Monastery hopes to save millions on expansion plan designed to lure tourists from Disneyland
Buddhist monks at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island have been bargaining with the government in the hope of obtaining a 50 per cent discount on charges required for the development rights to a piece of land inside the monastery.
They are planning to build a multimillion-dollar exhibition hall as part of their campaign to attract more tourists.
The monks concede that their landmark construction - the Big Buddha, which was opened in 1993 and sits atop a misty plateau at Ngong Ping, where the monastery is located - has started losing tourists to Mickey Mouse and his friends after the Disneyland theme park opened last September.
Sik Chi Wai, the monastery supervisor, would not discuss the exact amount of premium for the 10,000 sq ft piece of land, saying only that it could be more than $30 million.
The $200 million project will see the demolition of part of the existing main hall - Tai Hung Temple.