi Lin Nunnery was officially registered as a limited company

and a charitable organization in 1971. The first Board of Directors was convened and Ven. Fat Ho, Abbot of Po Lin Monastery and President of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, acted as Chairman of the Board.

On 27 November 1965, the overworked Ven. Foon Wai passed away due to cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 69. She had been a nun for 18 years. Her death was deeply regretted by everyone.

After the death of Ven. Foon Wai,

Ven. Kai Hong took up the post of Abbess of Chi Lin Nunnery. Ven. Kai Hong was steady and steadfast. During her tenure and under her leadership, Chi Lin was well managed and carried out many repair and maintenance works. Many eminent monks and nuns were invited to preach Dharma in Chi Lin. In the 1960s and 1970s, Chi Lin became a venue for holding various cultural activities.

Ven. Tsz Cheung, the 6th Abbess of Chi Lin, made great contributions to Buddhism and education in Hong Kong.

In 1978, she was knighted as Member of the Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.)

by the former Hong Kong Government. She was the first Buddhist monastic to receive such an honour. Ven. Tsz Cheung has been a member of Chi Lin’s Board of Directors for many years. She dedicated her life to the propagation of Buddhism, education and nurturing talents in Hong Kong. She was the driving force behind Chi Lin’s development and assumed the post of abbess in 1979. Under her leadership and with the assistance of Ven. Shui Yung, Chi Lin made great progress.

With the economic boom in Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s, the living standard and education level were generally improved. People’s interest in religious and cultural activities increased. Lectures and propagation of Buddhism became generally popular. Yet, the resources for in-depth research and study of the vast pool of literature and the long history of Buddhist doctrines as well as the theories were inadequate at the time. Being aware of the need, Ven. Shui Yung proposed to set up

a Buddhist library

in the Nunnery. It was wholeheartedly supported by Mr. Peter Wong Chak-cheong, the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

In September 1981, the Board of Directors decided to establish a Buddhist library at the old premises of the orphanage. Ven. Wang Fun was in charge of the project. On 8 March 1986, the Chi Lin Buddhist Library, with a reading room and a vast collection of Buddhist literature, was formally open to the public. Besides providing library services and building up

a rich collection of resources on Buddhism and Chinese

culture, it also became

a venue for hosting lectures and courses on Buddhism

, holding scripture chanting sessions and publishing books on Buddhism.

Ven. Shui Yung, the 7th Abbess of Chi Lin, also invited

learned monks to preach the

Dharma

and hosted various religious activities in Chi Lin for the benefit of people.

Under Ven. Shui Yung’s leadership, Chi Lin’s elderly services were improved and expanded. In 1986, a care and attention unit was established.

In 1993, a day care

centre and a physiotherapy centre were put into service.

The redeveloped Care and Attention

Home

was completed in 1995 and became the largest home for the elderly in Hong Kong at that time, housing 500 elderly people.

In 1993,

a kindergarten

was opened in Lam Tin with an enrolment of 300 pre-school children. The school aimed at providing moral, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic education for pre-school children.

Post-secondary courses on Buddhism for Buddhist scholars were launched in the autumn of 1994. Chi Lin was also noted for its endeavour to promote Chinese culture and to work on the publication of books. At the same time, conditions were favourable for

the redevelopment of the monastic buildings.

Under Ven. Shui Yung’s leadership, Chi Lin Nunnery forged ahead with remarkable achievements.

The founders of Chi Lin, Ven. Kok Yat and Ven. Wai Um, proposed to build a “conglin” for nuns, but the plan fell through due to the imminence of war. Throughout the development of Chi Lin, abbesses such as Ven. Foon Wai and her successors laid a sound foundation for her redevelopment. However, due to economic and social circumstances of the previous decades, Chi Lin had to focus on charity and social services instead of the construction of the monastic buildings.

The wish to build a “conglin” for the nuns was never forsaken. From the early 1980s, Chi Lin collected relevant literature and information on traditional Chinese timber monastic structures. Research was done on major reference books like the Complete Works of Mr. Liang Sicheng, the Foguang Temple in Shanxi, murals of the “Sutra Transformation” in Dunhuang Cave 172, which depicts the Pure Land and the carvings of Buddhist Halls in the Daiyan Pagoda in Xian. For more than a decade, numerous site visits were conducted, and photographs of famous monasteries and Buddhist caves in China were taken and extensive travels to monasteries in Japan that were built in the Tang period were made. Concurrently, research on the furnishings and ornaments of Buddhist temples was carried out and Buddhist ritual implements were studied and collected. They included frescoes of “sutras transformation”, Buddhist statues, altar and canopies for the statues, banners, embroidered and woven ornaments, furniture, offerings and dharma implements.

In 1985, the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed and the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997 was in clear sight. The end of the colonial era was a turning point in history. With favourable timing, circumstances and human resources, Chi Lin was more determined to build a monastic complex in the style of traditional Chinese classical architecture. With the intent to celebrate the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997 and to showcase a modern interpretation of a classical Chinese monastic complex, Chi Lin, after careful consideration, decided to redevelop the Nunnery. As Tang Dynasty was the apex of classical Chinese architecture, a Tang style timber

“seven-hall”

monastic complex

was planned.

The preparation of redevelopment coincided with the completion of the neighbouring

Tate’s Cairn Tunnel in 1989

, the revision of the land use and town planning of the Diamond Hill area offered the perfect opportunity for Chi Lin to fulfil the wishes of the founders. At the time, Chi Lin Nunnery was surrounded by squatter huts and its Buddhist halls and elderly home were dilapidated. It did not have enough space to meet its need. Re-construction was imminent. Since the original site of Chi Lin was an old mansion, its redevelopment and design would not be restricted to the original Buddhist halls. In accordance with the wish of the founders and taking the open opportunity of the Government’s town planning for the Diamond Hill area, the Chi Lin Board of Directors made the important decision to rebuild Chi Lin. In 1991, Chairman Sally Aw Sian signed a contract with the architectural firm, Don Pan & Associates, for

the redevelopment of the Nunnery

.

The reconstruction of Chi Lin was a highly complex and challenging project, unprecedented in Hong Kong and China. The mastermind behind it was Ven. Wang Fun, who has participated in the redevelopment of the Guangxiao Temple in Guangzhou and the Biechuan Chan Temple in Danxia Mountain, Guangdong Province, both in their design and construction stages. She also designed and worked hard in the reconstruction of the Kwun Yum Temple on Lantau Island and the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery in Singapore. Furthermore, she was appointed artistic director of the Tian Tan Buddha project of the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island and was involved in its complete construction process. The completed Tian Tan Buddha statue has become a world-famous Hong Kong landmark. Ven. Wang Fun has been able to turn her years of research in Chinese architecture and Buddhist art into fruition. Her previous years of accumulated experience in all aspects of Buddhist arts and architecture was crucial to the redevelopment of Chi Lin.

Redevelopment project

in three phases:

Phase 1 (1992 – 1995)

was mainly the construction of social welfare facilities, including

Chi Lin Care and

Attention Home and Chi Lin Centre

, a building which houses a library and other facilities.
Phase 2 consisted mainly of the building of the living quarters for the nuns, which was completed in 1996.
Phase 3 involved the construction of the Tang style timber monastic buildings, which was completed in 1997, the year of Hong Kong’s return to China.

Chi Lin took a bold opportunity before the handover of Hong Kong, and turned aspiration into reality. With the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of Phase 3 held in early 1994, the construction of the Tang style timber monastic complex officially commenced. Despite the absence of a precedent, Chinese, Hong Kong and Japanese architectural experts collaborated to complete the general plan and construction designs of the monastic complex, in accordance with the Yingzao Fashi (State Building Standards of the Song Dynasty) by Li Jie. Construction plans were then submitted to the Government and eventually passed the strict modern technical standards of the United Kingdom. High-quality timber, stones and tiles were procured. A team of skilled and experienced craftsmen of classical timber structures was employed and experts from the Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping were commissioned to monitor the project closely. Data on the timber components were then fed into the computer for a pre-assembly to ensure accuracy and precision of the actual construction.

On 3 January 1994, the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of the monastic complex

was presented by Mr. Zhao Pochu, President of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC), Ven. Ming Yang, Vice President of BAC, Ven. Kok Kwong, President of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, Ven. Sing Yat, and Ms Sally Aw Sian, Chairman of the Chi Lin Board of Directors.

On 28 September 1996, a ceremony was conducted to mark the erection of the

columns of the Main Hall.

As the first timber column was slowly lowered by a crane into its stone column base, it marked a milestone of Chi Lin Nunnery, turning design into physical reality.

On 28 April 1997, a ceremony for installing the main beam of the Main Hall was held.

On 14 August 1997,

a ceremony was conducted to celebrate the topping and completion of the Main Hall.

Finally, on 6 January 1998, which was the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar in 1997, the

Opening Ceremony of Chi Lin Nunnery was held

. Sixteen prominent monks from Hong Kong and China, who included Ven. Kok Kwong, Ven. Ming Yang, Ven. Sing Yat, Ven. Chor Wai, Ven. Wing Sing, Ven. Yung Ling, were invited to recite the gatha to mark the inauguration of the Buddhist statues. Mr. Zhao Pochu, President of the Buddhist Association of China, composed and wrote a couplet to commemorate the event. Ven. Kok Kwong, in his speech at the Opening Ceremony, praised the remarkable achievement of Chi Lin and her contribution to all for many years to come.