Dragon Cub Enlightenment Garden, Hong Kong

Dragon Cub Enlightenment Garden, Hong Kong

The Dragon Cub Enlightenment Garden is located in "Dragon Cub" near the South Lantau Country Park in Tai O, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It sits adjacent to Section 5 of the MacLehose Trail, on a mountainside south of Tai O and Tai O Road, and southwest of Chong Hill.

Facilities at the Dragon Cub Enlightenment Garden include: ponds, lotus pavilions, zigzag bridges, pavilions and towers, koi ponds, camellia flower gardens, landscaped gardens, and a zoo (housing peacocks, sika deer, and white cranes, among others). It is a garden designed in the architectural style of the Jiangnan region.

History

The Dragon Cub Enlightenment Garden was originally the private villa of the late Wu Kunseng, a renowned figure in China’s textile industry and chairman of Wei Lun Textile Mill. Wei Lun Textile Mill was part of the Shenxin First Textile Mill Group, founded in 1915 by the Rong brothers, Rong Zongjing and Rong Desheng, with Wu Kunseng being one of the key contributors to its establishment. In 1931, Shenxin First was the largest textile mill in China. The garden was built in 1962 at a cost of HK$2 million, with Wu Kunseng personally funding the project and hiring villagers from Tai O to transport materials up the mountain. A devout Buddhist himself, Wu Kunseng's dharma name was "Wuda," hence the retreat was named "Dragon Cub Enlightenment Garden." Wu Kunseng had three sons and six daughters, most of whom have emigrated to the United States. The garden is now seldom maintained; the zigzag bridge is dilapidated, and for visitor safety, the main gate is usually locked. A few years ago, in response to visitor demand, a gardener (a local resident) was stationed at the garden on weekends, allowing free entry for visitors and selling soft drinks for hikers' refreshment. It has since been completely closed off (as of February 2012), prohibiting entry and often leaving unaware visitors to sigh at the gate.

Transportation Guide

Address: Dragon Cub, western Lantau Island, Islands District, Hong Kong.

How to get there: From Tung Chung MTR Station, take Bus 11 and alight at Chong Shan Lung Mun Station (near the Guanyin Temple Archway). Then hike uphill along the Chong Shan Water Channel towards Man Cheung Po for about one hour to reach the garden.