In AD 753, the venerable Jianzhen finally landed on the shores of
Japan after five failed attempts to spread Buddhism to the island
country. In the last 10 years of his life, the blind master, known
as Ganjin in Japan, established the Ritsu sect of Buddhism at the
Toshodaiji Temple in Nara.
In 1980, the dry lacquer statue (pictured) made of Ganjin
shortly before he died was brought back by the abbot of Toshodaiji
Temple to Ganjin's hometown in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu
Province. The short trip symbolized the centuries-old friendship
between the two nations.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the normalization of the
Sino-Japanese relationship. The China International Exhibition
Agency under the Ministry of Culture is presenting a photo
exhibition on cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Besides the photo showing the home trip of Ganjin's statue, more
than 130 other snapshots bear witness to the continuous efforts by
political and cultural figures on both sides to tighten the
friendship between China and Japan, since 1955. The exhibition also
highlights the on-going Sino-Japanese Cultural and Sport Exchange
Year. It is held at the Beijing World Art Museum of the Millennium
Monument, and runs until Friday.
(China Daily December 13, 2007)
