Lantau Island, with its rugged mountains and picturesque fishing villages, is a reminder of the old Hong Kong. Twice the size of Hong Kong Island but with a population of just 50,000 – in contrast with Hong Kong Island’s 1.3 million - Lantau is a refreshing retreat from the hurly burly that is Hong Kong’s trademark.
Lantau Island and the World’s Best Airport
Lantau is a study in contradictions. Much of it is still unspoilt nature at its best, with miles of hilly walking trails and Hong Kong’s longest beach. Yet it is also home to Hong Kong’s ultra-modern new international airport, built on reclaimed land at Chek Lap Kok to the north of the island, and a consistent winner of the world’s best airport awards.
The airport is a fitting introduction to Hong Kong’s efficient transport system, with silent, air-conditioned trains whisking travellers from the terminal building to Central Hong Kong in half an hour. The train crosses the impressive Tsing Ma suspension bridge connecting Lantau to the mainland, the longest integrated road and rail bridge in the world.
From Disneyland Hong Kong to the Big Buddha
Lantau is also home to two of Hong Kong’s newest tourist attractions, Hong Kong Disneyland and the Ngong Ping cable car, which takes passengers up to the Ngong Ping plateau and the Po Lin Monastery. Both are easily reached by Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and both attract large crowds, yet the island somehow manages to retain its spacious, peaceful feel.
Getting to the Po Lin Monastery once meant a long and twisting bus ride, but the journey is now much easier thanks to the new cable-car which opened in 2006. It takes about 20 minutes to travel from the MTR station at Tung Chung to the Ngong Ping Plateau, affording panoramic views of the island and the South China Sea on the way. As the cable-car comes over the final crest, the Tian Tan Big Buddha statue can be seen, silhouetted against the sky, serenely unaware of the number of cameras pointed in its direction.
At 34 metres, the Tian Tan Buddha is one of the largest outdoor bronze Buddha statues in the world. Seated atop a lotus leaf, and guarded by eight statues of lesser gods, the statue holds court at the top of a 260-step stairway. The sweeping view across the island from the top is, on occasion, accompanied by the sound of chanting from the sprawling Po Lin Monastery below.
The monastery is a leafy retreat, full of colourful flags and the aroma of incense. In Ngong Ping Village a multimedia presentation called "Walking With Buddha" details the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the man who became Buddha, and the origins of Buddhism. While a steady traffic of cable-cars deposits visitors at Ngong Ping Village, with its cafes and souvenir shops, the elegant Chinese architecture and Buddhist focus helps the complex retain an air of peace and serenity.
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