While there are no tourists visiting Hong Kong during global pandemic, I decided it’s a perfect time to beat the crowds and visit the Big Buddha. It might be seen as a surprise that I only checked out this monument now, after almost 4 years of living in Hong Kong, but I was always put up by humongous queues.
A 25 minutes ride on the cable cars took me straight to the mountains of Lantau island where the Buddha is seated. I saw gorgeous views from the cabin of the cable cars over the mountains, sea, and Hong Kong International Airport. Many cabins were completely empty. At the top there were not many people, so I could peacefully go around and discover the area.
Tian Tan Buddha statue was erected in 1993 near Po Lin Monastery and became one of the most popular attractions in the city. It is the second largest outdoor bronze seated Buddha in the world. Tian Tan Buddha is seated south and facing North towards Beijing, the capital of China. The statue symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Big Buddha is 34 metres (112 ft) tall, weighs over 250 tons, and was constructed from 202 bronze pieces.