The Lotus Sutra Exhibition at SGI-ACEC in Malaysia Concludes with 44,000 Visitors

 

The Lotus Sutra Exhibition "A Message of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence" concluded its two-and-a-half-month run on December 29, 2024, at the SGI Asia Culture and Education Center (ACEC) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, drawing 44,000 visitors. Together with the exhibition held at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) in Kuala Lumpur this September, which attracted 2,700 visitors, the total number of visitors to the exhibition in Malaysia in 2024 reached 46,800.

The ACEC exhibition, which opened to the public on October 18, followed previous showings at the Malaysia Integrated Cultural Centre in February 2014 and ISTAC in September 2024. The exhibition featured approximately 200 replicated manuscripts and Buddhist artifacts, newly supported by the Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Exhibition panels were presented in both English and Chinese to accommodate Malaysia's multi-ethnic population.

On November 3, the exhibition achieved a significant milestone when its cumulative number of visitors across 17 countries and territories reached one million since its first showing in Hong Kong in 2006. The celebration event included video messages from representatives of the Dunhuang Academy, the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and ISTAC. Commemorative lectures by Wang Huihui, Deputy Director of the Dunhuang Academy Research and Exhibition Centre, were held on December 14 and 15, drawing 1,500 participants at ACEC and 2,000 at the Soka Gakkai Cultural Centre in Kuala Lumpur respectively, combining both in-person and online attendance.

The exhibition concluded with a closing ceremony on December 29, where organizers and visitors gathered to reflect on its success.