The 3rd Huang Monastery Forum was held at the Xihuang (West Huang) Monastery in Beijing from 8-9 December, with the theme of Tibetan Buddhist Culture, Huang Monastery and the Forbidden City. The forum was jointly organized by the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College of China and Beijing’s Palace Museum.  

The forum lasted for two days and included four featured presentations. Mr. Wang Changyu, executive vice-president of the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College of China, delivered the opening speech entitled Promoting Tibetan Buddhist Culture and its Confidence at the opening ceremony. The keynote speaker was Li Ji, Chairman of the Beijing Forbidden City Cultural Protection Foundation.

Attendees included 56 experts, scholars and other guests from universities, research institutions and famous temples from around the country. Among them was a researcher from Taipei’s National Palace Museum, directors of the Hong Kong Cultural Associations and various other scholars and religious and cultural groups.    

The content of the 20 papers published at the forum relate to religion, history, Tibetology, architecture, painting, museology and other fields.

Discussions were focused on the relationship between the Huang Monastery and the Forbidden City, the relationship between the Qing Dynasty’s royal family and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as discussing imaging origins, design ideas and symbolism of the existing sculptures and mantras in the Purifying Chen Pagoda of the Xihuang Monastery;

activities and influences of the Sixth Panchen Lama when in the Huang Monastery and the Forbidden City during his pilgrimage visit to Beijing; and the discussions on western religion by the 4th Mondral Hutuktu of the Donghuang (East Huang) Monastery.

The research results are of high academic value.