Taiwan Tourism Bureau Director visits FGS South Island

On the 25th of October, the Director of the Singapore Office for the Taiwan Tourism Bureau Mr. Trust Lin and three of his colleagues visited Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island New Zealand, received by Venerable Zhi Wu and a few BLIA members. Director Lin has a strong affinity with FGS New Zealand and FGS Hsi Lai temple in California. The FGS Buddha Memorial Centre in Kaohsiung was one of attractions that was actively promoted during a recent tourism campaign ran in New Zealand media, and Mr Lin also engaged with several members of the Chinese community this visit to New Zealand. For their temple visit that day, they were accompanied by Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) North Island Vice President Tommy Hwang and FGS North Island Chinese School Principal Ika.

Venerable Zhi Wu led Director Lin and the others around the temple’s compound, and Mr. Lin was amassed by the simple yet elegant design principles that went into the architecture of the space. At the main shrine, Venerable Zhi Wu guided the guests to light some candles and pray, giving them some time to enjoy inner peace while pointing out some features of the shrine. Later, they visited the art gallery with exhibitions from artists like Suzy Abbott, Dean Buchanan and Feng’s family. When they were appreciating Dean Buchanan’s artwork, there was a sudden exclamation as the guests recognized some artistic elements similar to that used by indigenous people in Taiwan. It was astounding to see how art can also be a bridge for cultural exchange.

The short temple tour was a delightful experience for Director Lin, though he did wish he could linger a little longer. While presenting the temple with a souvenir, Director Lin expressed his hope that he would be able to come and visit again one day.