Po Lin Monastery
*The long staircase of the Big Buddha is currently undergoing improvement works and is expected to open in mid-2022. Po Lin Monastery will reopen on 21 April 2022. For details, please check the official website of Po Lin Monastery for details.
Situated on Ngong Ping Plateau and facing the Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery was formerly known as “the Big Thatched Hut”. Construction of the monastery began in 1906. It was officially named Po Lin Monastery in 1924. This is not only a famous Lantau attraction, but also a world-renowned Buddhist establishment for its prominent architectural structures.
The main architecture of Po Lin Monastery has a specific architectural layout. Along the main axis, San Men (Mountain Gate) would lead up to the Hall of Skanda Bodhisattva, the Main Shrine Hall of Buddha, and the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas. On the flanks, in symmetrical arrangements, are the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower, the Meditation Hall, the Dining Hall and the Sangha Hall. These edifices combine to form an orderly monastery complex.
Featuring the architectural design of Ming and Qing's palace, the Main Shrine Hall of Buddha has a gable roof made of yellow-glazed tiles. The roof ridge is decorated with zoomorphic ornaments, dragons and phoenixes and animal patterns. On the front and the back of the hall, you can see coiled dragons carved from granite in the Minnan style. The architecture features of both the north and the south of China are incorporated. The Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas went on the drawing board in 2000. It now enshrines more than 100 statues.
After years of development, Po Lin Monastery is now a major Buddhist establishment combined with majestic architecture, Buddhist culture, landscapes, sculptural art, traditions and modernity.
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Location
Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping, Lantau |
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Tel
(852) 2985 5248 |
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Website
http://www.plm.org.hk/home.php |
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How to get there
From Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal (Exit B of Tung Chung MTR station), take a 25-minute cable car ride to Ngong Ping. The Po Lin Monastery is about 10 minutes on foot from Ngong Ping Village. |