Known also as Yueh Hai Ching Temple by locals, the Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple is positioned at Phillip Street in Chinatown. This unique place of worship is considered highly important and sacred among the Teochew community whose lives depend greatly on the sea.
Teochew fishermen are those who were responsible for the creation of the Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple that was built during the year 1826. The temple was initially just a wood-and-thatch shrine that sailors used to worship and give praises of thanks to the gods that guided them throughout their journey on the sea. On 28th June 1996, this exceptional shrine was named a national monument.
Since this charming temple was positioned by the edge of the waters, it was better known by locals as the ‘Temple of the Calm Sea’. Recognised as Singapore’s oldest Taoist temple, Wak Hai Cheng Bio is well known for its three dimensional shaped ornaments that are placed on the roof.
This temple too has most of the features that can be seen in traditional Chinese temples such as a walled compound, gate and a forecourt. The forecourt is the best place for those who wish to get a beautiful panoramic view of this temple. Wak Hai Cheng Bio is a twin temple that has a male deity and a female deity. On the right side is the male deity who is Xuan Tian Shang Di, and on the left side is Ma Zu or Tian Hou who is the female deity.
The picture panels that can be seen at the two stunning entrance halls enhance the beauty and brightness of the temple. Within this place of worship visitors can purchase joss sticks and paper. The unique ceramic figurines and pagodas are also a treat to watch.
In order to enjoy a journey around the picturesque Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple, travellers can easily plan their stay at any of the numerous Singapore hotels such as Orchard Hotel Singapore.

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/wak-hai-cheng-bio-temple-1010606.html

Located in the southern part of China, Hong Kong boasts of multitude of attractions where the Hong Kong Museum of Art has become one of the highlights of Hong Kong tours.

Under the administration of Leisure & Cultural Services Department, the museum was launched in 1962 with the intention of preserving Chinese heritage whilst promoting art among the masses. The Hong Kong Museum of Art manages an array of educational programs corresponding with their exhibitions to enlighten the art enthusiasts. Moreover it also features an interesting variety of thematic exhibits to entertain tourists from the world over.

You can witness an enormous collection of about 15,000 exhibits encompassing Chinese paintings, Chinese antiques and treasures, historical paintings and calligraphy in addition to displaying artworks of popular local artists.

The highlights of the special exhibitions are themed as Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation, “Hong Kong Art Open Dialogue” Exhibition Series IV – Charming Experience, A Selection of Chinese Paintings from the Xubaizhai Collection, New Literati Painting as well as No Frontiers: The Art of Ding Yanyong and so forth.

What’s more, the site also claims to hold permanent exhibitions themed as Chinese Gold as well as Gems of Chinese Ceramics from the Hong Kong Museum of Art. You can tour around the premises to explore various thematic exhibitions namely Chinese Antiques, Chinese Fine Arts, Historical Pictures, Hong Kong Art, K.S. Lo Collection of Tea Ware and Seals in addition to Xubaizhai Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy.

You can also visit its branch by the name Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware sited at the premises of the Hong Kong Park. Specializing in collecting, studying and displaying tea ware the Flagstaff House presents a wide range of Yixing teapots, conferred by Dr. K.S. Lo. This museum also holds tea gatherings, regular demonstrations and lectures to raise the awareness of Chinese Tea consuming culture and the native Ceramic Arts.

The Hong Kong Museum of Art also arranges workshops, special lectures, video programs, art demonstrations on top of public guided tours to inspire and enlighten the public about the fascinating forms of arts. There are many hotels in Hong Kong including the Cosmo Hotel resting close to the museum. You can conveniently find lodging at a hotel in Hong Kong offering modern conveniences and cozy abodes for spending an aesthetically enriched holiday in Hong Kong.

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/hong-kong-museum-of-art-explore-a-world-of-oriental-aesthetics-1008154.html

Britain is a large island and so we are lucky to have one of the largest coastlines around, this is fortunate also as the British public love a day at the beach and this kind of holiday is set to become very popular this year.

The impressive weather coupled with the financial issues many of us are suffering from has meant that more families are looking to holiday back home in the UK, but this needn’t be a bad thing, there are plenty of activities that you can do on a British holiday that many foreign holidays cannot accommodate.

Staying by the seaside has to be one of the best features of British holidays, when abroad you may find that only a few hotels are situated by the Ocean and are hard to find vacancies in, in the UK we have the majority of our coast lines lined with hotels all offering great sea views, five such examples are:

Crown Spa Hotel, Scarborough

The Crown Spa hotel in Scarborough is a four star hotel overlooking the bay guaranteeing you great views and a relaxing stay.  The Crown Spa won a Hotel of the Year award in 2007 and has its own exclusive spa health club for those who want to pamper themselves whilst they are away.

The Promenade Hotel, Minehead

True to it’s name the Promenade hotel in Minehead is located right on the seafront making it an ideal ocean hotel, many of the rooms overlook the sea and the area benefits from many activities and entertainment options due to a branch of Butlins Family Holiday Parks being situated in Minehead.

Trotwood Private Hotel, Great Yarmouth

On the eastern coast of Norfolk Trotwood Hotel is located right on the sea front with nothing but a road in the way of getting to the beach and the North Sea.  The hotel takes advantage of this ideal location by having a nice lounge to sit and watch the waves coming in.  Ideal for a family holiday you’ll find it hard to get the kids to come home after spending all day on the beach.

Aqua Hotel, Shanklin, Isle of Wight

This hotel whilst not on the mainland is still a great ocean hotel as it is located on the coast of the Isle of Wight and has the incredibly apt name “Aqua hotel”, with amazing views of the English Channel and being ever so slightly closer to the equator then you are more likely to hopefully get the best weather.

The Cumberland, Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a popular beach resort which has plenty of offer nearby for families such as the New Forest, Monkey World and the Bournemouth Airshow to name a few.  The Cumberland hotel is situated right on the seafront.  The beach situated nearby is home to the Bournemouth Surf Reef which will Europe’s first artificial surf reef, sure to draw the crowds in.

This article has been written by Lee Lazarus. For more information on the Ocean Hotel at Butlins, visit their site.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/top-5-ocean-hotels-1006582.html