May 14th, 2025

(From peopledaily.eu) Chinese Buddhist culture has a long and profound history, jointly forming the core system and philosophical concepts of Chinese culture with Taoist and Confucian cultures. Through prolonged historical evolution, it has established extensive exchanges and integrations with diverse world cultures, including countries and regions with rich Buddhist cultural heritages such as Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Japan, and South Korea, thereby giving rise to many new forms of civilization.

Over the past decade, Buddhist cultural exchanges between China and Nepal have become increasingly frequent, elevating the "heat" and "height" of people-to-people exchanges. In the words of Nepali Prime Minister Oli, they have "reached the height of Mount Everest (8848 meters)," establishing new directions and mechanisms for cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Institutions such as the Asia Pacific Exchange & Cooperation Foundation, World Buddhism and Peace Federation and World Buddhist Peace Council have actively contributed to the creation of Nepal's Lumbini Buddhist Cultural Special Zone since 2010. Through the joint efforts of global peace-loving organizations and cultural heritage protectors, this landmark project has been successfully presented to the world, gaining recognition from the United Nations, the Buddhist community, and cultural circles of many nations. Since 2024, cooperation with Lumbini Buddhist University has been emphasized; in March this year, the Heguang Meditation Group's short-term study tour to Lumbini Buddhist University was supported and achieved full success.

In October 2024, with the support of Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, the then Prime Minister of Nepal, a delegation led by Subarna Lal Bajracharya, the Vice Chancellor of Lumbini Buddhist University, visited Guangzhou and signed an agreement with the World Buddhism and Peace Federation and the World Buddhist Peace Council to jointly establish the Asia-Pacific International Education and Research Center with Hong Kong as its core. This initiative has attracted widespread attention from the international community. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, as well as countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia, have expressed great interest and intention to participate. Notably, Joo Ho-young, the Deputy Speaker of South Korea's ruling party; Shinpei Matsushita, Member of Japanese House of Councillors and Acting Chairperson of General Council of the Liberal Democratic Party; Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan, the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia; and Norodom Chakrapong, the Cambodian Prince, have held multiple meetings with the delegation led by Xiao Wunan, reaching numerous cooperation consensuses.

During the Heguang Nepal Buddhist Meditation and Study Program, Lumbini Buddhist University conferred an adjunct professorship on Xiao Wunan to further strengthen academic and educational exchanges and cooperation. Mr. Xiao has an extensive resume, including serving as the Honorary Dean of China's Jianzhen Buddhist College, a Visiting Professor at Dongguk University in South Korea, and a Special Research Fellow at Boston University in the United States. He has also conducted research at Peking University and Tsinghua University. He has published numerous classical works on Buddhism, which are collected by world-renowned institutions such as the National Library of China, the Library of the Chinese Buddhist Academy, and the Library of the US Congress. Additionally, he has made significant contributions to promoting exchanges between Buddhist culture and other religious traditions, including organizing Muslim-Buddhist dialogues in Malaysia, hosting the "To Promote World Peace Through Dialogue Among Civilisations" at UNESCO, and advocating the concept of "pluralistic religious integration" at the United Nations Headquarters' World Conference on Religious Cultures—all of which have received positive global responses. It is believed that his rich academic achievements and experience will help Lumbini Buddhist University advance toward greater internationalization and become a global hub for Buddhist dissemination.

In the current complex international environment and challenging circumstances, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Nepal not only serve as "goodwill ambassadors" but also play a crucial role in promoting mutual cultural recognition and understanding among nations, thereby demonstrating their wisdom and strength for peace in South Asia and the world.