Just a few steps down from the towering Tian Tan Buddha, nestled among the greenery of Ngong Ping, lies the Po Lin Monastery—one of Hong Kong’s most important and active Buddhist sanctuaries.

While the Big Buddha often steals the spotlight, Po Lin Monastery has a quieter, more intimate charm. Founded in 1906 by three monks from Jiangsu province, it has grown into a large temple complex that serves both as a place of worship and a cultural landmark.

As we approached the main monastery grounds, we were greeted by the faint aroma of burning incense filling the air. The entrance is flanked by ornate stone lions, and stepping through, we found ourselves in a spacious courtyard where worshippers and visitors moved slowly, offering prayers and lighting incense sticks.

The architecture of Po Lin Monastery is beautifully traditional—bright red pillars, golden Buddhist motifs, intricately painted eaves, and detailed woodwork. Inside the compound lies the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas—often referred to as the Hall of Thousand Buddhas. Completed in 2014, this sacred space showcases nearly 12,800 individual golden Buddhas, each positioned in niches along the walls, none exactly alike, creating a vast tapestry of Buddhist devotion.