The Sha Tin area is large Hong Kong "suburb" along the East Railway MTR Line (stations Tai Wai, Sha Tin, and Fo Tan) but is also accessible via the Wu Kai Sha Line at the Che Kung Temple and Sha Tin Wai MTR stops. The 10,000 Buddhas Monastery and it's golden Buddha lined climb up is the only individual "stand out" attraction, however, if you combine a few other stops and dinner at Chan Kun Kee in the Wo Che Estates public housing complex, you will have a pretty complete afternoon. There's lots of walking and a few of the sites can be a bit difficult to recognize.
You can start the Sha Tin exploration at Tai Wai, the southern most Sha Tin area MTR Station. West of the train station is an old village area - Tai Wai village - and I stopped at Uchi Coffee and Sha Tin Chicken Congee. Using this coffee shop and restaurant as a destination point will allow you to have a good overview of the Tai Wai village structure.
After Tai Wai you can walk back to the MTR Station and take the Wu Kai Sha line to Che Kung Temple. Che Kung Temple, a Taoist temple, is just south of the MTR Station. It was small but still interesting to see and worth a stop if you are coming all the way out here from Central.
Walking north from Che Kung Temple I passed Tsang Tai Uk, an old walled village from the late 1800s. From the walkway, the outside of the village is now a parking lot and some recent plastering on the outside partially hides the buildings historical interior. Inside much of the housing units show the comforts of modernization - washing machines, satellite dishes, etc. - but the building retains its original character and there is a great hall room reminiscent of what I saw in Wuyuan.
Continuing the walk north will lead to the the Sha Tin Wai MTR. I went NE of the station to Sha Tin Wai Village. Most of the buildings in the Sha Tin Wai area are public housing but this small village area shows the architecture and housing bridge between the late 1800s walled villages and today's public housing high rises. Most units were single homes, albeit likely with multiple dwellers. I walked by two rooms of old ladies playing Mah Jong. There were quiet pedestrian only walkways that led through the village area.
From here I crossed the Shing Mun River to reach the east side of San Tin where I climbed a ton of stairs to reach the top of the 10,000 Buddha Monastery. Fortunately there are a few hundred Buddhas lining the stairs as you climb to the top keeping you enjoyably distracted from the elevation climb. At the monastery the prayer hall has a couple thousand Buddhas displayed on the walls and a few ornaments in the center. It was a much quicker walk down. It can be a bit difficult from maps to determine where to access the Monastery stairs - the entrance way is to the left of the Home Square Mall at the end of Sheung Wo Che Road. If you arrive from Sha Tin Wai (vs. Sha Tin MTR Station) you will not see any signs to guide your way.
For dinner I walked a little farther north to Chan Kun Kee a restaurant in a Sha Tin cooked food center. The pepper shrimp were decent enough to head back for a second meal but it was a great outdoor dining atmosphere that I really like. Chan Kun Kee is located in a public housing block and is a good way to complete an afternoon of local sites and experiences.
You can start the Sha Tin exploration at Tai Wai, the southern most Sha Tin area MTR Station. West of the train station is an old village area - Tai Wai village - and I stopped at Uchi Coffee and Sha Tin Chicken Congee. Using this coffee shop and restaurant as a destination point will allow you to have a good overview of the Tai Wai village structure.
After Tai Wai you can walk back to the MTR Station and take the Wu Kai Sha line to Che Kung Temple. Che Kung Temple, a Taoist temple, is just south of the MTR Station. It was small but still interesting to see and worth a stop if you are coming all the way out here from Central.
Walking north from Che Kung Temple I passed Tsang Tai Uk, an old walled village from the late 1800s. From the walkway, the outside of the village is now a parking lot and some recent plastering on the outside partially hides the buildings historical interior. Inside much of the housing units show the comforts of modernization - washing machines, satellite dishes, etc. - but the building retains its original character and there is a great hall room reminiscent of what I saw in Wuyuan.
Continuing the walk north will lead to the the Sha Tin Wai MTR. I went NE of the station to Sha Tin Wai Village. Most of the buildings in the Sha Tin Wai area are public housing but this small village area shows the architecture and housing bridge between the late 1800s walled villages and today's public housing high rises. Most units were single homes, albeit likely with multiple dwellers. I walked by two rooms of old ladies playing Mah Jong. There were quiet pedestrian only walkways that led through the village area.
From here I crossed the Shing Mun River to reach the east side of San Tin where I climbed a ton of stairs to reach the top of the 10,000 Buddha Monastery. Fortunately there are a few hundred Buddhas lining the stairs as you climb to the top keeping you enjoyably distracted from the elevation climb. At the monastery the prayer hall has a couple thousand Buddhas displayed on the walls and a few ornaments in the center. It was a much quicker walk down. It can be a bit difficult from maps to determine where to access the Monastery stairs - the entrance way is to the left of the Home Square Mall at the end of Sheung Wo Che Road. If you arrive from Sha Tin Wai (vs. Sha Tin MTR Station) you will not see any signs to guide your way.
For dinner I walked a little farther north to Chan Kun Kee a restaurant in a Sha Tin cooked food center. The pepper shrimp were decent enough to head back for a second meal but it was a great outdoor dining atmosphere that I really like. Chan Kun Kee is located in a public housing block and is a good way to complete an afternoon of local sites and experiences.
PHOTOS
For additional Sha Tin photos see FLICKR ALBUM.