The Buddhist Academy of China (中国佛学院) recently featured a 10,000-word book review by Professor Wang Xiang (Shawn Wang) from the Chinese Culture and Global Communication (CCGC) program at Department of Communication in the summer 2025 issue of Fayuan (法源), its prestigious academic journal. Titled “A New Paradigm for Monastic Studies—A Review of Prof. Zhanru’s Ximing Dongxia: The Ximing Monastery of Tang Chang’an and the Silk Road” (《寺院研究的新范式——评湛如教授〈西明东夏：唐代长安西明寺与丝绸之路〉》), the article was selected as an outstanding piece in the quarterly publication. To broaden its academic reach, the editorial office also released the full text via the Academy’s official WeChat account, underscoring CCGC program’s active role in promoting Chinese culture.

Building on a brief article previously carried in Beijing Normal—Hong Kong Baptist University’s Institute for Communication Studies of Chinese Culture Newsletter, Prof. Wang’s review substantially expands the analysis with extensive scholarly content. The review not only systematically analyzes Prof. Zhanru’s research on the relationship between Ximing Monastery and the Silk Road, but also integrating multilingual sources in Chinese, English, Japanese, and French to fill gaps in the current literature. The article also offers a forward-looking perspective on the internationalization of studies on Ximing Monastery, distinguishing the review from others in the field.

Fayuan is a leading quarterly journal in Buddhist studies in China that evolved from the earlier publication Chinese Buddhist Studies (中国佛学). Co-sponsored by the Buddhist Association of China, the National Religious Affairs Administration, and the Buddhist Academy of China, the journal provides a high-level platform for Buddhist scholarship. It features work by prominent researchers and is indexed in major databases including CNKI, affirming its broad academic influence and authority.

Article link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gWm3C181gZyAxduT5OJ3hQ