MONDAY, APRIL 2, 1934.
FIVE DRAGON TEMPLE AT KOWLOON CITY
HISTORY OF ANCIENT BASS IMAGE
altar of honour.
500 YEARS
at
OLD
Seventy-four years later, on a "Tin, Shau" festival in the Yan Chung Dynasty, he again showed. bis appearance in Mo Tung Hill.
In'
VE Dragon Temple" Kowloon City is well worth the trouble of visiting as it con. dains many objects of interest to
Kam Luk Temple, the European. Hanging on the
Therefore, the Kam Luk Temple, wall is a scroll in English which
was built, and the Five Dragon gives the history of the giant Monastery was renovated -to make "Chan Mo" or "Pak Tal" as it is offerings to him every year. known in the vernacular, an image the years of the Emperor Wing Lok over 500 years old reposing on the of the Ming Dynasty, great de. Mr. Tsang Foo, the local coal-velopment was again made to this merchant is malaly responsible for Temple and bionastery. In the re- cord of the Mo Tung Hill by Wons the temple's erection, having pur. chased the brass idol from Canton To-kwan, will be found the follow. and supervised. the building out. Ing quotations:-"Powerful is Em peror Shing T8o. He in grent side his villa and school.
Under typical example of foreign influe. divine and awe-inspiring, ence in Chinsee life is noticeable him pence prevalled at home and ir Mr. Tsang's house which adjoins abroad, All this was owing to the the temple. The grounds contain help of Chan Mo, who came down buildings of strictly Chinese type to guide the 6 Armies of the Em his services. made to his and the semi-European type while peror. To award foreign great repairs were a Chinese pond has two style rowing boats in it and the Temples. Then prosperity reigned garden was a wind-driven water throughout the Empire, and the
condenser made in Illinoie, U.S.A.
A
snake
There are images worked in brass of a tortoise and a which represent the deities who' carry out God's benevolent orders. That the nativ, of Kowloon atteck much importance to the temple is, evident from the large incense con- tainers bestowed in the place of worship.
"Chan Mo"
an
Below we give
interesting
Lranslation:-
History of the brass image the god "Chan Mo" in the Five Dragon Monastery.
of
at!
It
“Mr. Trang Shiu-wing anh Trang Foo bought the image Canton for a sum of $1,200. meusures 8 feet high, and weighs over 1,000 catties. At the left of it robe are inscribed the 13 char- acters, "Yam Chai Tuk Li Kwong) Tung Chu Chi Shi Pok Kim Kun Im" (Imperial Inspector-General of Canton Shipping and Salt Commis- signer). but the part beneath tàią has been torn away. At the right corner are found the 17 characters, "Tal Ming Man Lik Sam Shap Yat Nin Shui Chi Kwai Mau Kwai Chau Vase. Kat Yat Kin" (manufactured on a
A very fine 6 Coloured Kanghee
CHINA MAIL SPECIAL TOURISTS SUPPLEMENT.
I SEE EVERYTHING
THE SEVEN-EYE D
THE Sculptor of China is the old
TH
“ KWANGYIN.”
thing,
I promise! I warn! I give yon all; but,
Keep to my instructions."
est art we know and lately figures and animals have been found which are so perfect in design and life-like attitude that they well It is remarkable what influence compare with the best period of these figures have on everyone who' Greece.There is a pair of "Kwan-sees them. Ladies, especially, seem yin" exhibited at Messrs. Komor & to be hynotised and come again and Komor's art gallery, Chater Road again to see them and, as they say, and Thibetian origin supposed to foel happy and contented after be of the Sung Dynasty A.D. 959-gazing at the Kwanyin.
They are feet high and It is said that Buddhistic figures 1273.
certain wonderfully preserved. The right influence
persons and Chinese belief hand to right knee suggests "I according to swear by the earth." The left hand Buddhistic figure which fascinates with the eye upwards in attitude of you is sure to bring luck, health, teaching denotes
and happiness to you if you possess "I see everything, I see every-iit.
#
builder of the Temple, but unfor-jing destroyed. Can it be the case tunately his name has been torn that even a lifeless, object has its off. However, during the Dynasty time of prosperity and misfortune? of Shang Chuig many servants of
The Temple
2
the Imperial Household were sent Now Mr. Tsang having obtain- oat to make heavy levies on the led the image, has erected Income of merchants, and from temple for it at Kowloon under this we can deduce that the image the пате of the Five Dragon
of such servants, the Monastery from which it lucky day in the 9th moon of the power of the Emperor was extend was brought to Kwong Tong from Temple the very original name of Kwai Mau year, i... the Thirty-ed to the farthest country. Indeed Peking by one First year of Man Lik of the Great the different temples built in hon and was enshrined in a temple at Ming Dynasty).
came. This history in written for
On the back of jour of Chan Mo were as numerous/Canton after the name of the the advice of those who may wor manufacturer und the date of Iship the god. and pray him to re-
been engraved
manufacture 'had
the image there are 21 characters as stars in the sky." This shows in 3 rows, which read thus:-"Pak that the worship of this god was King Shun Tin Fu-Tai- Hing-Yuen more zealous in the Sung Dynasty on it, Cheung Chiu Wong. Tso Kun Teo than
move any cause of misfortune.
Written by the True Retired
in the reign of Yuen, and Alas! over 500-years have elaps-Scholar of Kowloon on the 15th!
Chu Chi To Shi Tong To Chan" therefore his temples could be ed since the Wing Lok Dynasty.of the 12th moon of the Yam Shuf (manufactured under the supervi- found everywhere in the Empire. sion of Cheung Chin and Wong Tao
of the Tai Hing District of the Shun Tin Prefecture, Peking and
-Made At Peking
was
Louis
the
Tel. 26718.
LOCK HING Established 1970.
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FAH LE FAH
The Fairy Of Disobedience.
NE of the most interesting
Ovor
Alvory pieces shown in Messrs. Komor & Komar'a 'ex- |hibits of art-is-ose solid-Ivory. tusk, figure, carved magnificent-
ly and standing, about 24 feet; high representing the fairy of Dis obedience, named "Fah le Fah” in Chinese. The age of this master fully worked figure is about 160 to 180 years old, namely, the Chien Lung Dynasty A.D. 1786-1795.
To give the full story of Fah le FAh would take too much time, but we are assured by Mr. Komor that whoever wishes to see this gor- gous figure and would like to know more about it, should visit his Art Exhibition and he will gladly explain further details.
Fah le Fab, the daughter of a great warrior, was made immortal through her bravery, The name Fairy of Disobedience
.sho got as disobeyed her father, who wanted her to marry a great man In his army, but she fell in love with the General of the enemy's army and disobeyed her parents and married her lover. Her father, being, very angry, took ble forces to destroy the enemy and only through the bravery and skill of Fah le Fal was her father's army defeated. The powers of the im- mortal Fah le Fah were great and the Chinese loved her bravery and up to this date are idolising her.
The image WIR removed from year (31.1:23). Peking Lo Canion, and again fram Chop of Chan Pak-to.
Retired of the True Chop a. Taoist Temple into a Buddhist | This brass Image was manufac Monastery and just some time ago Scholar of Kowloon (non-de-plume Tong To Chan, the Priest in lured under the supervision of it had a narrow escape from be-lof Chan Pak-to). Charge). The image was the pro-native of Tai ling of Shun Tin. perty of the Sze Tel Shim Lam From this we can tell that it was Monastery, and that it fell into the made at Peking and during the hands of some ordinary individuals Dynasty of Wing Lok. The date after the political change in the Kwai Mau of the Emperor Mau On reference to Lik inscribed thereon is the date San Hoi year. some Taoist Authorities, it has of the erection of the Temple and been found that "Chan Mo" was not the date of the manufacturu The Imperial In- born in the 3rd moon of the 3rd of the image. year of the Emperor Hoi of the apestor-General of Canton Ship- He was born aping and Salt Commissioner engrav- Tani Dynasty.
image, on the divine #age. He took oath to ed remove all evil spirits, and to pro- tect the people. He gave up his secular life, and took up the study of Taolem. After pursuing hlaj study in Mo Tung Hill for 48 years, he succeeded in becoming an immortal: He took the North under his protection. He showed his appearance on the solicitation of any man, and suppressed any evil spirit when asked to. came down among the people every Kang San or Kap. Tax day, and every 3rd or 7th day, to remove all ceuses of misfortune. "It is stated In the Annals of the Mo Tung Hill that the place where Chan Moʻre- sided in retirement, was the Rive During the Dragon Monastery, "Dynasties of the Emperors Tong Tai Chung and Bung Chan Chung, he showed great divine prodigy on different occasions, and much more In the Yuen and Ming Dynasties. When the Emperor Bhai Tso of the Yuen Dynasty first established hist capital at Peking, he revealed the appearance of his Divine Tortolge and Brake on the Ko Lang river In the 12th moon of the year, phearing the foundation of the Sung Dynasty. A templs/wAL therefore built for kli
He
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