Nepal gets ready to welcome 10,000 Chinese tourists this March
Kathmandu – A Lumbini Prayer and Merit Garden is set to be constructed in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, with the foundation stone scheduled to be laid on March 26.
Details of the project were shared during the launch ceremony of the “Lumbini Prayer and Merit Garden” public welfare project, held last Friday, March 6, at the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing.
During the event, Acting Ambassador Roshan Khanal and Li Bo, President of the China-Nepal Cultural Exchange Center, jointly unveiled the model of the proposed project.
The Lumbini Prayer and Merit Garden is being developed as a public welfare and cultural cooperation initiative between Nepal and China. The project will include dedicated spaces for prayer, meditation, religious ceremonies, and spiritual practices, along with cultural exhibition halls, public welfare facilities, and landscaped gardens aimed at supporting tourism.
The initiative is expected to strengthen cultural, religious, educational, and tourism cooperation between the two countries. In collaboration with Lumbini Buddhist University, the project will also support religious and cultural research, Buddhist studies, and international academic exchange.
It is expected that the project will further promote Lumbini as a globally recognized sacred destination and emerge as a new cultural symbol for exchange among Buddhists and the people of Nepal and China. The garden is also expected to stand as a symbol of peace, harmony, and cultural understanding.
According to Li Bo, the project will be established across two campuses of Lumbini Buddhist University, covering an area of approximately 13,000 square meters. The total estimated investment stands at around 30 million Chinese yuan, and the project is planned to be completed within three years.
The project is expected to deepen cultural and religious ties between Nepal and China while further strengthening the friendship between the two nations.
The ceremony began with a Nepali cultural dance performance. In her welcome remarks, Acting Ambassador Roshan Khanal highlighted the significance of Lord Buddha and Buddhism in strengthening relations between Nepal and China.
Addressing the event through a video message, Prof. Dr. Suvarna Lal Bajracharya, vice chancellor of Lumbini Buddhist University, stressed that in today’s tense global environment, peace, friendly cultural exchange, and shared prosperity are more important than ever. A promotional video of Lumbini was also screened during the program.
Plan Announced to Bring 10,000 Chinese Tourists to Nepal
During the program, a separate tourism initiative was also announced to bring 10,000 Chinese visitors to Nepal. A representative of Chengdu Aten Happy Travel Service unveiled the “Ten Thousand People Travel to Nepal” charter flight tourism project.
The China-Nepal Cultural Exchange Center also appointed the travel service as a cultural promotion ambassador for Nepal-China cultural exchange.
As part of the program, the China-Nepal Cultural Exchange Center presented a statue of Buddha to the Embassy of Nepal, while the embassy handed over a certificate of appreciation to the center in recognition of its contribution.
The event, organized to promote cultural, religious, and tourism cooperation between Nepal and China, also featured a performance by a Chinese instrumental musician. In addition, photographs of Lumbini, the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, were exhibited within the embassy premises.
