Vignettes of the World
Perhaps the way that I toured Arashiyama did not comport with the spirit of Zen. By this time, at around noon or so, I had toured the bamboo grove, the Tenryu-ji Temple, the Okochi-Sanso Villa and the Jojakko-ji Temple. Then I was rushing to Nison-in …
After touring the Okochi-Sanso Villa, I made my way to the Jojakko-ji Temple, also in the vicinity. In terms of natural environ, the Jojakko-ji Temple brings to the large selection of temple visits in Arashiyama another kind of aura. The red foliage at Jojakko-ji Temple …
Along the theme of autumn foliage, I visited the Xianhu Botanical Park in Shenzhen a couple days ago. The day of visit is January 16, 2025. There is an admission fee of RMB 15 yuan for entrance between 8:00am and 6:00pm. The park is open from 6am to 9:30pm.
Photo: At the entrance, namely “the most beautiful carpark in China”
Meaning “The Fairy Lake” in Chinese, the Xianhu Botanical Park spans an enormous area of 546 acres. On the east of the park stands Shenzhen’s tallest Wutong Mountain. On its west lies the Shenzhen Reservoir. This fact alone shows the park’s significance as a site of both natural conservation and research.
It takes time to see the most significant features in the park (perhaps a whole day). Those who visit the park for religious purposes would certainly head to the Hongfa Temple, which is a large temple complex.
The other prominent features of the Xianhu Botanical Park are the three bodies of water, namely the Shaluo Pond (see below), the Fairy Lake (Xianhu) and the Mirror Lake (Jinghu). For photography, likely the Fairy Lake, which is the largest, will feature the most beautiful colors.
Besides the lakes, there are some themed sections of the park that are interesting. For example, there is a cacti and succulent plant section, a rare tree arboretum, a fern corner, herbal garden, and bonsai garden and rhododendron section etc. The park focuses its efforts to the research and protection of tropical and subtropical species.
You can certainly see how much this park offers in terms of attractions. Therefore do wear very comfortable shoes and prepare for quite a bit of walk there. There are leisure facilities in the park as well, such as a coffee shop close by the Fairy Lake that offers light refreshments.
We had very limited time, so we only opted for the small and closer pond to visit. At the Shaluo Pond, there is a loop to go around the waters to see the different views. The walk is quick, for only about a half hour.
At this time of the year, the Bald Cypress at the pond seems to have waned in its colors. We enjoyed the views anyway, and this park is so significant that I would consider coming back to see its other features.
As opposed to the Lianhuashan Park in Futian, the Xianhu Botanical Park is at an even larger scale. In Lianhuashan Park, you are within a beautiful nature carved out from an otherwise urban landscape. The Xianhu Botanical Park, on the other hand, is more like an ecosystem on its own. It is comparable to a national park.
From the entrance, the walk to the Shaluo Pond takes about 20 minutes. It is a much smaller area than the Fairy Lake (Xianhu), but the ambience is beautiful. We saw quite a bit of wildlife there, including fish and birds.
The park is so big that there are buses running on site to take visitors around. The buses cost RMB 3 yuan per trip. While these buses run through some of the key sites in the park, a whole lot of the park area is not covered by the bus route. We walked to Shaluo Pond, but took the bus back to the entrance point.
In comparison, the Lianhuashan Park in Futian would take about a half a day to see most of the features. The Xianhu Botanical Garden would take a whole day. It really is that much bigger. There was also almost no community life in the Xianhu Botanical Garden. Properly considered, the Xianhu Botanical Garden is a site for local tourism.
The Xianhu Botanical Park is located in Liantang, Shenzhen, in a very convenient location. For Hong Kong visitors, the way to go is to take Green Top Minibus Route 59S and get off at the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Crossing. This minibus picks up passengers at the main minibus terminal just outside of the Sheung Shui MTR Station. Do note that even on weekdays there are always long lines for this minibus. The minibuses do come in a continuous stream, so be prepared to wait for just 15-20 minutes to get on one.
Once you cross the boundary, follow instructions to take the subway at the Liantang Checkpoint Station. Then get off at the next stop at Xianhu Lu Station (Xianhu Road), and walk about 10 minutes to the entrance of the park.
The Hong Kong Wetland Park is a large conservation park featuring mangroves in Tin Shui Wai, northwestern Hong Kong. On this day I went to the Wetland Park for red foliage photography. The day of visit is January 17, 2025. The admission fee for the …
I have been doing a whole lot of autumn excursions, particularly in photographing red foliage scenery. There have been innumerable posts online showing the beautiful Bald Cypress in Lau Shui Heung. I have previously written about the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail loop, and so …
We picked a restaurant randomly for Restaurant Week and came across CulinArt 1862. We figured that it was part of the Towngas Avenue brand dining establishment because of its location and the 1862 reference. This has inspired me to look a bit deeper into Towngas and its history.
In the mid 19th century, the early colonial days were filled with darkness and I mean it literally. Towngas began its first chapter when a certain William Glen secured the concession from the Hong Kong Governor to supply gas to the city of Victoria in 1861. In 1862, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company was incorporated with mostly British shareholders (in Britain). In 1864, Hong Kong’s mains and gas lamps were lit for the first time.
This brings us back to the gas lamps on Duddell Street. When Towngas started, the first beneficiaries of its power supply were the street lamps of Central and other designated buildings. At the time, the street lamps numbered about 500. Now, only four gas lamps remain in all of Hong Kong. They are lit automatically, but still powered by gas, and they all stand at the Duddell Street steps now as historic monuments.
It was not until 28 years later when the lamps of Kowloon would be lit. The first gas plant was located in West Point (near now Whitty Street in Shek Tong Tsui). In 1892, the gas plant in Jordan began operations, thus providing the power that lit the homes and businesses of Kowloon.
For 90 years Towngas was actually operated out of its office in Britain and managed by British persons. In 1982, the company transferred its registration to Hong Kong instead and only then did it officially assume the new status as a local Hong Kong company.
Towngas has been powering Hong Kong since 1862 and this is not a marketing statement. When electricity became widely available in the late 19th century, the company has had to do a serious repositioning in the power market. It found exclusive applicability in gas-powered water heater and gas stoves. This smart move has ensured an enduring existence of the business, eventually leading the company to develop a broad spectrum of modern sources of business and power applicability, such as natural gas, smart gas meters, telecommunication networks, kitchenware and appliances, gas-powered appliances and airplane fuel. It has also managed to supply gas to public housing estates. All these efforts have proven to be long lasting sources of revenue.
In my entry about the Dai Pai Dong’s in Hong Kong, I have discussed the idea of “wok hey,” meaning “the fiery fumes of the wok.” The idea is that the high heat in a fuming wok and the repeated churning motion of wok-frying forces out the flavors of the ingredients and retains the temperature of the food served. It is no exaggeration to say that Towngas is the single most important enabler of the wok hey that earns Hong Kong Cantonese food its fame. It takes an open fire to engender the wok hey in the food, and gas stoves are necessary. Electric stoves can never generate wok hey.
Towngas Avenue is one of the few creative ways in which Towngas raises new initiatives in business and community. Its first restaurant began business in the year 2000 in Tsim Sha Tsui. Flame was then opened in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2009.
The idea of operating restaurants by Towngas came about from the company’s wish to modernize its customer service centers. In an earlier era, the Towngas customer service centers served the power-related needs of Hong Kong people by offering gas equipment repairment and sales, bill payment and kitchen utensil and bathroom appliance sales. Foot traffic was dwindling due to the automation of bill payment and customer hotlines. The need for innovation arose.
In 2000, Towngas rolled out Towngas Avenue after a few rounds of consultation. It had this name because of its retail bent. An avenue is where different kinds of shops open for business, and the name of this initiative was intended to indicate an increasingly diverse business.
The idea of a power company running a diversified business portfolio to include a restaurant might have been the first in the world. Originally, the idea was to run a coffee shop. Eventually, a restaurant turned out to be a bolder attempt that promotes open flame cooking, as such much more in line with Towngas’ core business.
The first restaurant featured an open kitchen. There was also an element of “interaction,” whereby a camera records the process of open flame cooking and shows it to patrons in real time. Patrons could actually cook their own meals as well. The marketing effect was intended all along, as the Towngas brand of retail products are front and center in the showroom kitchen.
Furthermore, the Towngas Cooking Centre also offers cooking classes for both adults and children. It even offers diploma courses.
CulinArt 1862 is the latest addition in Towngas’ restaurant portfolio. Its location is significant as it stands at the Towngas flagship store in Causeway Bay. The dining space is excellent. As to the quality of the food, I will let readers be the judge.
The Towngas website.
Dan Waters, Hong Kong Hongs with Long Histories and British Connections, 20 J. of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch 219 (1990).
Metro Radio, The Golden Plaque, Episode 22.
The Jao Tsung-I Academy celebrates and memorializes the legendary life of Jao Tsung-I, a sinologist of many talents in arts and history. I took a walk at the venue and joined a public tour. The Life of Jao Tsung-I Jao Tsung-I was very accomplished in …
The bloggers and photographers in Hong Kong have been raving about the red foliage that has lined up the public parks in Shenzhen. I jumped on the bandwagon and visited two parks. I first visited the Sihai Park in Shekou, then headed over to the …
I had limited time in the day. My reserved table at the Unagiya Hirokawa Restaurant would be up at 2pm, and I spent too much time at the bamboo grove. After some debate, I decided that I would see the Okochi-Sanso Villa, despite initial doubts. It turned out to be a very good decision.
In the last entry, I recommended seeing three sites in Arashiyama if one is crunched for time. I named the bamboo grove, the Tenryu-ji Temple and the Okochi-Sanso Villa. The reason is that these three choices give visitors a taste of some things that Arashiyama stands for. The bamboo grove is photogenic in its own right. The Tenryu-ji Temple presents the royal and the religious in one.
The Okochi-Sanso Villa features beautiful landscaping, fantastic aerial and mountain views, a touch of the contemporary films, and the exceptional life of a Japanese actor. These three sites are also in proximity with each other, making it a sensible choice to do all.
Most of the structures at the Okochi-Sanso Villa were built over a period of 30 years in the early 20th century. Nestled in the ridges on the south side of Mount Ogura, the estate is part of the legacy of the famous actor Denjiro Okochi. He extended significant effort in building the landscapes that reflect his philosophy in nature as part of his Buddhist faith. After he passed away in 1962, his spouse continued to manage the estate, but eventually decided to open it for visits by the public. It remains a private property managed by the family.
The Okochi-Sanso Villa in Arashiyama is the former home of Japanese actor Denjiro Okochi. Born Masuo Obe in 1898, Denjiro was born into a family of physicians. He started training at the Shinkokugeki (New National Theater) and studied acting. He was known for the jidaigeki (period drama) genre, which featured sword fights and sword plays. Eventually, Denjiro Okochi became famous in the chanbara (sword-fighting) samurai films.
The period drama refers “to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868” (Wikipedia on Jidaigeki). Perhaps quite naturally, the dramas that are inspired by the pre-Meiji period would focus on the lives of the samurai, as the warriors for the Daimyo, those feudal lords having the status of just one rank below the shoguns. The samurai originated from the Heian period, which began when Emperor Kanmu moved the seat of the capital from Nara to Kyoto.
The samurai class emerged from this period of Japanese history. Many of the samurai clans were themselves noblemen, as descendants of the imperial family. When the Emperor demanded military protection, he relied on the large extensions of the imperial family that were given lordship status by the Emperor. They owned land and had power as the Daimyo. Some of the extended imperial descendants became professional fighters, known as the samurai.
Popular representation of the samurai era is very much romanticized and readers would be able to readily recognize the style of film that typified the samurai silent films. The dark tones, the samurai spirit of honor, the makeup that accentuates the pronounced eyebrows, certain ways that language is spoken etc. Besides the samurai, the merchants, famers, the daimyo and even the shoguns are featured in jidaigeki period dramas.
Denjiro Okochi rose to the peak of his acting career in the 1920’s silent films, until he ceased acting in 1961. He passed away the following year.
Upon paying an entrance fee of ¥1000, you will enter the beautiful landscaped gardens of the Okochi-Sanso Villa. A leisurely stroll in the villa grounds will take you through some of the most fantastic open-air views in Arashiyama. Looking eastward, you will see Kyoto city afar. Looking westward, you will see the mountainous Arashiyama in the colors of all spectrum.
The Jibutsu-do is a small Buddhist shrine. It was built in the Meiji period, and Denjiro Okochi had the whole structure taken into his villa. It is said that he used to meditate here, the very first structure in his garden villa. He then developed the rest of the estate over a few decades.
After seeing beautiful landscaped gardens, make your way to Myoko-an Hall, which lies above the main entrance.
After Denjiro died in 1962, his spouse Taeka lived here “to guard the garden.” This structure was rebuilt in the 50th anniversary of Denjiro Okochi’s passing. You will take off your shoes in Myoko-an Hall. In here time seems to flow in a different rhythm with unrivaled serenity. Denjiro Okochi was a great admirer of Zen.
The last venue to visit would be the open air museum showing some of the stills of the movies in which Denjiro Okochi starred. It was short but captured the key accomplishments of his illustrious life.
The Wikipedia on Denjiro Okochi.
The Wikipedia on Jidaigeki.
Descriptions on site at the Okochi-Sanso Villa.
Descriptions on site at the Samurai Museum in Kyoto.
If you have only limited time in Arashiyama, I highly recommend three sites to visit: the bamboo grove, the Tenryu-ji Temple and the Okochi-Sanso Villa. After walking the bamboo grove, I entered the Tenryu-ji Temple via the North Gate. One dominant theme of the temples …