Ancient garden: The Hammer Hill Road Park will be completed in three years.

Construction of Hammer Hill Road Park kicked off today with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The Wong Tai Sin facility is designed to be a unique 33,000 square-metre traditional garden within the city.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department said the park is expected to cost $245 million and be completed in three years.

Taking full advantage of the natural topography, Chi Lin Nunnery plans to transform the land into a classical Chinese garden, faithful to Tang Dynasty style (618-907 AD).

The park will be based on Jiangshouju Gardens & Ponds in Shanxi, among the oldest and most famous in the country. Their fundamental layout and landscaping has changed little over the centuries.

Tang Dynasty gardens are characterised by beautiful mountains and natural water flows. They differ distinctly from the later Ming and Qing Dynasty gardens, which tend to follow the particular inspirations of their builders.

Attractions include pools, ponds, streams and springs, wells and waterfalls, as well as a large collection of unusual rock formations.

There will also be an abundance of vegetation, ranging from mature trees to bonsais, shrubs, bamboo and flowering species.

Inside the park, there are podiums, multi-level buildings, chambers, rooms, square pavilions, hexagonal pavilions and a pavilion with a thatched roof.

The park's central axis will be linked to the Hammer Hill Road pedestrian footbridge. To the north will be the Lotus Garden, a Western Lotus Garden and the Chi Lin Nunnery.

The park will be developed by the Chi Lin Nunnery and be architecturally compatible with the adjacent Nunnery Monastic Complex and its Lily Garden, which was also developed by the nunnery on behalf of the Government.

An entrustment for construction of Hammer Hill Road Park was signed between Chi Lin Nunnery and the Government in January.

The department noted upon completion, the park will be handed over to the Government and be owned fully by it as a public park, providing a splendid scenic spot for both locals and tourists.