Tao Fong Shan (), officially known as To Fung Shan, is a hill with a height of . It is in
Sha Tin,
New Territories, Hong Kong
The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it is ...
. A road called To Fung Shan Road leads to the summit, where a Christian Centre can be found.
Place of Religious Worship
Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre () is situated at Tao Fong Shan, Sha Tin, in Hong Kong. The Centre was founded in 1930 by the
Norwegian missionary
Karl Ludvig Reichelt
Karl Ludvig Reichelt (1 September 1877 – 13 March 1952) was a Norwegian Lutheran missionary and religious scholar who worked in China. He was a missionary for the Norwegian Missionary Society from 1903 to 1922. In 1922 he established the Nord ...
(1877–1952). Reichelt was sent to
Hunan province in China in 1904. There he gradually developed an idea to share the gospel with
Buddhists
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. In 1929, he established Jing Fong Shan in
Nanjing. In 1930, due to the chaos of the
Chinese civil war, Reichelt moved his work to Sha Tin, Hong Kong, and asked a
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
architect,
Johannes Prip-Moller
Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Y ...
to design the buildings. Reichelt died on 13 March 1952 and was buried at the Tao Fong Shan cemetery.
In February 2010, Tao Fong Shan became an statutory foundation in Hong Kong under the name "Tao Fong Shan Service Foundation Limited".
The buildings at the Centre are classified as
Grade II historical building. Extensive restoration work took place from 2009 to 2011 with the help of the Hong Kong government's Financial Assistance for Maintenance Scheme.
Described as "A remarkable Christian retreat centre... high in the hills behind Sha Tin" by the Hong Kong government, the picturesque site is very well-known and popular among Christians in Hong Kong.
The Centre is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.
Facilities
The Centre includes a chapel, a library and an art shop.
* The
Chapel (known as The Christ Temple) is an octagonal structure;
Sunday Worship
The Lord's Day in Christianity is generally Sunday, the principal day of communal worship. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is said in the canonical Gospels to have been witnessed al ...
is available in the building.
* The Art Shop sells a wide range of primarily Chinese-style Christian-themed paintings, hand-painted porcelain and handicrafts. Prayer and meditation aids such as the
Pearls of Life are available here. The Art Shop has recently launched online shopping.
* Pilgrim's Hall is a Christian retreat guest house patterned after the "Cloud and Water Halls" as seen at Buddhist sites in mainland China and offers accommodation for up to 40 people in 18 double rooms. A dining hall and lounge with a capacity of 100 people are incorporated into Pilgrim's Hall.
* The Conference Hall is a traditional Chinese-style hall; it is designed for conferences and seminars, with a seating capacity for 60 people.
* A 12-metre-high cross, facing Sha Tin, is the hallmark of the Centre. The cross is a popular among visitors and is a place for outside gatherings and meetings.
* Ascension House, a former hostel located off of the main Centre grounds, has been renovated and is now used to supplement Pilgrim's Hall to accommodate overnight retreat guests and volunteers. Common kitchen facilities are available here, unlike the accommodation at Pilgrim's Hall. The nearby, 5-room Ching Fong Tai serves a purpose similar to Ascension House but only accommodates up to 7 people.
* A
Labyrinth is located next to the
Lotus Pond
Lotus Pond is a small water body Inside MLA Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, India. The pond is surrounded by lush green flora and a 1.2 kilometer path.
Lotus Pond is home to more than 20 species of birds. A few of them are pied kingfisher, ...
, and is used for
prayer and
contemplation.
Transportation
Tao Fong Shan is located in the rural part of Sha Tin, but can be easily reached by walking. From
East Rail line's
Sha Tin station, it only takes 20 minutes to get to the centre via a hiking trail.
For guests and visitors, the most common type of transportation is the taxi, which is HK$25 if taken from
Tai Wai. In addition, Tao Fong Shan Service Unit also operates a shuttle bus just for staff and guests at the Centre a few times daily from Sha Tin.
Gallery
File:Temple, Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre 1.JPG, The Chapel
File:TaoFungShan Bell2.jpg, The Bell outside the Chapel
Image:TaoFungShan_Building1.jpg, The Offices and Art Shop
Image:TaoFungShan_KeyHole2.jpg, 'Keyhole Styled' entrance to main buildings
Image:TaoFungShan_Entrance1.jpg, The 'covered driveway'
Image:TaoFungShan_Pavilion.jpg, Pavilion of Tao Fong Shan
Image:TaoFungShan_Cross.jpg, The Cross facing Sha Tin
Image:TaoFungShan_AmahRock.jpg, A replica of Amah Rock
Amah Rock (, ''Mong Fu Shek'', "husband-watching stone") is a naturally shaped rock located on a hilltop in southwest Sha Tin District, Hong Kong.
Description
The rock is approximately 15 meters in height, and is shaped much like a woman car ...
, located at Tao Fung Shan
References
External links
Official Website of the Tao Fong Shan Christian CentreOfficial Website of the Tao Fong Shan Service UnitTao Fong Shan Online ShopPreservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity by Hong Kong Baptist University Library. The Reichelt Collection was originally part of the Karl. L. Reichelt Memorial Library Collections held at the Institute of Sino-Christian Studies.
{{Coord, 22.3842, 114.1821, region:HK_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title
Sha Tin
Mountains, peaks and hills of Hong Kong
Grade II historic buildings in Hong Kong
Protestantism in Hong Kong