A Chinese Buddhist music troupe comprising 150 monks from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan returned to Beijing on Saturday evening at the end of their world tour.

The monks from the Chinese mainland gave six concerts in Macao, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and San Francisco of the United States and Vancouver of Canada during their tour.

Yang Tongxiang, deputy director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA), and Master Yi Cheng, president of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC), met the troupe at the airport of Beijing.

The Buddhist music troupe, headed by Master Sheng Hui, vice president of the BAC, was the first made up of monks from across the Taiwan Straits. They won much acclaim during their tour.

Before the tour, the music troupe had given three concerts in Taiwan from Feb. 20 to 29.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2004)