Po Lin Monastery

Sitting at the heart of Lantau Island, the Po Lin Monastery guards one of Hong Kong's most popular attractions – the serene sitting form of Tian Tan Buddha, a 34-metre high bronze statue. With Zen Buddhism one of the twin faiths of the vast majority of the people of Hong Kong, this site has always been a draw for the faithful. But since the Tian Tan Buddha was raised in 1993 – and especially since remote Po Lin was connected to the rest of Hong Kong by cable car – it has drawn in the sightseers as much as the devout.

The monastery was founded by three masters of Zen (or Cha'an) Buddhist school in 1906. At first the monastery was a simple affair of stone huts, where the monks grew their own crops, known as the 'big thatched hut'. But as more monks were drawn here for spiritual contemplation, a proper temple and pagodas were built – and Po Lin Monastery was born.

The entrance to the monastery is through the carved white gates of the San Men (or Mountain Gate), which leads on to the Hall of Skanda Bodhisattva, and then the Main Shrine Hall of Buddha. This seven-span pagoda temple building is alive with coiling white dragons on the outside inside it is a rich riot of colour. Reds and golds dominate, with more intricately carved dragons and Chinese symbols, and a large panelled-glass altar – housing a golden statue of the Buddha – taking pride of place. The temple is a place of contemplation, the day marked out by a golden bell which chimes every 7 minutes.

But eyes are inevitably drawn outside of the temple, where the immense golden-hued Tian Tan Buddha (or Big Buddha) sits on the peak of Mount Muk Yue. 240 steps need to be climbed in order to reach the base of the statue, but the view is worth the effort. Here you can see the circle of bronzes, known as the Six Devas, offering gifts – music, a lamp, ointment, incense, fruit and flowers – to the Big Buddha. And you'll also see the cloud-shrouded Lantau Peak, the forested flanks of the island and the opal-blue seas of the Pearl River Delta. Hong Kong couldn't have chosen a more apt setting for what they call the 'Buddhist Kingdom in the South'.