Ngong Ping

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  • Transport
    bus: 2 from Mui Wo, 21 from Tai O, 23 from Tung Chung, or Cable Car

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Lonely Planet review

Perched 500m up in the western hills of Lantau is the Ngong Ping Plateau, a major drawcard for Hong Kong day-trippers and foreign visitors alike, especially since 1993, when one of the world's largest statues of Buddha was unveiled here. Po Lin (Precious Lotus; ; - ) is a huge Buddhist monastery and temple complex that was originally built in 1924. Today it is a fairground as much as a religious retreat, attracting many visitors.

The 5.7km Ngong Ping 360 is a cable car linking Ngong Ping with the centre of Tung Chung. The ride is well worth taking, offering spectacular views over the airport as it transports you from the high-rise apartments of Tung Chung to the more rural landscapes of Lantau. The lower station includes several themed attractions: Walking with Buddha and the Monkey's Tale Theatre and the Ngong Ping Tea House. A variety of packages combine the cable car rides with entrance tickets to the attractions. The journey takes 20 to 25 minutes, each glassed-in gondola carries 17 passengers and the system can move up to 3500 people per hour.

On a hill above the monastery sits the Tian Tan Buddha, a seated representation of Lord Gautama some 23m high. It weighs 202 tonnes, by the way. 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'.