The cable car drops passengers off at the village of Ngong Ping. It's touristy in a pleasant, national park kind of way, with well-kept shops, restaurants and other facilities.
Fans of chinese opera would have fun looking at the masks in this colourful store.
I like the zen aesthetic sensibility that infuses the recent construction below. Can anyone guess the purpose of these buildings?
If you guessed "public washrooms" you're right!
The Buddha and monastery are a pilgrimage site. There are places where one can buy and light incense and offer prayers.
The Po Lin Monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks from the Jiangsu province in northeastern China.
These three Buddhas represent his past, present and future lives.
Pilgrims come to pray at the monastery.
Construction of the Tian Tan Buddha was completed on December 29, 1993. It is made of bronze and is 34 metres tall. Visitors climb 268 steps to reach the Buddha, but a small road is available for the handicapped.
The Buddha is seated on a lotus flower, symbolizing purity. His right hand is raised, signifying the removal of affliction, while the left hand rests open in his lap, signifying generosity.
Underneath the Buddha is a three-story pedestal, each containing a hall dedicated respectively to the universe, benevolent merit, and remembrance. The latter is said to contain a relic of the Buddha.
Facing the buddha are six devas, offering him flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit and music, symbolizing charity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation and wisdom.
From left to right are offerings of fruit, a lamp and flowers, I think. I'm not completely confident that I've interpreted the sculptures correctly.
Below from left to right are, I believe, offerings of incense, ointment and music.
You may be wondering to yourself if this is the biggest Buddha in the world, or if you have seen bigger ones before. There seem to be a lot of very large ones around - Wikipedia has a list if you're interested.
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