MEDITATION and prayer provide every mortal soul with the opportunity to experience peace and tranquility, especially in Shenzhen, the hearth of an economic boom and prosperity. No wonder the major temples in town are packed with crowds who seek blessings from Buddha from the eve of the Spring Festival.

The temples are most crowded during the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival, the first day and the first full moon in the lunar calendar year. On these days, believers will line up several kilometers with their vehicles jamming the roads leading to Hongfa Temple, the biggest local shrine. Accompanied by gongs, drums and prayers of the monks, they seek peace, prosperity and good luck for themselves and their families in the new year.

Hongfa Temple

Located on the northwestern slope of Wutong Mountain, the highest in town, a small temple was first built during the reign of Qing Emperor Zaitian (1874-1908).

Rising 944 meters above sea level, the mountain is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and 1,100 wildlife species. Covered in thick greenery, it boasts an exquisite landscape of tranquil vales and overhanging cliffs.

While being the highest peak in Shenzhen gave it strategic value in wars, the place had been plagued by strife since ancient times. Building a temple on the mountain was originally meant to bring peace, according to a local history book.

Rebuilding the temple has been the responsibility of chief monk, Shi Benhuan, who turns 101 this year. In 1983, he urged authorities to have the Qing temple, already in bad shape, rebuilt at another site on the mountain. His proposal won the approval of Zhao Puchu, the late president of China's Buddhist Association, and won support from local officials.
On July 1, 1985, construction began on Hongfa Temple on a platform on the mountain facing Fairy Lake, occupying nearly 30,000 square meters. The newest temple in China, it was also the first one built after 1949. The project had been suspended when three main halls were completed, but the reasons are not clear. The temple was finally opened to the public in 1990.

The name of the temple, pronounced as"hongfa,"are abbreviations for"hongyang fofa,"which translates as"spreading Buddhist principles."

Facing northwest, Hongfa Temple consists of five levels of main halls, dedicated to the Buddha, other gods and Buddhist scriptures. A bell tower in the east and drum tower in the west add to grandeur of the structures. An aerial view of the temple buildings resembles the shape of a pagoda.

In May 1998, the first ordination-a heavily publicized month-long ceremony-was held at the Zen Buddhist temple, during which 300 monks took their vows. There are about 80 resident monks at the temple, half of them young graduates from Buddhist colleges and the rest senior monks from other temples.

Besides preaching Buddhist scriptures, the temple often organizes charity events to help the needy. It also boasts a choir, which has performed the"Chinese Harmonious Music,"the first Buddhist symphony, together with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra at the National Grand Theater and abroad.

Located in the Fairy Lake Botanic Park, the temple does not charge admission fees but the park sells tickets for 20 yuan per person.

How to get there:Bus 113, K113, 311