Following is a question by the Hon Alan Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (November 11):

Question:

     Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, collectively known as the Three Teachings, are the cornerstones of traditional Chinese culture. The area of Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill is home to Wong Tai Sin Temple (Taoism), Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden (Buddhism), and the Confucius Temple (Confucianism) under planning, forming within the same area a unique cultural landmark in the country that incorporates the elements of the Three Teachings. Visitors can explore Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist architecture within a short distance and gain an understanding of the rich heritage of Chinese culture. This is highly appealing to visitors to Hong Kong and also gives full effect to the concept of "Tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether the authorities have integrated the attractions associated with Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in the area of Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill into a themed route for local and overseas promotion; of the respective estimated numbers of visitors a year and visitor satisfaction levels for the relevant attractions in each of the past three years; what specific plans have been drawn up by the authorities to promote the Confucius Temple upon its completion, and whether they will introduce immersive cultural experiences (such as seminars or ceremonial rituals);

(2) as a large number of visitors rely on the Mass Transit Railway for travelling, whether the authorities will explore the following with the MTR Corporation Limited to enhance station facilities and the recognisability of the attractions:
(i) incorporating the architectural features of the attractions into the major exits of the stations (such as incorporating the timber bracket structures of Chi Lin Nunnery and the ceremonial settings at temples of Confucius into Diamond Hill Station, and the painted archway of Wong Tai Sin Temple into Wong Tai Sin Station) to build distinctive cultural exits;
(ii) installing information dashboards on the history of the integrated development of the Three Teachings and their architectural features in the concourses or on the platforms of Wong Tai Sin Station and Diamond Hill Station; and
(iii) adding supplementary station names referring to the attractions on platform station signs, route maps or in public announcements (such as adding "Chi Lin Nunnery/Confucius Temple" at Diamond Hill Station), without changing the statutory station names, so as to facilitate visitors in identifying the attractions; and

(3) whether the authorities will establish an interdepartmental task force (led by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau in collaboration with the Development Bureau and the Transport and Logistics Bureau) to undertake integrated planning for the walking environment, parking spaces for tourist coaches, directional signs and smart audio guides in the cultural district; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

     The Government has all along been utilising Hong Kong's rich tourism resources to promote tourism products with different characteristics and themes. As indicated in the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address, the Government will expand "Tourism+" joint initiatives by connecting various activities with tourism, thereby enhancing our attractiveness, lengthening visitors' stay in Hong Kong and driving value-added growth. All policy bureaux are actively taking forward the development of "Tourism+" and promoting the implementation of "Tourism+" initiatives related to their respective policy areas, such as "Finance+Tourism", "Ecological conservation+Green Tourism", "Heritage+Tourism" and "Religion+Tourism". The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will proactively promote "Tourism+" projects to visitors, allowing them to experience the diverse charm of Hong Kong.

     Having consulted the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the reply to the question raised by the Hon Alan Chan is as follows:

(1) Hong Kong possesses highly distinctive religious and cultural resources. The Working Group on Developing Tourist Hotspots, led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, announced in October this year that it will progressively roll out tourist hotspot projects covering different themes, which include promoting immersive religious and cultural tours. The Government will further explore using temples as the core element to connect historical buildings and monuments of cultural value across various districts, thereby creating itineraries for immersive temple cultural tours, providing visitors with a more in-depth cultural experience.

     Separately, the Culture and Promotion Working Group under the Chinese Temples Committee of the HYAB formulates publicity and promotion strategies on an annual basis to promote activities for the inheritance of Chinese traditional culture related to Chinese temples. In 2026-27, the Committee will collaborate with the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre to organise talks and workshops on Chinese temple culture. The Committee will also organise regular Chinese temple cultural promotion activities, assist the HKTB in promoting religious tourism, as well as fund traditional Chinese festive celebrations and other activities by organisations to promote Chinese temple culture to residents and visitors.

     In terms of promotion, the HKTB has set up a dedicated page with the temple theme on Discover Hong Kong, its one-stop tourism information platform, listing out in detail the temples and good places for blessings in the area of Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill, such as Chi Lin Nunnery, Nan Lian Garden and Wong Tai Sin Temple. This allows visitors to learn about the history and culture of different temples and their related religions, facilitating their itinerary planning. The HKTB is also targeting source markets that are enthusiastic about temple culture, such as Thailand, by inviting the media and the travel trade to personally visit different religion-related attractions, and producing various programmes and special promotions to attract visitors to Hong Kong.

(2) The CSTB notes that the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has been enhancing passenger experience through various aspects, including the provision of clear and easy-to-understand travel guidance, the integration of artworks manifesting history and development of the local community into station designs, as well as the provision of tourist information on its online thematic platform "Discover Local Flavors and Hidden Gems in Hong Kong". Currently, attractions such as Wong Tai Sin Temple, Chi Lin Nunnery, and Nan Lian Garden have been listed on the entrance/exit signs and station street maps of relevant MTR stations. Relevant tourist routes and information are also available on MTR's "Discover Local Flavors and Hidden Gems in Hong Kong" thematic platform. Furthermore, the MTRCL has exhibited artworks relevant to the local district respectively in the station concourse adit of Diamond Hill Station and the concourse of Wong Tai Sin Station. This enables passengers to appreciate the district's unique historical context and community landscape during their daily commute, thereby connecting the community through rail. The Government will continue to encourage the MTRCL, whilst taking into account the station environment, operational needs and overall network consistency, to assist in promoting Hong Kong's historical, cultural and touristic characteristics through its networks and facilities.  

     The Tourism Commission has also installed a total of 13 pieces of visitor signage in Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill through the Visitor Signage Improvement Scheme, assisting visitors' wayfinding to Chi Lin Nunnery, Nan Lian Garden and Wong Tai Sin Temple from major public transport interchanges such as MTR stations and bus terminals. 

(3) The Government currently has different interdepartmental coordination mechanisms to handle matters such as tourism supporting facilities and planning at district level. Prior to the Mainland Golden Weeks and major festivals, the Chief Secretary for Administration chairs the interdepartmental working group meeting on festival arrangements to comprehensively co-ordinate and steer the preparatory work of various policy bureaux and government departments for receiving visitors during peak periods of Mainland visitor arrivals, ensuring the smooth operation of crowd management, transport connections and various supporting facilities. At district level, relevant departments may also seek assistance from the respective District Offices and District Councils on consultation work.

     Furthermore, the Government is dedicated to providing suitable transport facilities in the Wong Tai Sin District to facilitate coaches in carrying visitors to attractions in the district. Currently, Wong Tai Sin Road near the Wong Tai Sin Temple provides a public coach park with 25 parking spaces and roadside bus laybys with six pick-up/set-down spaces. In addition, Sheung Yuen Street near Nan Lian Garden also provides a car park with 15 parking spaces and four pick-up/set-down spaces for coach use. Furthermore, footpaths and pedestrian crossing facilities of sufficient width have already been set up in the vicinity of the relevant attractions to facilitate visitors walking from nearby transport facilities to these attractions. The Government will continue to monitor the pedestrian walking environment, traffic and parking demand near these attractions, and implement appropriate improvement measures in a timely manner to create a comfortable travel experience for visitors.

Ends/Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:30

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