Nanping temple being restored to past grandeur

Hong Kung Temple in Nanping Town has been rebuilt after more than six months of renovations and now awaits facelift of wall paintings, statues, and ornaments before being fully restored to its former splendor.

In the 1960s, the temple was heavily damaged and served for some time as a warehouse and business place. An elderly Nanping villager surnamed Rong recalled that in his childhood the temple received much pilgrimage as people streamed in to pray for good health on traditional festivities. Then, after years of neglect, the temple regained the spotlight in 2000 when Hong Kong movie star Stephen Chow shot Shaolin Soccer, a martial arts sports comedy, there.

The rebuilt structure passed inspection at the end of last year. It was originally constructed on the corner of West Avenue in 1871 -- the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Tung Chih (Tongzhi) during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was then dedicated to Li Lie, a meritorious general who safeguarded the country in Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). Li was considered to be proficient at war, culture, and medicine. There are Hong Kung temples in Hong Kong and Macao and at other sites in the Pearl River Estuary basin.

Hong Kung Temple

The architecture is a fusion of northern post-and-lintel with southern column-and-tie structures. It features fire-protecting gray bricks on a flush gable roof. The temple, which is 26 m (28.4 yd) wide, 28 m (30.6 yd) deep, and 5.2 m (5.7 yd) high, has two tiers, each with three rooms.

Inscription 

In 2011, Hong Kung Temple was listed among 91 immovable cultural relics of Xiangzhou District during the third national archaeological survey.

The temple is of historical and humanistic value for being a setting for local folk customs and beliefs. At the same time, it harbors precious architecture and historical relics. Covering nearly 1,000 sq m (a quarter acre), the temple is impressive in size within Zhuhai and even the Pearl River Delta area. A well-preserved bell tower is unlike any other, said an official from the Xiangzhou Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau.