IN THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY A.D. THE SOUTHERN SUNG EMPEROR TUEN CHUNG WAS ATTACHED BY THE MONGOL CONQUERORS OF THE NORTH. DRIVEN FROM HIS PROVISIONAL CAPITAL AT HANG CHOW, THE EMPEROR RETREATED SOUTHWARDS THROUGH FUKIEN AND ON TO KWANGTUNG PROVINCE, STOPPING TEMPORARILY AT MORE THAN THIRTY PLACES ON HIS WAY. BESIDES THE WELL-KNOWN PALACE AT NGAI MUN IN THE SAN WUI DISTRICT OF KWANGTUNG, THAT AT SAU SHAN BY THE PEARL RIVER WAS BEEN FULLY DESCRIBED IN THE IMPERIAL RECORDS WHICH WERE PUBLISHED IN THE YUEN DYNASTY. SUCH BUILDINGS PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF THE EFFORT OF THE SUNG EMPEROR AND HIS MINISTERS TO MAKE THAT STAND AGAINST THEIR ENEMIES WHICH HAS LONG BEEN CHERISHED IN THE PEOPLES’ MINDS.
IN THE SPRING OF 1277 DURING THE SECOND YEAR OF HIS REIGN, THE EMPEROR LEFT KAP TSZ MUN OF WAI CHAU DISTRICT IN SOUTH KWANGTUNG, AND REACHED MUI WAI. IN THE FOURTH MOON HE ARRIVED AT KWUN FU CHEUNG, A DISTRICT WHICH INCLUDED PRESENT-DAY KOWLOON, THE NEW TERRITORIES AND NEIGHBORING AREAS. IN THIS DISTRICT THERE WAS A HILL CALLED KWUN FU SHAN, WHICH IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN WHERE ARGYLE STREET NOW IS. THE SAN ON DISTRICT RECORDS PUBLISHED DURING THE REIGN OF KA HING (A.D. 1796-1820) STATE:
“KWUN FU SHAN LIES TO THE EAST OF KAP SHUI MUN AND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF FAT TONG MUN. THE ROYAL BARGE ANCHORED HERE, NEAR WHERE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EMPEROR’S PALACE STILL STAND.”
FAT TONG MUN IS THE PASSAGE LYING BETWEEN THE MAINLAND AND LAM TONG ISLAND, TO THE EAST OF LEI YUE MUN.
IN THE CHAPTER “KWUN FU CHU PAT”, MEANING KWUN FU WHERE THE EMPEROR HALTED WHEN ON TOUR, THE SAME RECORDS CONTAIN THIS SECTION UNDER THE HEADING “COURT CIRCUIT”.
“IN THE FOURTH MOON OF THE YEAR TING CHAU (A.D. 1277) THE ROYAL BARGE ARRIVED AT THIS PLACE. WHERE THE IMPERIAL PALACE WAS ERECTED. THE PLINTHS AND PILLARS AS WELL AS THE SITE OF THIS PALACE WERE STILL EXTANT, UNTIL THE LOCAL RESIDENTS BUILT ON THE SITE A TEMPLE DEDICATED TO PAK TAI.”
IT IS NOW OVER A HUNDRED YEARS SINCE THIS WAS WRITTEN, AND DURING THAT TIME OLD LANDMARKS HAVE LONG SINCE BEEN ALTERED OR REMOVED. THE TRUE SITE OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE IS NOW UNKNOWN, BUT THE SCHOLAR CHAN PAK-TO HAS REPORTED THAT THERE IS KNOW TO HAVE BEEN A VILLAGE CALLED YEE WONG TIN, THE PALACE OF TWO KINGS, ON THE RIGHT OF THE PAK TAI TEMPLE. BUT THIS TEMPLE HAS ITSELF BEEN AT SOME TIME MOVED AND REBUILT. THE SITE OF THE VILLAGE OF THE PALACE OF TWO KINGS IS ALSO THEREFORE UNCERTAIN, ALTHOUGH AN OLD MAP SUGGESTS THAT IT WAY HAVE BEEN TO THE WEST OF SING SHAN WHICH LAY SOUTH OF THE ORIGINAL SUNG WONG TOI. THERE WAS HOWEVER YET ANOTHER TEMPLE NEARBY, ONCE KNOW AS THE TEMPLE OF THE SUPREME RULER. IT WAS BUILT WHERE THIS REST GARDEN NOW IS.
THIS TEMPLE OF THE SUPREME RULER HAD WITHIN IT IS A STONE TABLET RECORDING THAT PAK TAI TEMP LE I N THE OLD MA TAU WAI VILLAGE, WHICH USED TO BE KNOWN AS KWU KAN WAI, WAS REPAIRED DURING THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR KIN LUNG (A.D. 1736-1796). THAT PAK TAI TEMPLE IS BELIEVED BY SOME TO HAVE BEEN THE SAME AS THE ONE MENTIONED IN THE SAN ON DISTRICT RECORDS AND BUILT ON THE SITE OR THE ORIGINAL PALACE AT KWUN FU. WHETHER THIS IS SO OR NOT, IT LATER DISAPPEARED FROM WITHIN THE OLD MA TAU WAI VILLAGE, AND THEREAFTER THE VILLAGE ELDERS USED TO PERFORM THEIR SACRIFICES AT THE TEMPLE OF THE SUPREME RULER.
TO THE EAST OF TEMPLE OF THE SUPREME RULER WAS THE FORMER SUNG WONG TOI, A ROCK FROM WHICH HAS BEEN PRESERVED IN THE SUNG WONG TOI GARDEN. THE LAND FOR SEVERAL MILES AROUND USED TO BE ARABLE PLAIN, AND CONTAINED RICE FIELDS WATERED BY STREAMS. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN AN AGREEABLE PLACE FOR THE HARD-PRESSED EMPEROR TUEN CHUNG TO STOP.TRACES MAY WELL BE LEFT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF HALTS MADE BY THE EMPEROR AND HIS MINISTERS IN THEIR RETREAT BEFORE THE MONGOLS, AND THE FORMER TEMPLE OF THE SUPREME RULER MAY INDEED BE ONE OF THESE TRACES AND THUS PROVIDE A LINK IN THE HISTORY OF KOWLOON.
THE TEMPLE ITSELF FELL INTO RUIN LONG AGO, LEAVING ONLY THE LINTEL OF ITS MAIN DOOR, WHICH WAS HERE INTACT IN COMMEMORATION, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS MADE THIS REST GARDEN WHICH, LIKE THE NEARBY SUNG WONG TOI GARDEN, PROVIDES IN ITS REMINDER OF PAST HISTORY MORE THAN A PLACE OF REST.
MR. KAN YAU-MAN OF SUN WUI WAS FIRST TO RECOMMEND TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THE PRESERVATION OF THE ANCIENT TEMPLE LINTEL AND THE CREATION OF THIS REST GARDEN.
MR. YIU CHUNG-YEE, WHOSE NAME IS ALSO SPELLED JAO TSUNG-I, OF CHIU ON PREPARED THE CHINESE ACCOUNT OF THE HISTORY OF THIS PLACE.
THE GARDEN WAS COMPLETED ON SEPTEMBER 1ST 1962 AND OPENED BY DR. R.H.S. LEE M.B.E.
Old versions at the same garden:
The disappeared temple by ryandroid
"The disappeared temple" - reloaded by dominhk
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