Since 1999, Roland Lin (林志宏) has traveled to Central Asia a dozen times to study Buddhist heritage sites. As a follower and researcher of Buddhism, he considers it his mission to promote public awareness of Buddhist civilizations in the region along the ancient Silk Road.
Lin, a specialist with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), was invited to attend an Exhibition of Buddhist and Taoist Artifacts in Taipei from Thursday last week through yesterday.
At the exhibition, Lin spoke about his work and the progress that he and the Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance (OCUHESPA) have made in rediscovering Buddhist heritage sites.
“It was long forgotten that between the fifth century and the ninth century, Buddhism was the predominant religion in Central Asia before the arrival of Islam,” Lin said in an interview.
However, under communist rule, there was hardly any trace of Buddhism in the region, especially in the former republics of the Soviet Union, he said.
The history and cultural heritage of the five newly independent republics — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan — were suppressed for ideological reasons during the Soviet Union years, while many Buddhist heritage sites were destroyed and others were abandoned, he said.
“It was not until the 1990s the issue began to get increasing attention internationally, and UNESCO and some non-governmental organizations have been seeking to restore history,” said the Yilan County-born academic, who is now based in Paris.
He cited in particular the efforts of OCUHESPA, which was established in 2007 by a group of academics from Asia and Europe at the initiative of Buddhist nun Ven Shih Shi-huei.
In July 2008, the alliance convened its first international conference on Buddhist heritage sites protection in Lumbini — a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal where Buddha Gautama was born.
Consolidating the efforts of many international academics and archeologists, the alliance helped to have Lumbini declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Kapilavastu, where Buddha received his enlightenment, was also named a protected site.
“The governments of Central Asian countries in general do not have sufficient funds or personnel to conduct research, survey or protect heritage sites, therefore the initiatives of NGOs such as OCUHESPA are important,” Lin said.
Academics with the alliance usually offer their expertise and help governments raise funds for preservation projects, he added.
Lin holds a doctorate degree in history of art from the Sorbonne University in Paris and is a program specialist in the Asia and Pacific section of the World Heritage Center. In the past decade, he has been invited by several governments and academic institutes in Asia to advise on cultural heritage rehabilitation projects.
The rediscovery and preservation of Buddhist heritage sites in Central Asia is one of his lifelong tasks, he said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS