HONG KONG | Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

It’s been a while since I used a travel agent to plan a trip. But a major travel agent in Belgium posted a deal one can’t refuse in a newsletter in June 2023. Flights from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific and three nights at the four-star Park Hotel Hong Kong in the Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon area. So I messaged Oriol in ‘panic’ and pressured him to decide quickly (as the deal was popular and the the offer limited in time and availability) to come along to this Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. Being four days in Hong Kong, we used one of these days to Macau (also often spelled Macao) the other SAR. We were there in November 2023.

After checking in our bags at the Cathay Pacific In-town Check-in at Hong Kong Station, we took a long MTR ride to 220 Pai Tau Village, Sha Tin for the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery.

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is a mid-20th century Buddhist temple located in Sha Tin Its designation as a monastery is actually a misnomer because there are no monks residing at the complex, which is managed solely by laypersons. Both the main temple building and the pagoda are listed as Grade III historic buildings by the Government of Hong Kong.

Construction of the temple began in 1951 under Yuet Kai and his followers and the structure was finished six years later.

It closed for three years at the end of the 20th century after one of its caretakers was killed in a mudslide caused by poorly-maintained slopes nearby.

The main journey up to the monastery is an attraction itself, as the path is lined on both sides with golden Buddhas, each unique and in different poses. Despite the common translation of its name, the monastery actually contains nearly 13,000 Buddha statues.

Due to their historic significance, the main temple and the pagoda of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery are listed as Grade III historic buildings. Hence, they are deemed by the Antiquities Advisory Board as having “some merit”, and that preserving the two buildings in some manner would be preferable, although different methods could be considered if their preservation is not feasible.

Architecture

The monastery is located on a hillside and is accessible by stairwell consisting of 431steps. Those steps are not ‘easy’ or ‘regular’.

These are surrounded on both sides by statues of arhats – the Buddhist equivalent of saints who have achieved enlightenment. They were produced by artists from Yunnan and Guangdong provinces, and are modeled after ones situated at a temple in Kunming, the hometown of founder Yuet Kai.

The creation and installation of these statues – which commenced in 2001 without prior authorization from the government – led to a minor rift between the monastery and the local authorities. The latter contended that this was in contravention of the city’s building code and that it would create a landslide hazard that could result in fatalities during the region’s rainy season.

After a safety assessment, the statues were allowed to remain, and they continue to line the route up to the monastery.

The complex covers over 8 hectares and is divided over two floors.

The upper level consists of four halls dedicated to Kwun Yam and other Buddhist and Taoist deities that contain various Buddha statues, while the lower floor features another hall, a pagoda that is nine storeys high, a tower and two pavilions.

In total, there are close to 13,000 Buddha statues at the monastery. Several of these originate from the Tang dynasty.