Hong Kong’s Richest Citizen Has Opened the City’s First Buddhist Art Museum

ARTNET NEWS
By Sarah Cascone

Head of Buddha with Regal Crown, China Ming dynasty (15th century). Photo courtesy of the Tsz Shan Monastery’s Buddhist Art Museum.

Hong Kong unveiled its first Buddhist Art Museum this week at the Tsz Shan Monastery in Tai Po. Hong Kong’s richest citizen, Li Ka-shing, now a 90-year-old billionaire, conceived of the monastery in 2003. It opened in 2015 after over 10 years of construction, nestled in the verdant green hills of northern Hong Kong beneath the watchful eye of a massive 249-foot-tall bronze statue of Guanyin, goddess of mercy. The 24,000-square-foot museum sits at the foot of the statue and cost nearly $400 million to build, according to Cai Xing Global. It features 100 Buddhist statues and 43 handwritten Dunhuang sutras. The works were either donated by Li or purchased by his eponymous foundation, which he began in 1980.[More]