Whenever Master Wong Tai Sin is mentioned, one always hears “answering whatever he is asked for”, “full of incense burning”, “accurate fortunes”, and “first incense offering of the Chinese New Year”, and other related phrases. In the past 100 years, with the blessing of Master Wong Tai Sin, Wong Tai Sin Temple has demonstrated the power of its beliefs, soothed the hearts of countless people, and welcomed many worshippers from Hong Kong and the rest of the world.
Sik Sik Yuen is a Taoist organization that respects to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, worships Master Wong Tai Sin, and advocates “harmony with our nature”. Following the mandate of heaven, the beliefs and customs of Wong Tai Sin formed by congregation of worshippers has imperceptibly become a collective memory and tradition in society. The “Wong Tai Sin Belief and Customs” have even been officially named a national intangible cultural heritage, which further affirms the value and importance of the existence of Wong Tai Sin Temple.
Sik Sik Yuen has shouldered its responsibilities as the inheritor of the Wong Tai Sin belief after it took root in Hong Kong. Taking advantage of the centenary anniversary of its founding, Sik Sik Yuen started planning the construction of the Cultural Centre for Wong Tai Sin Belief and Customs, which is planned to be opened to the public in 2021. The cultural center will introduce the history of the belief of Wong Tai Sin and the development of Sik Sik Yuen in detail. As visitors will not be charged an admission fee, everyone will be able to learn the century-old evolution of this temple which is now under modern management.
It is said in the Tao Te Ching that “a tower of nine storeys rose from a heap of earth”. The Wong Tai Sin Temple we see today, every brick and tile, every eave and window, is the result of the hard work and wisdom of many generations of taoists. We must inherit the virtues of our predecessors and pass them down. Be it our endeavors to recruit those who aspire to pursue Taoism or to organize Spiritual Kinship Establishment Ceremonies in recent years, our objective has always been to teach people Taoism principles, ensure that the Wong Tai Sin belief flourishes, and to pass on the spirit of “to act benevolently and to teach benevolence” throughout the ages.
Taoism advocates an outlook on life that is effortless and free from desire. It focuses on the harmony between man and nature. For 100 years, Wong Tai Sin Temple has provided people with a space to relax their souls in the center of a bustling urban area. The sacred and solemn Main Altar, architecture with symbolic aesthetics of the five elements, pavilions in the Good Wish Garden, small bridges over flowing waters, singing of birds, and wonderful fragrance of flowers are nourishing to one’s mind and soul. If you have not visited Wong Tai Sin Temple before, I sincerely invite you to visit the Temple and connect with benevolence.
Teaching Benevolence for Centenary without Losing Our Original Intentions,
Benefiting Myriad People with Inheriting the Spirit of Acting Benevolently
In 2021, we celebrate the centenary anniversary of Sik Sik Yuen and Wong Tai Sin Temple.
Sik Sik Yuen was bestowed its name by Wenchang Emperor (or God of Literature) through planchette writing. It is the organization responsible for the management of Wong Tai Sin Temple as well as a Taoist charity organization. When it was first established, Sik Sik Yuen was a private temple that was not always open to the public. The temple became well known to others later on since the establishment of the Herbal Clinic by the Taoists for offering free medical consultations and Chinese medicine, and because people’s prayers to Master Wong Tai Sin for guidance and cures via fortune-telling sticks were efficacious. The number of worshippers grew over time and eventually, Master Wong Tai Sin gained a reputation for “answering whatever he is asked for”.
Looking back to the humble beginning of Sik Sik Yuen, it was fortunate that many patrons contributed generously to the development of the Yuen. In the 1920s when supplies were scarce, the Yuen provided support for the ill. In the 1960s when the population was booming, the Yuen built schools and nurtured young generations through education. In the 1980s as the population started to age, the Yuen provided sincere care for the elderly. Sik Sik Yuen has always kept a watchful eye on social developments, so as to respond to the needs of the times to provide relief for all.
Today, the Yuen has a Herbal Clinic, General Clinic, Chinese Medicine Services Centre, Dental Clinic, Physiotherapy Centre, 15 schools and kindergartens, a mobile biotechnical laboratory, a Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre, as well as 17 elderly care service units including homes for the elderly, day-time elderly centres, and health care services centres. The Yuen has upheld kindness, done good deeds through its diversified services, and given back to society. We are grateful for the blessing of Master Wong Tai Sin, as well as the support and advice of wise Taoists and leaders of various communities. We are grateful to them that the Yuen has developed so well and become a trustworthy and recognized religious charity organization.
Stepping into 2021, the Centenary Celebration Committee of the Yuen has prepared a series of celebration activities for everyone to enjoy. I sincerely invite all sectors of the community to support and participate in these activities, so as to learn about Sik Sik Yuen’s 100 years of history and to relive the history of Master Wong Tai Sin’s growth with Hong Kong.
In the past 100 years, Hong Kong has seen great changes along the path of its development into the tall-building-filled city of today. During this time, Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple has also developed from a simple bamboo hut to a solemn temple. However, the only constant in the torrent of history is the belief that guards the worshippers of Hong Kong under Lion Rock. In the future, in the promotion of its belief and the development of charity, the Yuen will remember the hard work of its predecessors and keep pace with the times to write a new chapter in history. We will continue to work with various sectors of the community to inherit and pass on the spirit of to “act benevolently and to teach benevolence” for the benefit of the community.
