Urban Sacred Spaces and Cultural History: A Spatial Study of Hong Kong’s Buddhist Architecture

In urban areas, cities act as living records of social and historical migration patterns. Over time, these migration waves have significantly reshaped the demographic makeup, as well as the secular and religious landscape of Hong Kong. Despite this, only a handful of sacred sites have managed to endure for over a century in urban environments. This study hypothesizes that heritage sites could provide valuable insights into religious migratory changes, the emergence of new places of worship, and the adaptive reuse of religious spaces. This essay examines the heritagization of Tung Lin Kok Yuen, encompassing its architectural and cultural heritage, and its role in facilitating the dissemination of Chinese Buddhism from China to Hong Kong and subsequently to Canada, spanning from the early 20th century to the contemporary era. This research will use Henri Lefebvre's concept of abstract space to explore space beyond its physical dimension. Space is not only a physical or geometric entity but also a system of verbal signs and intellectual constructs. With this in mind, the study will investigate the effects of urban renewal projects on the living Buddhist heritage, which alters our perception of space by displacing existing communities and reshaping neighborhoods. The data collection method will involve examining archives and conducting interviews.