The new religious learning centre will be the nation's biggest
Yangzhou in Jiangsu will soon be famous for a lot more than giving birth to egg fried rice and Jiang Zemin. The former leader's hometown will soon host the country's largest Buddhist academy.
An official with the Buddhist Association of China said construction of the academy was scheduled to begin in October and, when it opened in the autumn next year, it would be able to accommodate 1,250 students.
'We approved the design for the institute on March 19,' said the official, adding that it would be named after Jianzhen (688-763), a Tang dynasty master who was the first Chinese monk to preach in Japan.
The 500 million yuan academy will cover 20 hectares next to Daming Temple, the 1,500-year-old temple at which Jianzhen was an abbot. The institute will be run by both the Daming Temple and the Buddhist Association of China.
Part of the cost will be covered by donations from individual Buddhists and organisations from the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.