Buddhist monastery in NW China cancels festival gathering amid epidemic
XINING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Taer Monastery, a prominent Tibetan Buddhist monastery in northwest China's Qinghai Province, canceled a grand gathering scheduled later this month as part of the novel coronavirus epidemic control efforts, the monastery announced Tuesday.
The gathering is annually held on China's Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, Feb. 8 this year, to celebrate the full moon. An exhibition on "ghee flowers," a local artwork made of yak butter dyed with colorful minerals, is held during the festival, which normally attracts around 200,000 followers and visitors every year.
Qinghai had 17 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection by Tuesday and the province has seen three patients discharged from hospital after recovery.