I have often heard people say that once you have seen Victoria Peak there is not much more to see in Hong Kong. It’s not true and here are at least two reasons why – the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian garden, sitting next to each other, on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong.
I had that Hong kong was attempting to get these adjacent sites registered as World Heritage, which sounded promising. Something to rival the temples at Kyoto? Colonial architecture like in Singapore? However, as soon as we got off the taxi we realized that they were nice places but pretty much brand new! The nunnery was founded in 1934 but the building totally renovated in 2000, and the garden opened in 2006 (but based on an ancient mainland Chinese garden). There isn’t the daily life you experience at sites like temples in Hong Kong; it’s more like being in an open air museum (where kids are not allowed to run!). But overall they are pretty sites and an oasys in the middle of Kowloon high-rises. This little day-trip turned out not to be that historical but was a good break from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong life.
Voyagista’s Tips
- The nunnery is open from 9am to 4.30pm and the garden is open from 7am to 9pm. Entrance is free. There are websites for both but the nunnery site is only in chinese
- Have lunch or enjoy tea time at the garden’s vegetarian restaurant: Chi Lin Vegetarian at Long Men Lou can be found under the waterfall towards the end of the garden.
- If you want to take a taxi back to Hong Kong Island, it can be challenging to find a driver willing to go all the way. Otherwise you can take the MTR at Diamond Hill, exit C2
VOYAGISTA 
Effectivement c’est ceux qui ne connaissent pas qui ont ces préjugés… Lorsque je vais à Hong Kong j’aime bien aller du côté de Chi Lin et Nan Lian, on a un peu de verdure et l’ambiance fait que cela permet de s’évader un peu de l’effervescence que l’on retrouve dans la ville.