Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping 天坛大佛与昂坪Tiāntán Dàfó Yǔ Ángpíng

Why go to Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping

The Tian Tan Buddha, known as the Big Buddha, is a seated bronze statue 34 m tall including its base, on the Ngong Ping plateau of Lantau Island. Visitors climb 268 steps for views over the hills, and Po Lin Monastery stands beside it. Many arrive on the Ngong Ping 360 cable car from Tung Chung, which crosses the bay and hills to Ngong Ping Village.

The story

Po Lin Monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks from Jiangsu and took its present name in 1924. Its monks planned the Buddha after visiting great Buddha statues in Japan and Taiwan in 1973, and it was completed on 29 December 1993, the day Chinese tradition reckons as the Buddha's enlightenment.

What to see at Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping

• Ngong Ping 360 cable car 昂坪360缆车: A 5.7 km ride from Tung Chung that passes the airport, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge and the Lantau hills; some cabins have glass floors. It opened in 2006 and is the most scenic way to arrive.
• Ngong Ping Village 昂坪市集: A 1.5-hectare open-air village in traditional Chinese style at the upper cable car terminal, with shops, eateries, the Cable Car Discovery Centre, the Motion 360 theatre and the Ngong Ping Nature Centre. The Bodhi Tree hung with wish cards is a favourite photo stop.
• Tian Tan Buddha 天坛大佛: The 268 steps lead up to a platform at the Buddha's feet, where six smaller bronze figures offer flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit and music. Beneath the statue three exhibition halls hold displays on the Universe, Benevolent Merit and Remembrance.
• Po Lin Monastery 宝莲禅寺: A Chan Buddhist monastery whose main shrine hall holds three bronze Buddhas for past, present and future, with a Hall of Bodhisattva Skanda and the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas on the same axis. Visitors may watch worshippers and join a vegetarian meal at the monastery kitchen.
• Wisdom Path 心经简林: A walking trail of 38 wooden posts inscribed with the Heart Sutra, about 0.5 km south-east of the monastery, and a quiet contrast to the crowds at the Buddha.

How to visit Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping

Arrive on the cable car, walk through Ngong Ping Village and follow the path to the Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, about ten minutes on foot. Allow an hour or two for the climb, the exhibition halls and the temple halls. For a half day this is enough; for a full day add the Wisdom Path or take bus route 21 down to Tai O fishing village.

How to get to Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping

From Tung Chung MTR station (about 30 minutes from Hong Kong Station) it is a short walk to the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, which takes about 25 minutes to Ngong Ping Village; New Lantao Bus route 23 runs from Tung Chung and route 2 from Mui Wo.

Where to stay

There is little accommodation on the plateau, so most visitors base themselves in Tung Chung, which is on the MTR and has the cable car terminal, or in Central or Kowloon on the other side of the harbour.

What to eat

• Po Lin vegetarian set meal 宝莲寺斋菜: A communal vegetarian lunch of soup, a fried dish and vegetable dishes with rice, served in the monastery's vegetarian kitchen.
• Fresh bean curd dessert 豆腐花: A silky tofu pudding served at the monastery's snack counter and a popular sweet stop after the climb.

Tips for visiting Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping

• The cable car can be suspended on servicing days or in bad weather, so check the operator's service notice on the day, and keep the bus as a back-up way up and down.
• Po Lin is an active monastery: dress modestly and keep your voice down in the halls.
• The Buddha platform is reached by 268 steps; a small road for vehicles gives access to visitors who cannot climb.

Nearby

• Victoria Peak 太平山顶 30 km
  Ride the 1888 funicular to the skyline view, then walk the Lugard Road loop
• Victoria Harbour 维多利亚港 30 km
  Glass towers and green hills around a harbour you can cross in ten minutes
• Historic Centre of Macau 澳门历史城区 40 km
  Portuguese tiled squares, baroque churches and Chinese temples, a short walk apart
• Canton Tower & Pearl River 广州塔 110 km
  A slim-waisted tower glowing over the Pearl River in China's Cantonese food capital

Also within 30 km: Po Lin Monastery 宝莲禅寺 (under 10 km), Rock Carving at Shek Pik 石壁石刻 (under 10 km), Tung Chung Fort 东涌炮台 (under 10 km), Tai O Fishing Village 大澳渔村 (under 10 km), Yeung Hau Temple, Tai O 大澳杨侯古庙 (under 10 km), Tung Chung Battery 东涌小炮台 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)