Themed exhibitions on Buddha trail open in Zhejiang

There are also photos of temples and monasteries around the world, as well as paintings and works of Chinese calligraphy by members of the Buddhist community to show a long-held tradition of which monks have practiced art as a way of cultivation and meditation.

Another exhibition shows copies of Chinese Buddhism-themed paintings from ancient times which are now housed at museums, institutions and private collections around the world, and featured in A Comprehensive Collection of Ancient Chinese Paintings, an ambitious project of publication and exhibition which took some 17 years to accomplish.

There are also large-format paintings made by teachers and students of China Academy of Art, in Hangzhou, including a 30-meter-long landscape by a painters' team headed by Zhang Jie. He says it took them about six months to work on depicting the several mountains that command enthralling views and have been celebrated as sacred Buddhist shrines in the country.