While on a tour of South Island New Zealand, senior devotee from Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Mabuhay Temple Philippines Mr. Kuo, accompanied by his wife and two friends, visited FGS South Island on 13th November 2018. They were welcomed by FGS South Island Minister-in-charge Venerable Jue Xi, Venerable Zhi Wu and Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island member Tracy Chen. Venerable Jue Xi briefed the visitors on the efforts put in and results achieved by FGS South Island in the propagation of Humanistic Buddhism in South Island. The visitors were then presented with the FGS NZ 2019 calendars. Later, Venerable Jue Xi guided the entourage through a tour of the Temple, visiting the Buddha Hall and also ‘The Moment in Time’ Exhibition by Christchurch Artist Suzy Abbott and the Comics Exhibition by Artists Feng Zi Kai and Feng Yi Yin.
The visitors narrated that they were part of a tour group touring Christchurch and happened to pass by FGS Temple South Island. They were pleasantly surprised to find a FGS Temple in this part of the Southern Hemisphere and decided to pay it a visit. The visitors were very impressed by the architecture of the Temple, and in particular, the FGY Art Gallery. They were also full of praises for the Buddha Hall with its tranquil and peaceful atmosphere, and expressed their wish to stay longer there. The visitors informed that they would be visiting FGS North Island the next day and hoped to meet up with Venerable Abbess there.