There really are a surprising number of interesting parks in Hong Kong. I went to another one of them yesterday evening. It's located at a very busy road intersection going to either Sai Kung or Ma On Shan. It's the park opposite to the Chi Lin Nunnery (志蓮靜苑) in Diamond Hill, called Nam Lian Garden (南蓮園池). According to the Wikipedia, it was officially opened in November 2006 after 3 years of construction and occupies 35,000 square meters and is based on 7th century Tang dynasty landscape architectural style , specifically 絳守居園池 and costs HKD 245 million to build, three quarters of which was financed by the Government with the balance by the Nunnery. Its present site used to be a squatter area but the garden now forms part of a group of architecture comprising, the Nam Lien Garden, Lien Garden, Sai Lien Garden and Nam Lien Garden. It is owned by the Government which delegated its management to the Nunnery at the nominal price of HKD1.00 per year.
a quiet path leading in from one of its exits
A path up a slope
A path leading to an artificial waterfall. At strategic locations along the path, we can hear the resonant sound of the ancient Chinese 7-string zither (古琴) from skilfully embedded speakers vibrating slowly note by note, as if they were serene notes dropped down unhurriedly from the same heaven contemplated by Xuanzang (唐玄奘) more than 1,400 years ago as the trudged along the way back to China.
A bird of paradise flower close to the West Gate
A mock Tang style lamp with a lotus motif
Motifs from another lamp
The West Gate with its huge studded door
Another path leading up from its West Gate
A window on the south Gate
The evening sky looking east
The southern sky
A view of the courtyard from the South Gate
A Tang style all wooden bridge
Some huge carps in orange and gold taking it easy on the pond
The silver waterfall.
A red water lily bud
A pool of water lilies.
Some roofs under the trees.
A quiet corner of a courtyard garden
A truncated tree growing new branches
The garden is full of old trees.
I love the feel of the sun upon the leaves.
More leaves leaping across space
leaves turning brown.
The garden is full of all sorts of tree leaves brightening up after the rain
rain drops on a leaf.
More rain drops.
Some water lily leaves turning yellow
Some blooming jacaranda
A close up of one of them. I like the way they just go ahead and bloom whenever they can, without any fuss, in silence and then fade away quietly, just like thoughts in Zen meditation
善哉，善哉！
回覆刪除[版主回覆08/12/2012 10:28:34]It's good. Thank you.
好有雅興喎, 係呼聽音樂講座及表演呀?
回覆刪除[版主回覆08/13/2012 00:39:58]Don't know about that but when I visited it, some very soothing music was being played through its PA system.
[亞執回覆08/12/2012 17:19:03]志蓮裡面間中都有表演, 清音雅樂.
[版主回覆08/12/2012 16:10:40]It's a welcome respite from the hectic pace of contemporary urban life: a literal oasis of near silence amidst the noise of motion all around us: people, traffic, the rapid and heavy beat of so-called 'pop music". The HKPO is now on summer vacation and the new season won't start until September but there are still lots of talks.
覺得南蓮園池管理得不錯！ 雖然嚴緊了些、 有點像小時候寄宿的母校！ 要規行矩步的、 也不准掉頭往回走、 得從另一邊多遶些冤枉路！ 哈哈！ ~~~~~~~~ 在那吃過晚飯、 素的！ 不俗呢！
回覆刪除[版主回覆08/12/2012 19:52:47]Agreed. When I went there, saw many Chinese tourists who wanted to climb over the fences to get better photos but were told to get off. But it was very clean, not a single piece of litter at all was found and the trees and plants all seem well manicured. Unfortunately far too many areas were fenced off for one reason or another.
The sun rises. The sun sets. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Flower blooms. Flower fades. It is like a wave to a sea flower is to nature. I shall never forget her.
回覆刪除[版主回覆08/12/2012 19:54:07]Yes, the rise and fall of waves, the rise and fall of season, the rise and fall of our breathing: that's the very rhythm of Life itself.
鬧市中的淨土！
回覆刪除[版主回覆08/13/2012 00:30:32]Precisley! A much needed one!
What an oasis in the city centre!
回覆刪除[版主回覆08/14/2012 06:09:52]You're spot on!