First Buddhist Cultural Festival Launched In Britain

April 28, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Xinhua News Agency

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/28/content_11270516.htm

The first ever arts and cultural festival drawing on Buddhist cultural traditions has been unveiled in Britain.

The festival, known as The Many Faces of Buddhism, is held in London at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum and the Barbican Center in collaboration with the Hong Kong-based philanthropic organization -- Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.

Highlights of the festival include an International Forum on Buddhism and the Arts Today held last Saturday, the opening of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery at the V&A, performances of Buddhist sacred dance, and the first International Buddhist Film Festival in London.

The new Buddhist sculpture gallery which is to open to the public on Wednesday is the first such gallery in Britain. It features treasures from the V&A's world class collections ranging from monumental Chinese temple sculptures to tiny portable gilded Buddhas.