The 12th Mount Wutai International Tourism Month was inaugurated Wednesday at Mount Wutai, in northern China's Shanxi Province, with the participation of over 30,000 domestic and overseas visitors.

At the inauguration ceremony, over 2,000 monks prayed for world peace, and a martial arts performance was staged.

During the tourism month, aimed at exhibiting Buddhist culture and promoting modern tourism, a series of religious activities, mountaineering and boxing contests will be arranged.

Mount Wutai is one of China's four most famous Buddhist centers, and, as its name indicates, consists of five platform-shaped peaks.

Mount Wutai is a treasure trove of historical relics, and there were once 200 Buddhist temples there.

(Xinhua 08/08/2001)