The Tian Tan Buddha (Hong Kong)

March 13, 2021

The Tian Tan Buddha (Hong Kong)

From my diary (October 2009)

Upon my arrival in Macao, after a four-hour-long flight from Kota Kinabalu, the administrative centre of the Malaysian region of Sabah (which I had reached the day before on a short flight from Brunei), I stop to relish the fact that for the first time in my life, I’m in China! The homeland of Taoism, of taichi chuan, and of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, among many other things.

After a whole afternoon and evening in the former Portuguese colony, the following morning I get the bus to the terminal of the hydrofoils heading for Hong Kong. Half an hour later, I am on one of their frequent and comfortable boats. Inside, it feels like being on an airplane ‒ one has to sit in the seat assigned and fasten one’s seat belt, after which instructions are given in Mandarin, English and Portuguese on what to do in case of an emergency.

Half an hour later, we are already sailing past a few islands that form part of Hong Kong, and less than an hour from our departure we dock at the terminal of the former British colony on the island of Hong Kong. From the arrival point, it is another twenty minutes’ walk to the terminal of the old Star ferries that cross the narrow sound that divides Hong Kong Island from Kowloon peninsula. Along the way, I soon realise I am in a dynamic, modern, frantic, international city ‒ a world apart from Macao. To my left, when not walking through some shopping mall, I catch glimpses of the sea, and then Kowloon’s high-rises on the opposite shore. To purchase the tokens one needs for the revolving gates to the Star ferries, there are automatic vending machines. Or, if one has the right change, it is possible to go through directly by using the latter instead of a token.

From the ferry, I finally see Hong Kong in all its magnitude and splendour ‒ dozens of skyscrapers (among which IFC2 stands out, at 420 metres) that, starting from the seashore, stand out against the green mountains in the background. I personally do not like big cities, but this mixture of concrete and glass on one side, and green and blue on the other, strikes me. The sea quivers with activity, criss-crossed all over by ferries and ships of all sizes. It takes only ten minutes to cross the sound before we are in Kowloon. From the terminal, I walk past the old clock tower of the station that no longer exists, from which once one could, with various changes, reach Europe. From there I walk on to frantic Nathan Road, at the heart of central Kowloon, which cuts from south to north. A few minutes later, I am at the first small hotel where I’m hoping to find a room. No way. It is National Day in China and this clearly affects the availability of rooms, even the inexpensive ones. However, the kind manager who, like many Hong Kong Chinese, can speak good English, invites me to call other hotels in the area using his telephone, to save me time and energy. At the second call, I prove lucky. I thank him, say goodbye, and head quickly towards the hotel I have just called. It’s only a few minutes away, on the fourteenth floor of the Mirador Mansions, a big ugly building eighteen floors high which looks out onto Nathan Road.

The room is a bit dear, but at least it has windows. However, it’s minuscule, with barely room enough for a bed, and to lie down I have to climb over the bag I have brought along. There is also a microscopic bathroom and a window looking out onto Nathan Road, and next to the window a television set on a shelf. Perhaps because I am so excited to be in Hong Kong, I actually find the room pleasing. I just need the time now to freshen up and I’m ready to go out and start exploring this fascinating bit of China...