Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, the 11th Panchen Lama, along with his entourage, concluded his 9-day tour of northwest China's Gansu Province on Thursday.
During his stay in Gansu, the 11th Panchen Lama conducted several religious activities at Labrang Lamasery, one of the six most important lamaseries in the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Lamaism.
The 11th Panchen Lama also visited Lanzhou, the provincial capital, Dunhuang, Jiayu Pass, Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Linxia and Tibet Autonomous Prefecture of Gannan.
The Lamasery, 270 km from the city of Lanzhou, occupies an area of 66.7 hectares and boasts 48 halls housing Buddha statues and 500 rooms containing Buddhist scriptures and for the monks' living quarters. The tallest hall is six stories with a square pavilion on top, and a gold tiled roof adorned with bronze lions.
Su Rong, the newly appointed secretary of Gansu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Lu Hao, Governor of Gansu, called on the 11th Panchen Lama and his entourage.
The 11th Panchen Lama wished the people of different ethnic groups in Gansu success in their efforts to explore west China and build China into an affluent society.
(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2003)
