Visiting Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
A magnificent temple complex, tranquil lotus ponds with water lilies, gorgeous tree-lined paths, an intricate golden pavilion and traditional Chinese landscaping. A visit to Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden is a serene experience perfectly blending harmony, balance and nature. Here’s everything you need to know.
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Chi Lin Nunnery is a Buddhist temple complex connected to the gorgeous Nan Lian Gardens. Both are built in the Tang dynasty style known for simplicity, elegance and blending harmony with nature.
They provide a fascinating mix of history, a rich culture and architectural magnificence. Surrounded by imposing compact skyscrapers, it’s a stark contrast to the nearby busy city streets.
Visiting Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens is one of the most unique things to do in Hong Kong. There’s nothing else like it in the city. Sit amongst ancient trees next to flowing water and enjoy moments of calm and stillness while feeling worlds away from Kowloon‘s bustling streets outside.
In this guide, we’ll share a bit about the history of Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens, what to expect today and everything you need to know including how to get there, facilities, dress code, opening hours and the best time to visit.
Our top tip: if you fancy a hike while you’re in Hong Kong, this is a great place to visit after hiking Lion Rock for incredible views over the iconic skyline, Outlying Islands and the vast South China Sea. We’ll pop the directions at the bottom.
Visiting Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens truly are some of the very best things to do in Hong Kong. So continue reading for everything you need to know for a wonderful and memorable insight into this rich cultural and historical site providing serenity and spiritual tranquillity.
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Contents
History of Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
Founded in 1934, Chi Lin Nunnery is a retreat for Buddhist nuns with a focus on meditation, compassion, prayer and education.Â
In the 1990s, the nunnery underwent a huge renovation and was rebuilt in the traditional Tang dynasty architectural style with a beautiful blend of harmony, elegance and nature, aligning with Buddhist principles.
What’s very impressive is that not a single nail is used in the construction! Instead, every wooden beam perfectly interlocks, highlighting ancient traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
It’s one of the world’s largest handmade wooden buildings and is the only building in Hong Kong in this style so it’s a must-visit to see this impressive architecture.
Nan Lian Garden was opened to the public in 2006, also in the Tang dynasty style emphasising harmony, balance and nature. The garden was developed in collaboration with Chi Lin Nunnery and the Hong Kong Government and is influenced by traditional Chinese landscaping including symmetry and natural features and reflects traditional Chinese design and culture.
Today, Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden are still an active monastery and peaceful sanctuaries for meditation and spiritual reflection.Â
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What to Expect at Chi Lin Nunnery
At Chi Lin Nunnery, you’ll find beautifully manicured gardens, tranquil courtyards, gorgeous lotus ponds and greenery all symmetrically placed around the entire complex.
The first courtyard you enter after coming through the main entrance is the most beautiful. It’s symmetrical with 4 lotus ponds with water lilies in each corner symbolising purity and enlightenment. In the lotus ponds are stone lion head water fountains. You could sit by these ponds for a long time listening to the peaceful sound of the flowing water and reflecting.
Scattered around the courtyard are charming bonsai, cypress and peony trees, shrubs, flowers and intricate rock carvings all immaculately thought out and purposefully positioned.
At the top end of the courtyard is the Hall of Celestial Kings. Head through this to another, smaller courtyard with more bonsai trees and a gold incense burner in the middle which is often used to provide offerings to.
Continuing on is the Main Hall where religious activities take place. There are also several other grand halls with statues of Buddha and bodhisattvas alongside lavish gold offerings and fragrant incense burners. You’re not allowed to take photos of these halls.
Beyond the Main Hall is a third courtyard, inaccessible to the public. This is where the Dining and Dharma Halls, Scripture Library and Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda are.
Surrounding the courtyards are walkways underneath wooden beams providing shade from the sun and quiet areas for reflection.
What to Expect at Nan Lian Garden
Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery are connected by a footbridge near the main entrance to the nunnery.
A tree-lined path winds around the park through gorgeous flowers, perfectly-pruned bonsai trees, Buddhist pines, huge ancient trees colourful orchids and bauhinias, streams and small waterfalls.
The park is designed to minimise the sound from the traffic outside and it does this really well. You can hardly hear anything outside the garden, it’s incredibly peaceful for a stroll.
As you weave your way around the path, you’ll come to the Pavilion of Absolute Perfection and the red Zi Wu Bridge. These are without question the highlights of Nan Lian Garden.
The colour and beauty of the pavilion and bridge surrounded by lush greenery and perfectly landscaped gardens provide a fascinating contrast against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s dull-coloured compact high rises.
In Nan Lian Garden there’s a vegetarian restaurant, Chi Lin Vegetarian. This is a Buddhist restaurant nestled behind a waterfall serving classic Chinese dishes with a contemporary twist. It can get busy so we’d advise booking to avoid disappointment. Contact details can be found on this website.
There’s also a souvenir shop, a Chinese tea house, Song Cha Xia and an art museum, the Chinese Timber Architecture Gallery, showing scale models of ancient wooden Chinese buildings.
Everything You Need to Know to Visit Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
Facilities
There are restrooms though we’d advise bringing your own toilet paper.
Nan Lian Garden has a vegetarian restaurant, tea house and souvenir shop.
Both Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery are accessible. Ramps and smooth pathways make navigating the complex comfortable and there are many benches in shaded areas to sit if needed.
Getting to Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
Getting to the complex is easy. The addresses are:
- 5 Chi Lin Drive, Diamond Hill, Kowloon (Chi Lin Nunnery)
- 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, Kowloon (Nan Lian Garden)
They’re a 10-minute walk from Diamond Hill MTR Station which is easily reached from Tsim Sha Tsui on the Tuen Ma Line or from Mong Kok on the Kwun Tong Line. Take exit C2 and follow the signs.
You can also take a taxi or bus from the city. From Tsim Sha Tsui, the bus takes around 15 minutes then a 10-minute walk from Diamond Hill. Taxis will take around 15 minutes.
Alternatively, if you’re planning on hiking Lion Rock, you can easily visit Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden on the same day. We’d recommend hiking first to avoid the heat and ending at Fat Jong Temple. From here, you can walk to the nunnery in half an hour or flag down a taxi.
Opening hours
Chi Lin Nunnery is open every day from 9am until 4:30pm. Nan Lian Garden is open every day from 7am until 9pm.
Entrance fee
Both are completely free.
Dress Code
There’s no specific dress code but be respectful, it’s a religious site.
The best time to visit Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery
The best time to visit Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery is early weekday mornings. These are some of the best things to do in Hong Kong so they can get quite busy detracting from the tranquility. We’d recommend visiting after a couple of days exploring the city for some respite away from the hustle and bustle.
How long to spend
Depending on whether you want to spend time sitting amongst the gardens and soaking up the tranquillity of the grounds or if, like us, you just want to wander around and see the complex, the length of time will vary. We saw both attractions in about an hour but you could easily spend longer.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden. If you have any questions or just want to say hi, please leave a comment below. Make sure to check out our other Hong Kong guides for the best things to do and everything you need to know for a fantastic and memorable visit.
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