Hong Kong: Chi Lin Nunnery

By Rori-TAI Williams

Founded in 1934, The Chi Lin Nunnery is a large Buddhist temple complex located in Diamond Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Covering a space of more than 33,000 square meters, the temple complex also includes temple halls, Chinese gardens, hostels and a vegetarian restaurant.

In 1990, the nunnery was rebuilt following the style of Tang Dynasty traditional Chinese architecture. It is known for using a special interlocking system that’s cut into the wood to hold them in place. I found this to be most interesting because they are wood frame buildings built without the use of any iron nails. Surprisingly, these buildings are the only buildings designed in this style in modern-day Hong Kong.

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, the first thing I noticed was the massive amount of construction throughout the entire city. I was also overwhelmed by the composition of the landscape and how these huge towers and other concrete structures seem to sprout out from the vegetation in the side of a mountain and vice versa.

I chose to document the influence of Western culture in Chinese architecture by juxtaposing images of concrete vs. vegetation with images of construction. In the third image, the light pole and the concrete buildings on either side of the tree reflect that idea.