On the evolution of the architectural style of Tao Fong Shan

The characteristic architectural style of Tao Fong Shan in Hong Kong is unique inthe sense that this Christian institution looks exactly like a traditional ChineseBuddhist monastery. What kind of secret exists behind this seemingly uncoordinatedappearance? The two names of Karl Ludvig Reichelt and Johannes Prip-Møller are closelyconnected with Tao Fong Shan buildings, but few people know how exactly the Norwegianfounder of The Christian Church for China’s Buddhists met and cooperated with the Danisharchitect in designing these buildings. The present paper is an effort to retrace theinitial vision of architectural style for Tao Fong Shan shared by Reichelt andPrip-Møller, as well as the evolution of the later designs at different stages. Reicheltfound many common features between Chinese Buddhism and the Gospel of John in NewTestament. In order to promote the missionary work among China’s Buddhists, he tried tocreate an environment in which the inquiring Buddhists would find it comfortable and atease. Reichelt’s another contribution is in raising money for the construction of TaoFung Shan buildings. His method of crowd funding proved to be practical and effective.Prip-Møller had ten years’ experiences of working in China and was a top-notch expert inChina’s Buddhist architecture. His professional expertise has ensured that Reichelt’sidea of combining the traditional Chinese Buddhist architectural style and the Christiannature of Tao Fong Shan buildings could be eventually realized.