Seated on high
A giant statue in Hong Kong enjoys – and provides – spectacular views.
Visitors to Lantau Island, the largest island in Hong Kong, aren’t likely to miss the Tian Tan Buddha statue, informally known as “the Big Buddha”, sitting placidly on the skyline. Thirty-four metres high, the statue is one of the world’s tallest seated outdoor bronze Buddhas. Completed in 1993 and weighing 250 tonnes, the statue consists of more than 200 bronze pieces supported by a steel framework. To get to the statue, visitors can take the Ngong Ping 360 cable car – a scenic 5.7-kilometre, 25-minute journey from Tung Chung town centre over the Tung Chung Bay to Ngong Ping where the Po Lin monastery and the Buddha are located. A range of car options are available: standard, crystal (featuring a glass floor), private and – to add sparkle to special occasions – the 360 Sky Lounge, which is decorated with premium Swarovski crystal. In addition to supplying bearings for the total cable car system, SKF assists Ngong Ping 360 in monitoring the operating condition of the cable cars’ drive system through trend analysis of vibration levels and spectral analysis of the grease.
