About Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
In Diamond Hill, a complex of cypress-wood halls holds together with joinery alone, without a single nail. Founded in 1934 as a retreat for Buddhist nuns, Chi Lin Nunnery was rebuilt in 1998 in the Tang dynasty style and has 16 halls, a library, a pagoda, a bell tower and a drum tower, on grounds of more than 33,000 m².
Across the street is Nan Lian Garden, a classical Chinese garden of about 35,000 m², also in the Tang style and maintained by the nunnery itself. The halls and the garden are open every day, with no admission fee. The noise of Kowloon vanishes the moment you pass through the gate, and returns in full when you leave.
