Photos

The Big Buddha at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island is a major landmark in Hong Kong. According to Po Lin Monastery's webpages, this bronze statue is the biggest sitting Buddha statue built outdoor and has taken 12 years to plan and construct. It is a remarkable work project and an outstanding piece in Buddhist sculptural art in recent history. The webpage at http://www.plm.org.hk/eng/buddha.php#p2 provides the details on its location, design and construction.

I was leaving Ngong Ping one evening. It was very quiet then as almost all visitors had left. Turning to the main road and looking in the direction of the statue, I had a nice surprise to find it lit with golden lights. It stood out so beautifully, and in tranquility. This picture was taken hand held.

I was informed later of this: The lighting is turned on for half an hour from 7 to 7:30 in the evenings of the first and fifteenth days of the lunar months, and some festival days, including the Buddha's Birthday, and Chinese New Year.

Ngong Ping is accessible by cable car, a visually spectacular 25-minute ride. The about 40-minutes bus ride from Tong Chung is quite frequent during day time and also gives a very nice view of Lantau Island.