Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum hosted book fair on 7 November

A book fair and vegetarian expo took place at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum (Fo Guang Shan Fotu Jinianguan) in Kaohsiung from 7 to 13 November 2026. The Fo Guang Shan Book Fair and Vegetarian Expo brought books, art, environmental education and family activities to the museum in Taiwan.

Book fair programme filled the museum grounds

The event was organised by the museum together with the Kaohsiung City Government and cultural and educational bodies. Its theme was Auspicious Animal Festival, with the programme divided into reading, food and family activity strands.

The official programme listed an outdoor sculpture display by artist Hong Yi, exhibitions inside the museum, talks, sutra copying, a mobile library, a vegetarian expo and a local farmers market. Family activities included the children’s experience centre, storytelling, environmental education and the puppet-style opera The Nine-Coloured Deer.

The opening ceremony took place on 7 November 2026 in the Great Enlightenment Hall. The organisers also scheduled six talks between 8 and 13 November, covering health, Buddhist art, food and farming education, bear conservation and ecology. A full festival programme placed exhibitions and activities in named areas including the Rain Corridor, the Avenue to Buddhahood, the main hall and the outdoor lawns.

Auspicious Animal Festival connected art with the site

The outdoor sculptures gave the event a direct connection with the museum’s broad ceremonial layout. Works were displayed around the lawns and near visitor areas, while the book fair and farmers market used the Rain Corridor and the mobile library travelled along the Avenue to Buddhahood.

The Kaohsiung Times reported that the programme combined book displays and vegetarian food stalls with art exhibitions, talks, environmental education and children’s activities. Its account also identified the Great Enlightenment Hall as the opening venue and placed the festival in Dashu District, confirming the link between the event and the museum itself.

The programme’s environmental strand also matched the museum’s wider educational role. The event connected reading with low-carbon living, vegetarian food, plant education and care for living things rather than presenting the museum only as a religious site. This combination made the 2026 festival a temporary cultural programme spread across the complex’s established visitor spaces.

The Buddha Museum opened to the public on 25 December 2011 after nine years of construction. The official museum history describes a site with eight pagodas, a large Buddha statue and a main hall that is 50 metres high. The Taiwan Tourism Administration also records the museum’s 2011 completion and its location in Kaohsiung. Further background is available from the Taiwan Tourism Administration.

Kaohsiung museum combined galleries and outdoor routes

The 2026 programme used both indoor and outdoor parts of the complex. Visitors could move between exhibitions in the main hall, sculpture areas on the lawns, activities along the Avenue to Buddhahood and family programmes in designated museum buildings.

The venue is in Dashu District at No. 1 Tongling Road, north-east of central Kaohsiung. The official visitor information directs drivers from National Freeway 10 via the Qishan-Dashu Interchange and then Provincial Highway 29. The museum’s established architecture and the festival’s temporary displays therefore worked together as one itinerary rather than as separate city attractions.

Visiting Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Fo Guang Shan Book Fair and Vegetarian Expo ran from 7 to 13 November 2026 at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum. The festival has ended.
• The event changed the visitor experience temporarily, with exhibitions, sculptures, talks, sutra copying, family activities and environmental education distributed across named museum areas.
• The museum is in Dashu District, Kaohsiung. Road access is via National Freeway 10 and Provincial Highway 29, while the official address is No. 1 Tongling Road.
• Mandarin Chinese is the main official language used in Taiwan, and the national currency is the New Taiwan dollar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum

When did the Fo Guang Shan Book Fair and Vegetarian Expo take place?

The festival took place from 7 to 13 November 2026 at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Kaohsiung.

What is the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum?

It is a Buddhist cultural and educational museum in Dashu District that opened to the public on 25 December 2011.

Where is Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and how do you get there?

The museum is at No. 1 Tongling Road in Dashu District, Kaohsiung. Drivers can use National Freeway 10 and continue via Provincial Highway 29.