Imagine herbal liqueurs. They led to an unusual Buddhist compound in Hong Kong. That compound is Pun Chun Yuen. It means Half-Spring Garden. It implies Half-Day Garden.
Pun Chun Yuen sits on 18 hilly hectares in Tai Po. You might glimpse its gold roofs speeding down Tolo Highway. But reaching Pun Chun Yuen in the 1930s was a long journey. It involved the steam-powered Kowloon-Canton Railway. It needed a trek up steep roads.
Wong Sing-hui founded Wing Lee Wai in 1876. It made herbal wines. Ng Ka Py and Mui Kwe Lu were famous. Wong moved his business to Hong Kong in 1905. It was set up in Sheung Wan. Wing Lee Wai became prized across China. It used rose petals from Sichuan. It used sorghum from Taiwan. It used cassia from Vietnam. A rhyming slogan boosted its popularity. It said: “A half chicken and a bottle of Wing Lee Wai.”
Wong Se-wai succeeded his father. His business skills made Wing Lee Wai popular. It was sold wherever Chinese communities existed. Se-wai was a devout Buddhist. He helped finance the Wong Tai Sin Temple. In 1928 he founded the Tata Buddhist Association. Soon after, he started Pun Chun Yuen.
Pun Chun Yuen had a residence and an ancestral hall. It also included a Glass House. It served as a religious site. It was also a weekend getaway for the Wong family. Wong Se-wai studied Buddhist scripture there. He spent hours with colleagues. Then he returned to town. That explains the garden’s name. More Buddhist halls were built in the 1950s. A swimming pool was added. Landscaped gardens enhanced the site.
Wong died in 1956. His widow donated Pun Chun Yuen in 1967. The Lotus Association received it. They maintain it today. The public can visit Pun Chun Yuen.
Architect Annette Chu says you feel the seasons change there. She notes papaya and osmanthus grow there. Tea trees thrive. You can have lunch. You can enjoy the park. Relate to spending half a day away from the city. Think about Buddhism. Ponder life.
Eureka Architects launched in 2011. Annette Chu co-founded it. Her father introduced her to Lee Man-ban. Lee was an accountant. He was involved in the Lotus Association. He needed help revamping old buildings. Chu saw it as an exciting project in her home city. Lee showed her works by Tadao Ando. Ando designs ethereal spaces. That was Lee’s vision.
Pun Chun Yuen’s buildings use Chinese Renaissance style. This style mixes new concrete with Chinese motifs. Chu’s first project renovated the ancestral hall. It became a columbarium. Families could keep loved ones’ ashes there. Only Wong Se-wai’s residence had heritage grading. This gave Chu flexibility.
Instead of restoring, she redesigned the ancestral hall. Pine slats were used. The lush green setting inspired the use of timber. It made the building transparent. Ancestors could be part of the park. The building’s proportions were kept. The golden ceramic roof tiles remained. Pine wood matched their color.
Other buildings were treated with restraint. Vintage features like terrazzo staircases were restored. The ancestral hall adds something new. It is an eye-catching centerpiece. It doesn’t look like anything else in Hong Kong. The pine slats are earthy and airy. A balcony wraps around the hall. It balances the roof’s flying eaves.
Government policy changed. The hall couldn’t be a columbarium. The Lotus Association hosts visiting monks there. They also host lectures. Funding maintenance is a challenge. Chu wishes there were more resources for parks like Pun Chun Yuen.
Pun Chun Yuen remains an unheralded oasis. Chu’s contemporary addition adds another twist. It is a long road from a Guangdong distillery. It led to a Buddhist compound in Hong Kong’s hills.