Tian Tan, the Big Buddha of Hong Kong

by Diana Ellis

Tian Tan, the big bronze Buddha located on Lantau Island in Hong Kong, is allegedly the “biggest outdoor and seated Buddha in the world." He is 34 meters high (110 feet) and weighs 250 tonnes. Never having seen any other large buddha’s, I would have to agree that he is one big Buddha.

Sitting atop the Ngong Ping plateau on Lantau Island just outside of Hong Kong, the Buddha dominates the skyline. He can be seen from airplanes arriving and departing the Hong Kong airport. But he is better viewed up close.

The path to enlightenment is never easy, neither is reaching the Buddha. The easiest way to get there is to take the cable car from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping 360, a recreation of a rustic Chinese village that is really a shopping village. The wait for the cable car can be lengthy, sometimes over 1 hour. The Buddha can also be reached by a city bus that makes the trip up the winding narrow road. (cable car $23 HKD or $3.00 US; Bus #23 $16 HKD or about $2.05 US)

The 5.7 km (3.56 miles) trip on the gondola like cable car takes you over steep hillsides and across the South China Sea to the Ngong Ping plateau where the big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery are located. The trip takes about 20 minutes but the fantastic panoramic views of the Lantau Mountains make it seem much shorter. You can even see the foot path that the monks used to take to get to the monastery which makes you grateful you are riding in the cable car.

You arrive at the Chinese village of Ngong Ping 360 and can stop for lunch or tea at one of the many restaurants in the village or get a coffee at Starbucks then shop your way to the foot of the Budhha. There are several great little gift shops along the way, including a Chinese chopstick boutique.

The Budhha resides at the top of a hill, you must climb the 268 steps to reach the foot of this magnificent statue. At the feet of the Buddha you will find several statues of Bodhisattvas, Buddhist saints. It is believed that if you toss a coin into the upturned hands of one of the Boshisattvas you will have good luck for the rest of your life. Judging by the number of coins at the feet of the Boshisattvas, it is not as easy as it sounds.

You can also take a self guided tour of the inside of the Buddha ($23 HKD - $3 US - which includes tea and snacks at the monastery). Inside is a scared big bell sent from Shanghai when the Buddha was built. There is also a Buddha relic, a finger joint the size of grain of rice. These two small relic pieces came from Sri Lanka.

The Po Lin (Precious Lotus) monastery was founded in 1920 by three monks. It was originally a shrine dedicated to the Buddha. It became a monastery in 1924 with the arrival of several more monks. By the 1970’s it was one of the top ten Buddhist monasteries in Hong Kong. Since the completion of the Big Buddha in 1993, thousands of Buddhists and tourists alike visit the monastery on a regular basis.

No trip to Hong Kong would be completed without a pilgrimage to the Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan, the big Buddha. The Buddha sits atop the mountain blessing the Hong Kong peninsula below it. Maybe that is why Hong Kong has become such a financial powerhouse in Asia and has managed to retain some independence from mainland China.

Or maybe not. Either way he is still one big impressive Buddha.