Xiamen International Buddhist Items & Crafts Fair concludes

The China Xiamen International Buddhist Items & Crafts Fair 2016 (Spring), the most important fair for Buddhist items and crafts in the world, came to a successful end on April 25.

The fair attracted 1,025 companies from Thailand, Malaysia and nine other countries, as well as more than 150,000 visitors from home and abroad. "The fair works well." said Wu Libo, an exhibitor who has joined the fair several times, "It provides us with a platform to communicate with other exhibitors and buyers."

A number of high-quality exhibits caught visitors' eyes at the fair. Highlights of the exhibition were an Avalokitesvara statue made of rare Iranian white jade and a number of pieces of antique wooden furniture. The Avalokitesvara statue, worth 999 yuan, required thirteen processing procedures and the polishing process alone took two months to complete. Each of the pieces of furniture was individually sculpted according to the shapes of the original antique wood.

Looking forwards, the hosts announced at a press conference on April 22nd that the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Buddhist Items & Crafts Fair, together with the Buddhist Living Post 2016, will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from November 17th to November 20th.

The ASEAN event, which will be the first Buddhist items and crafts fair in Southeast Asia, is part of the Xiamen Buddhist Items & Crafts Fair brand which aims to meet the demand for Buddhist goods in this oversees market.

Covering an area of 5,000 square meters, the fair will feature 300 standard booths including 100 Chinese booths and 200 for local companies from Thailand.

"The Xiamen International Buddhist Items & Crafts Fair has become a well-regarded brand. We're ready to take it abroad since we have acquired  a wealth of resources and experience over the past ten years." The host said at the press conference.