A relic said to be part of a fingerbone of the Buddha returned home Sunday to the Famen Temple in this capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province after being exhibited in the island province of Taiwan for five weeks.
A chartered plane carrying the relic took off from Kaohsiung International Airport in southern Taiwan early Sunday and reached Xi'an via Hong Kong.
Buddhist delegations, including 300 Buddhists who had escorted the relic from Taiwan, as well as some 200 other Buddhist believers, attended a welcoming ceremony held here Sunday at Xianyang International Airport in Xi'an.
A special ceremony was also held in the Famen Temple.
The relic was put on display at various locations around Taiwanfrom February 23, attracting approximately four million visitors.
The relic was unearthed at the Famen Temple in 1987, after lying in obscurity for more than 1,100 years.
(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2002)
