Visiting Hong Kong's culturally rich and "peaceful" temples

📌 I had heard of Wong Tai Sin's fame long before coming to Hong Kong. Despite the typhoon, I made sure to seize the rare brief good weather to explore it~ 📌 Approaching the temple's outer area, many shops sell incense for worship. These are usually more exquisite but relatively expensive. If you don't want to spend too much, you can go to the incense area inside the temple, where incense is also provided. Just remember to pay a small incense oil fee 💰! Each person holds nine incense sticks for worship. 📌 Even on weekdays, it's crowded! Before entering the main gate, groups of tourists take turns snapping souvenir photos 📸 in the plaza, showing this is indeed a must-visit spot! After walking through the gate, there is an uphill path, but don’t worry, this place is super friendly in Hong Kong, with escalators and stairs 🪜 available. You can choose to go up easily or get some exercise 🏃. Since I average 30,000 steps daily in Hong Kong, I took the escalator for a quick ride up 😄😄😄. 📌 Between the two escalators is the "Wong Tai Sin Cultural Museum" (⚠️ No photography inside). It displays and introduces some artifacts related to Wong Tai Sin. If you have enough time, you can visit inside. (The air conditioning is strong inside, so you can stay longer 😄) 📌 In front of the shrine plaza are bronze statues of the twelve zodiac animals. You can line up to take photos with your zodiac sign, but since I went alone and didn’t have much time, I quickly took some photos of statues whose zodiac I couldn’t guess and headed toward the main hall. 📌 In front of the main hall, worshippers hold incense sticks and pray sincerely. Behind them is an area where devotees kneel to ask questions, draw lots, and record. The lot tubes can be borrowed for free at the service desk and returned afterward. The stairs going down on the side lead to the lot interpretation area, which requires an additional fee. There are many fortune-telling booths to choose from. 📌 Worth noting: Above the incense burner is a device similar to a smoke extractor, which I think is great. The temple is bustling with incense burning, but the air is not pungent or irritating to the eyes. The air remains fresh. This modern temple maintains traditional incense burning without criticism, which is commendable. 🌟 Summary: This was truly a "clean" (air) and culturally rich visit. 😄 Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple 📍 Address: No. 2 Chuk Yuen Village, Chuk Yuen, Hong Kong (MTR Wong Tai Sin Station Exit B2) 🕰️ Opening Hours: 07:30–16:30 Pilgrimage