Tung Po Tor Monastery

Located in Tsuen Wan’s Tin Fat Shan (meaning “Thousand-Buddha Hill”), Tung Po Tor Monastery was established by Master Mao Fung in 1932 and is one of the earliest monasteries in Tsuen Wan. The temple was named Tung Po Tor (East Putuo) as its surroundings look similar to Mount Putuo in Zhejiang.

The fame of the monastery might be “The Gigantic Three” which consists of a gigantic thousand-year old Buddha statue in the main hall, a 360kg “Ding” (cauldron) placed outside the main hall and a huge wok in the temple compound. The Ding is by itself an attraction as it is one of the few Buddhist ritual relics that Hong Kong has.

There are numerous halls in the sizeable Tung Po Tor, each hall dedicated to different deities and some buildings function as libraries, guest halls and dormitories for monks. In addition, there are many statuettes of deities and figurines of folklore made of renowned Shiwan pottery placed around the temple. Another place of interest would be the memorial hall built in 1967 to honour the founder Master Mao Fung. Inside the hall there is a statue of the Master and his valuable imperial golden robes, bestowed to him by the Japanese Emperor, and Master Mao Fung once wore these robes during the Japanese occupation to halt soldiers from attacking the temple, thereby saving the lives of villagers who took refuge there. Other valuable artwork collected include Master Hong Yi’s calligraphy and Chao Shao-an’s famed Lingnan-styled painting of flowers and birds.

Address: Lo Wai Village, Tsuen Wan