Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau Island

The Tian Tan Buddha is the world's tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha, majestically sitting on Muyu Peak on Lantau Island in Hong Kong at an altitude of 482 meters. This majestic and magnificent Buddha statue, which was planned and built by Po Lin Monastery and took 12 years to complete, symbolizes national prosperity and world peace. The Tian Tan Buddha is an important landmark in Hong Kong, attracting many Chinese and foreign believers and tourists to worship and visit. The Tian Tan Buddha is not only an outstanding engineering project, but also an outstanding achievement in modern Buddhist sculpture art and a precious cultural heritage of mankind. The shape of the Buddha is based on the records of the 32 forms of the Tathagata in Buddhist scriptures. Its facial features are based on the Vairocana Buddha in the Longmen Grottoes, with its plump, round and elegant features. The folds of its clothing and headdress are based on the Sakyamuni Buddha statue in Cave 360 ​​of the Dunhuang Grottoes, with its graceful and smooth features. Therefore, the Buddha statue has the characteristics of statues from the heyday of Buddhism in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which were then reconciled and unified by artists to become the shape of the Temple of Heaven Buddha today. The original idea of ​​the Buddha was to use reinforced concrete (cement) as the main material, but because concrete itself has limitations, it is not easy to meet the requirements of the Buddha's shape, there are structural difficulties, and it is difficult to control the finished effect and cost, so tin bronze was finally chosen as the construction material. The actual casting, processing and installation of the Buddha were mainly undertaken by the Nanjing Chenguang Machinery Factory of the China Aerospace Ministry. In August 2000, the Tian Tan Buddha was ranked fourth in the "Top Ten Outstanding Engineering Projects in Hong Kong". The top three are all government projects: the champion is Lantau Link, the runner-up is Airport Passenger Terminal, and the third is Convention and Exhibition Centre New Wing. If the selection is based on private construction projects, the Tian Tan Buddha will be the first. #China #Hong Kong #Lantau Island #Tian Tan Buddha