Lo Pan Temple

Last updated

Lo Pan Temple
魯班先師廟
Lo Pan Temple 1.jpg
Lo Pan Temple
Religion
Affiliation Chinese folk religion
Deity Lo Pan
FestivalLo Pan Festival
OwnershipKwong Yuet Tong
Location
Architecture
FounderContractors Guild
Lo Pan Temple
Native name
魯班先師廟
China Hong Kong location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Lo Pan Temple in Hong Kong
Location15 Ching Lin Terrace, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong
Coordinates 22°16′59″N114°07′55″E / 22.283033°N 114.132005°E / 22.283033; 114.132005 Coordinates: 22°16′59″N114°07′55″E / 22.283033°N 114.132005°E / 22.283033; 114.132005
Built1884
ArchitectContractors Guild

Lo Pan (Lu Ban)

Lu Ban was a Chinese carpenter, engineer, philosopher, inventor, military thinker, statesman who lived during the Spring and Autumn period of China. Lo Pan was deified as a god, and is the patron deity of Chinese builders and contractors. According to folk legend, he was born with a huge flock of cranes spiralling above his home and his room full of a special fragrance. He was therefore conceived as a celestial being. His festival falls on the 13th day of the sixth month of the Lunar Calendar. [1] [2]

Temple history

Located at 15 Ching Lin Terrace, the temple is the only urban temple in Hong Kong erected to commemorate Lo Pan. It was built by the Contractors Guild in 1884 with donations from many people connected with the trade. According to the record of a stone curving inside the temple, over 1172 people from different towns in Guangdong joined together to donate money for the establishment of Lo Pan Temple.

The ownership of the land on which the temple was built has changed several times over the years, and in 1921 it was acquired by the Kwong Yuet Tong, which is currently the management body of the temple. In 1949, Kwong Yuet Tong was registered as a legal entity to manage the Temple. The staff of Kwong Yuet Tong mainly consists of the builders in Hong Kong.[ citation needed ]

Although there are several temples on the mainland China that are dedicated to Lo Pan, they are usually dedicated to Lo Pan along with other deities; Lo Pan Temple in Hong Kong pays tribute solely to Lo Pan.[ citation needed ] Although repair and maintenance work is often carried out, the Temple generally remains as its original appearance and structure. In 1949, an office of Kwong Yuet Tong and Hong Wah Secondary School were built on the vacant land next to the Temple.

Lo Pan Temple
Traditional Chinese 魯班先師廟
YearEvent
1884Establishment of Lo Pan Temple by the Contractor's Guild
1921Kwong Yuet Tong became the management company of Lo Pan Temple
1928Renovation work took place
1949Kwong Yuet Tong registered as a legal entity
1949The office of Kwong Yuet Tong and Hong Wah Secondary School were built next to the Temple
2006Lo Pan Temple was declared monument as a Grade I historic building
2009The 125th Anniversary of Lo Pan Temple was celebrated

[3] [4] [5]

Architectural style

The Temple is a two-hall structure, with an unusual jagged roof, elaborate "fire" type parapet walls, clay sculptural figures, relieves and paintings inside and outside the Temple. It is the Chinese temple with the largest number of wall-paintings on Hong Kong Island.[ citation needed ]

Wall-paintings

Lo Pan Temple is known for its diverse murals filled with traditional Chinese Cultural style depicting different people, insects, animals, flowers and landscapes such as butterflies and narcissi (蝴蝶水仙圖), rowing a boat (張騫泛槎圖), Chibi night map (夜遊赤壁圖), visiting friends (訪友圖), ladies next to the rock (倚石仕女圖), etc. Different styles of calligraphy are incorporated into the wall-paintings to serve as captions.[ citation needed ]

Clay sculpture

Having different clay sculpture on the walls is one of the unique characteristics of Lo Pan Temple since it is difficult to find clay sculptures in the temples on Hong Kong Island. Those sculptures can be found on the wall and gable of the Temple. The theme of the sculptures are mainly about some Chinese history and mythology. For example, inside the Temple, there is a clay sculpture of one famous Chinese mythology "Historical Romance"(封神演義) on the left wall. There are also clay sculptures of plants, animals, etc. around the Temple.[ citation needed ]

Stone carvings

Inside the temple, there is a stone curving which is the oldest antique established in the Qing dynasty. It records the purpose of building this temple – to commemorate Lo Pan as the god of Chinese Architecture and to remind descendants to think of the origin.[ citation needed ]

Autography

On the two sides of the main door, there are engravings of Chinese poems which praise the contribution of Lo Pan in Architecture and wish his spirit can last forever. [6]

Lo Pan Festival

On the 13th day of the sixth month of every Lunar Calendar, the birthday of Lo Pan, Kwong Yuet Tong celebrates Lo Pan Festival. Meals (師傅飯) are distributed to celebrate the Festival. Many builders participate in the pilgrimage up the 200 steps from Belcher's Street to pray for working safely and smoothly. Builders and the Government also donate money for the upkeep of the Temple.

Besides, Lion dance and dragon dance are performed outside the Temple for entertainment and a ceremony is held by the Labour and Welfare Bureau to award the builders with outstanding performance to encourage the improvement of skills within the construction industry.

Apart from the celebration, Taoist priests are invited to comfort the deceased by chanting prayers inside the Temple. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Places of worship in Hong Kong</span>

Hong Kong counts approximately 600 temples, shrines and monasteries. While Buddhism and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions, most religions are represented in the Special Administrative Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lu Ban</span>

Lu Ban was a Chinese architect or master carpenter, structural engineer, and inventor, during the Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the Chinese Deity (Patron) of builders and contractors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronny Tong</span> Hong Kong politician

Ronny Tong Ka-wah, SC KC is a Hong Kong Senior Counsel and politician. He is a current non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. He co-founded the Civic Party and was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the New Territories East constituency from 2004 until he quit the party and resigned from the legislature on 22 June 2015, following the historic vote on Hong Kong electoral reform a few days earlier, having switched his political alignment from pro-democracy to pro-Beijing Hong Kong political group Path of Democracy, of which he is currently the convener.

<i>Healing Hands</i> (TV series) Hong Kong TV series or program

Healing Hands (妙手仁心) is a 1998 Hong Kong medical drama series that ran on TVB Jade. It focuses on the lives and loves of the doctors and nurses at the fictional Yan Oi Hospital in Hong Kong. It is noted for its realism in depicting medical situations, thanks to the help of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, who had loaned actual hospital equipment and facilities for filming. It can be considered the Hong Kong equivalent to the American television series ER, although its storyline are arguably mirrored in another American series, Grey's Anatomy. Lawrence Ng is the main star of the show as neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Ching Chi Mei. The other main role is played by Bowie Lam, who plays Dr. Henry Lai Kwok Chu as an accident and emergency doctor who is best friends with Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sai Wan</span>

Sai Wan, also known as Western district, or simply Western, is an area in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong that corresponds to Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Tsui, Belcher Bay and Kennedy Town. However, Some Hong Kong people consider Kennedy Town as the only part of Sai Wan. It formed part of the City of Victoria. West Point, a former cape where major government structures in Sai Wan are close to, also used to refer to Sai Wan.

A list of awards given to members of the Hong Kong Civil Service:

Lo-Pan may refer to:

<i>All Men Are Brothers</i> (film) 1975 film

All Men Are Brothers, also known as Seven Soldiers of Kung Fu, is a 1975 Hong Kong wuxia film based on the Chinese classical 14th century novel Water Margin. The film was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by Chang Cheh and Wu Ma.

<i>The Return of the Condor Heroes</i> (1983 TV series) Hong Kong TV series or program

The Return of the Condor Heroes is a Hong Kong wuxia television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title, produced by TVB. It was first broadcast on TVB Jade from 31 October 1983 to 6 January 1984 in Hong Kong. A total of 50 episodes were produced. The serial was re-aired in 1988, 1990, 1997, 2013, and 2018 on TVB Jade.

<i>The Duke of Mount Deer</i> (1998 TV series) Hong Kong television series

The Duke of Mount Deer is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Deer and the Cauldron. It was first aired on TVB in Hong Kong in 1998.

<i>Triumph Over Evil</i> Hong Kong TV series or program

Triumph Over Evil is a 1997 Hong Kong period serial drama produced by TVB and starring Ben Wong in his first leading role and co-starring Nick Cheung and Hilary Tsui.

<i>In the Face of Demolition</i> 1953 Hong Kong film

In the Face of Demolition (危樓春曉) is a 1953 Hong Kong drama film directed by Lee Tit and starring Bruce Lee, Cheung Ying, Ng Cho-fan and Tsi Law-lin. The film was ranked number 18 of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures presented at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards.

<i>Have Sword, Will Travel</i> 1969 film

Have Sword, Will Travel is a 1969 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Chang Cheh and starring Ti Lung, David Chiang and Lee Ching.

The election for the Hong Kong deputies to the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) was held on 3 December 2002. 36 Hong Kong deputies were elected by an electoral college.

<i>Devil Hunters</i> 1989 Hong Kong film

Devil Hunters is a 1989 Hong Kong action film written and directed by Tony Lo and starring Alex Man, Sibelle Hu, Moon Lee and Ray Lui. The film was released as Ultra Force 2 in the west as a sequel to the film, Killer Angels which was released a few months earlier as Ultra Force. Although both films were directed by Lo and starred Lee, Devil Hunters is unrelated to Killer Angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Pok Fu Lam Road Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Pok Fu Lam Road Cemetery or Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Pokfulam Road Cemetery is a cemetery in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong. It is managed by The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union (香港華人基督教聯會). It lies on the slopes east of Victoria Road between Tung Wah Coffin Home and Pok Fu Lam Road, facing Sandy Bay.

References

  1. ↑ "Lo Pan Temple". Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  2. ↑ "Heritage Trails : Lo Pan Temple, 15 Ching Lin Terrace". Government of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Chan, Quinton & Asprey, Donald. "School and temple may get heritage status; Historic King's College and the Lo Pan shrine could be declared monuments". South China Morning Post dated 9 January 2006.
  4. ↑ [ dead link ]
  5. ↑ Guide to Architecture in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Pace Pub. Ltd., 1998.
  6. ↑ Tang Hoi Chiu [et al.]. Chinese temples on Hong Kong Island. Centre of Asian Studies, 1983.
  7. ↑ "香港廣悅堂 魯班廟125周年誌慶 - 香港文匯報". Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "Lu Banxian's birthday". Hkhikers.com. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.