The opening ceremony for the fourth World Buddhist Forum was held at Lingshan Buddha Palace in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, on Oct 24.

About 1,800 Buddhist masters, scholars and practitioners attended.

Ani Choying Drolma, dubbed "the most beautiful voice of Buddhist music", sang a song to start the ceremony, after which Venerable Master Xue Cheng, president of the Buddhist Association of China, led a prayer.

Venerable Master Xue Cheng, president of the Buddhist Association of China, leads a prayer during the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Sun Chunlan, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the ceremony.

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent a congratulatory letter. He expressed his hope that the forum would contribute to lenience and mutual respect between different religious groups.

The forum this year includes a wide range of events, such as conferences, sub-forums, TV and new media forums, prayer meetings, Buddhist feasts, exhibitions and cultural performances.

According to the organizing committee of the forum, the forum nurtures innovative development of Buddhist culture to help Buddhism play a positive role in economic growth, social harmony, and cultural abundance.

The opening ceremony for the fourth World Buddhist Forum was held at Lingshan Buddha Palace in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, on Oct 24. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]