Buddhism culture expo held in Putuo

Putuo district in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, recently held an expo of Buddhism cultural and tourist items as part of the 11th China International Putuo Buddha Tea Cultural Festival. 

The 2019 Putuo Buddhism Cultural and Tourist Items Expo attracted more than 200 companies and oversaw transactions amounting to 1.52 million yuan ($226,000), as well as the signing of contracts worth more than 8 million yuan.

The expo, held in a 14,000-square-meter exhibition hall at the Putuo Fitness Center, displayed Buddhist calligraphy and paintings, incense burners, vegetarian food and dishes, and several creative Buddhism cultural products.

Xu Yaolin, a prestigious Chinese ceramist, showed a set of tableware he spent half a year making for the expo, which features seven smiling lotus flower petals painted on each piece.

"The smiling petals carry the meaning of 'smiling to the world', and are a sign that Putuo will one day shine brightly on the global stage," said Xu. 

5G technology was also applied at the expo. A live-streaming booth connected to 5G network was set up to invite Buddhism artists and experts to interact with visitors.

"By holding the expo, we want to attract manufacturers of Buddhism products to set up shops in Zhoushan and promote the local Buddhism cultural industry," said Lin Yan, organizer of the expo. 

The expo not only provides visitors with an inside look into Buddhist culture, but also serves as a platform for cooperation between the Buddhist circle, tourist industry and cultural industry.