慈山寺由李嘉诚先生发心兴建。李先生自幼已受先辈薰陶，与佛教缔结甚深法缘。1980年成立基金会更注入其所有资产三分之一，兴医办学、救济贫困，更以基金会为其「第三个儿子」，倡导崭新奉献文化。李先生早年兴家创业的艰苦历程，使他聚焦于推动一些真正能令世界变得更美好的项目，普泽社会大众。

慈山寺兴建计划自2003年起，历逾十年，终告圆满落成。慈山寺以汉传佛教为本，致力发扬观音菩萨慈悲、智慧与承担之精神。其土地购置、建设资金，以及经常费用皆由基金会奉献，至今累计捐款已达三十五亿港元。2015年4月向公众开放，欢迎各界人士以登记方式参访。

The idea for the development of Tsz Shan Monastery germinated with Mr. Li Ka-shing. From a young age, Mr. Li was influenced by his elders, and had developed a life-long affinity with Buddhism. In 1980, Mr. Li established a personal foundation to cultivate a culture of giving, and has since pledged to donate one-third of his personal assets to advance medical research and education, and alleviate poverty. Mr. Li considers the Foundation to be his “third son”. The hardships Mr. Li endured in his early years to transcend his own poverty to build a global business enable him to focus on initiatives that create a lasting positive impact for humanity.

Planning and construction of Tsz Shan Monastery began in 2003, and it was completed more than ten years later. Tsz Shan Monastery is a Chinese Buddhist monastery established for the preservation of the inheritance of the Dharma preached by Śākyamuni Buddha. To date, the Foundation has contributed HK$3.5 billion to cover the land acquisition and construction costs, as well as the Monastery’s operating expenses. Tsz Shan Monastery has been open to the public since April 2015.