Outlying Islands - Hong Kong - page 417

TOP SIGHT
NGONG PING PLATEAU
No trip to Hong Kong is complete without visiting Ngong Ping Plateau for the
seated Tian Tan Buddha statue, the biggest of its kind in the world. It can be
seen aerially as you fly into Hong Kong, or on a clear day from Macau, but
nothing beats coming up close and personal with this much-loved spiritual
icon sitting at over 500m up in the western hills of Lantau.
Commonly known as the 'Big Buddha', the Tian Tan Buddha ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ;
10am-6pm) is a representation of Lord Gautama some 23m high (or 26.4m with the lotus), or
just under 34m if you include the podium. It was unveiled in 1993, and today it still holds
the honour as the tallest seated bronze Buddha statue in the world. It weighs 202 tonnes, by
the way. It's well worth climbing the 268 steps for a closer look at the statue and the sur-
rounding views. The Buddha's birthday, a public holiday in April or May, is a lively time to
visit when thousands make the pilgrimage. Visitors are requested to observe some decorum
in dress and behaviour. It is forbidden to bring meat or alcohol into the grounds.
The large bell within the Buddha is controlled by computer and rings 108 times during
the day to symbolise escape from what Buddhism terms the '108 troubles of mankind'. On
the second level of the podium is a small museum ( 2985 5248; 10am-6pm) containing
oil paintings and ceramic plaques of the Buddha's life and teachings.
Po Lin Monastery ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 2985 5248;Lantau; 9am-6pm) , a huge
Buddhist complex built in 1924, is more of a tourist honeypot than a religious retreat today,
attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and it's still being expanded. Most of the
buildings you'll see on arrival are new, with the older, simpler ones tucked away behind
them. Po Lin Vegetarian Restaurant ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 2985 5248;Ngong Ping;set
meals regular/deluxe HK$60/100; 11.30am-4.30pm) in the monastery is famed for its inex-
pensive but filling vegetarian food.
The most spectacular way to get to the plateau is by the 5.7km Ngong Ping 360 (360
MAP GOOGLE MAP ;adult/child/concession one way HK$86/44/70, return HK$125/62/98;
10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6.30pm Sat, Sun & public holidays) , a cable car linking Ngong Ping with
the centre of Tung Chung (downhill and to the north). The journey over the bay and the
mountains takes 25 minutes, with each glassed-in gondola carrying 17 passengers. The up-
per station is at the skippable theme-park-like Ngong Ping Village just west of the monas-
tery.