H@Museum of Tea Ware

Hello, i'm going to introduce 'Museum of Tea Ware' to all of you, this site bring to Hong Kong a multi-cultural vision of the arts and culture of the world through an international programme of exhibitions.

About the Museum

Specializing in the collection, study and display of tea ware, the branch museum at Flagstaff House features at its core the generous donations of Dr K.S. Lo (1910-1995) , which include many fine examples of the famous Yixing teapots.

Built in the 1840s, Flagstaff House originally served as the office and residence of the Commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong. It was converted to the Museum of Tea Ware in 1984, with a new wing, The K.S. Lo Gallery, added in 1995. Alongside its exhibitions, the Museum holds regular demonstrations, tea gatherings and lecture programmes to promote ceramic art and Chinese tea drinking culture.

There are several type of collections: Chinese Antiquities, Chinese Fine Art, Historical Pictures, Hong Kong Art,  K.S. Lo Collection of Tea Ware and Seals and Xubaizhai Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy.

Also, they have some permanent exhibitions in the museum, which are Chinese Tea Drinking and Chinese Ceramics and Seals Donated by the K.S. Lo Foundation.

This exhibition introduces the history of Chinese tea drinking and features various kinds of tea ware, from the Tang dynasty (618 – 907) to the 20th century. An education corner on “Essential tea vessels”, with hand-on facilities for the people with visual impairment, is set up to give visitors a more comprehensive background on tea utensils and to encourage a culture of tea drinking.

Education Corner

How to get there?
10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong (inside Hong Kong Park)
Tel: (852) 2869 0690 / (852) 2869 6690 (The K.S. Lo Gallery)
Fax: (852) 2810 0021
Free admission

Opening Hours:
10:00 am - 5:00 pm daily
Closed on Tuesdays and the following public holidays:
Christmas Day and Boxing Day
New Year's Day and the first three days of the Chinese New Year





Source:
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts/english/tea/tea01.html

C @ King Yin Lei

The 1937-built King Yin Lei is a rare surviving example of Chinese Renaissance style that reflected the design and construction excellence in both Chinese and Western architecture of Hong Kong. The "East-meets-West" construction methods have made the building a rarity in Hong Kong and an outstanding piece of art.The building was sold in 1978 to the Yow family - Mr. Yow Qhei-man and his son Mr. Yow Mok-shing, who gave the name "King Yin Lei" to the building which meant "house of virtuous views".

The building is important in signifying the historical development of Hong Kong. As one of the luxurious historic houses located along the hillside of Hong Kong Island, the building reflects the rising status and growing wealth of the Chinese community in Hong Kong. It also represents an earlier phase of Hong Kong history when the upper-class residential area took shape in the Mid-Levels.

The mansion, built in 1937, sits on a 50 650 square feet site. The three-storey building is a “red bricks and green tiles" mansion of Chinese Renaissance or Chinese Neo Classical Style, which reinterprets traditional Chinese architectural form in the light of western design techniques. A private garden festooned with bonsai plants, various pavilions and terraces encircles the mansion. It has been a scenic spot for mainland and overseas tourists.

The social value of the building also lies in the role it played in the film heritage and entertainment industry of Hong Kong. The mansion has been featured in films of international renown such as "Soldier of Fortune" (1955), "Love is a Many-Splendoured Thing" (1955) .

The building was sold to its current owner in August 2007, and works to remove the roof tiles, stone features and window frames were noticed on site in early September 2007. Restoration works are being carried out and expected to be completed in 2010.


Address: 45 Stubbs Road, Mid-Levels

Sources:
http://gwulo.com/king-yin-lei
www.conservancy.org.hk/heritage/KYL_E.htm
www.heritage.gov.hk/en/doc/KingYinLeiInfo.pdf

               

H@ Sung Wong Toi

Sung Wong Toi is an important historic relic in Kowloon, Hong Kong. While its remaining portion is currently located in the Sung Wong Toi Garden in Ma Tau Wai, it was originally a 45 m tall boulder standing on the top of Sacred Hill (聖山) in Ma Tau Chung above Kowloon Bay.

The name Sung Wong Toi literally means Terrace of the Sung kings. The stone is believed to have been a memorial to the last two boy emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao ShiZhao Bing, who temporarily lived in Hong Kong from 1277 to 1279. and

While it’s true this park is dedicated solely to a rock, there’s much more history behind it than meets the eye. The Chinese characters Sung Wong Toi were inscribed into a large boulder near Kowloon Bay in 1279 as a memorial to the last two boy emperors of the Song Dynasty. Excavation damaged the rock during the Japanese occupation, but luckily the inscription remains intact. A portion was shaped into a rectangular block and is now the park’s centrepiece.

How to get there: Take bus no. 5 or 1A from Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Bus Terminus and get off at Prince Edward Rd East. Go back to Ma Tou Wai Rd and you will see the park after a few minutes’ walk.

Resource
http://www.timeout.com.hk/around-town/features/37271/hong-kongs-best-parks.html#panel-3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sung_Wong_Toi

HL@ Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the most famous shrines in Hong Kong. It is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The 18,000 m² Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" (有求必應) via a practice called Kau Cim. The temple is located on the southern side of Lion Rock in the north of Kowloon.

Annually, from January 1 to 15, the temple receives numerous visitors, such as those whose prayers were answered returning to thank the immortal. Wong Tai Sin's birthday on the 23rd day of the 8th lunar month, and the Chinese New Year holidays are the busiest times for the temple.
On the Chinese New Year's Eve, thousands of worshippers wait outside the temple before midnight and rush in to the main altar to offer Wong Tai Sin their glowing incense sticks when the year comes. As the tradition goes, the earlier they offer the incense, the better luck they will have that year.

The act of "Kau Cim" at Wong Tai Sin.

Most of the visitors come to the temple in search for a spiritual answer via a practice called Kau Cim. They light incense sticks, kneel before the main altar, make a wish, and shake a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshiper. Often the same piece of fortune is taken to multiple booths for verification purposes. Some booths offer palm reading service.
Recently, Taoist weddings have been performed here.

The temple is open from 7:00am to 5:30pm throughout the year, and runs overnight in the Lunar New Year Eve. It is currently administrated by Sik Sik Yuen, a Taoist organization in Hong Kong.

Here is movie which is about the one of the activities were held in last year.



More detalis!

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Tai_Sin_Temple
http://www.siksikyuen.org.hk/public/contents/category?lang=iso-8859-1&cid=724