Travelling from Tradition to Modernization

Wong Tai Sin Temple

It seems that every part of Kowloon has its own culture and history and the Wong Tai Sin Temple[1] must be the cultural and historical representative of the Wong Tai Sin District. 

1.Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple is undoubtedly one of the most famous tourist attractions in HK. The temple lives up to its reputation as “What you request is what you get” in the Chinese prayer tradition. Every year, millions of visitors arrive at Wong Tai Sin Temple, pray for the things they want to get no matter for business, love, fortune and happiness.

The tradition is that people shake the bamboo to get the fortune stick before they take the number in the stick to the soothsayer for interpretation. If the interpretation works well, the prayer needs to come back on Jan next year to thank the immortal. I also had a try and the soothsayer said some good fortune will come to after August this year!

2.Densely-populated Housing Outside

However, looking out at the surroundings outside the temple, I could find the temple is actually located in a very densely populated area surrounded by rows of high-rise residential blocks (see background of the picture below). For my understanding, the living space within the Wong Tai Sin area is rather limited and in 1956, the government even proposed to reclaim the temple for public housing development. After the great effort of the Wong Tai Sin Chairman, the temple was able to remain open till now.

It’s not an easy task for urban planners when influences of culture and history facing the pressures of local development demand. They should accommodate local residents’ living while keeping the original culture and history undamaged. It is not easy and there must be one party surrenders to balance. It our case, Wong Tai Sin Temple prevails as the its cultural and historical value should be protected on top and the public housing development should make room and relocate to other places.

Zero Carbon Building

Walking through the bustling streets and old-fashioned industrial buildings, we arrived at our next destination. I finally caught my breath as the journey along these old streets was a lit bit breathless in this extremely hot summer.

3.Zero Carbon Building

Standing in front of a fresh new modern-designed architecture surrounded by green parks and landscape, I felt suddenly into a brand new world embracing nature. The Zero Carbon Building[2] (ZCB) is definitely a symbol of the Government’s “Green Initiatives” on the Energizing Kowloon East on top of their CBD development and industrial zones revitalization schemes.

The ZCB is HK’s initial zero-carbon architecture built by HK government and its construction committee. It is a showcase of an environmental-friendly construction and the sustainable development concept by the HK government. It was completed in June 2012 and obtained the LEED Platinum Certificate and won the environmental-friendly prize in the same year.

4.Green Walkway in ZCB Square

It is said that the ZCB integrated 80 environmental-friendly technologies and can reduce 45% energy consumption. ZCB generate power with renewable energy and is able not only self-satisfied but also additional power for output. In front of the ZCB, there is a landscape area with the first native urban woodland in HK, which can reduce the heat island effect in this busy district. There is also a green walkway beside the woodland central square with green features.

The ZCB is definitely a green initiative and showcase by the HK’s government. Although it has a lot of Green features, the level and quality it achieves the “Green Standard” is still to be verified. Actually, except the Government, nobody knows the “real number” of environmental-friendly technologies it used, the detailed amount of energy it could save, and is it really “zero carbon”?

If you look carefully at the 3rd picture above, we can still find an shabby residential building just on its left, which is rather incompatible with these green buildings. Therefore, from a planning perspective, there should still be some steps moving forward towards a completed urban renewal schemes.

The traveling from tradition to modernization was exciting. People were praying themselves on the ancient temples and following the soothsaying in Wong Tai Sin but found them amazed at the brand new modern and high-tech architecture in the front just a few moments later. The culture and history of Kowloon make Wong Tai Sin Temple standing there for hundreds of year and witnessed crowds of new high-rise and high-tech designed architectures erected in the nearby areas under the economic and internationalization trend. As a cultural and historical representative, Wong Tai Sin Temple will never be changed, but the “immortal” in the temple seemed have soothsaid the current changes hundreds of years ago, as there will be some significant transformation from tradition to modernization, which is an unstoppable step forward.

References:

[1] Wong Tai Sin Temple (http://www.siksikyuen.org.hk/public/contents/article?ha=&wc=0&hb=&hc=&revision_id=20432&item_id=2080)

[2] Zero Carbon Building Website(http://zcb.hkcic.org/Eng/index.aspx)