There is a small path close to Sha Tin subway station leading up to the hiking track to Tao Fong Shan. Starting with narrow steps in a village, my brother and I were already surrounded by trees overlooking the city and the railway.
This track is suitable for a novice hiker as all the steps are cemented.
After 20 minutes’ walk, there was a roundabout and a sign for Tao Fong Shan Road. On our left were a few residential building blocks that look upper middle class. Despite being a weekday, we saw a few hikers. We soon reached a group of low white houses belonging to Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre. More and more worshippers arrived by chartered transport.
Situated in the high mountains, the Christian Centre offers a diverse range of workshops and spiritual activities.
The temple is in Chinese architectural style with Christian symbols. The labyrinth is constructed in a corner with a fun design. It is ideal for taking group photos or spending a solo moment in this tranquil environment.
A very large cross is located at the far end among these white houses, standing tall on top of a bare mountain, exposed in a wide space. Backlights will be switched on to ensure that people from the city can see the cross from a distance at night time.
For Christian believers, it surely gives them spiritual support when spending time at home during COVID. For non-believers, they won’t feel that isolated seeing some lights on the mountains.
Tao Fong Shan is also accessible from Shing Mun Reservoir or Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery where it takes 2 to 3 hours to complete.
Our trip took 1 and a half hours, and was refreshing in the morning before heading to lunch.
Did an egg tart make you think? For Hongkongers, it represented the mind of a man who offended two powerful countries to try to give us free hands to do more.
In a recent interview, he told a renowned journalist based in Hong Kong for decades that he felt deeply sorry for what had happened here. Someone reminded him he was being photographed holding a yellow umbrella. Is that a sin? Is that awkward?
Even though he is known as a famous sinner for a thousand years, he never loses his passion for Cantonese dim sum and delicacies.
He told inspiring stories of two Hongkongers having made a fresh start in the UK – the first was a young doctor from a Hong Kong family; and the second was an excellent Hong Kong chemistry teacher who joined his old school.
It is sad to let go of a place you have lived in for so long and reluctantly. His book and many of the memories are vivid in his head. You could feel the sadness on his face when he expressed his regret about not being able to return to Hong Kong in the future.
He does not seem to be a governor or a politician, just an old man with many stories to tell. Some of them are about his encounters with diplomats and officials, some relate to people he met in Hong Kong and the UK.
Time dilutes strong emotions. His love of Hong Kong egg tarts, for instance, can always touch our hearts.
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