Fo Guang University (FGU; ; lit. ''Buddha's Light University'') is a private university in Linmei Village, Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It was founded by the Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist monastic order

Fo Guang Shan Fo Guang Shan (FGS) () is an international Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist organization and monastic order based in Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism. The headquarters, Fo Guang Shan Monastery is located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, and is ...

in 2000 and as such represents the culmination of education efforts of the order that started in 1963 with establishing Chinese Buddhist Research Institute at Fo Guang Shan. A gradual approach was adopted in developing the campus as a part of a plan for the overall area. The Ministry of Education granted approval on July 20, 2000, and the school formally opened in September that year. The Schools of Humanities and Sociology were the first to be founded during the initial phase of establishment. By introducing the undergraduate and postgraduate level of education, Fo Guang University is gradually developing into a full-rounded university. Currently, it comprises the College of Arts and Humanities, College of Social Sciences and Management, College of Technology, and College of Buddhist Studies. All programs are taught in

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

, with the exception of the MA program in Buddhist Studies, which has both Chinese and English tracks. A new Center for Buddhist Studies will open in early 2013. As of 2012-2013 academic year, its total enrollment is 3,400 students, including undergraduate and graduate students. The university library holds more than 253,000 volumes.

Features

The university is the first in Taiwan to fully comply with Taiwan Environmental Impact Assessment Act standards while completing the development of a mountain slope campus. Begun in 1996, the project involved major changes to the slope, but every effort was made to keep the impact on the natural environment to a minimum during the construction process. The results of efforts at the time are already evident - eagles, monkeys, bamboo partridges, raccoons and other fauna can still be spotted on campus right now, especially the nationally protected Formosan blue magpie.

Solar panels A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a phot ...

and

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

s are located next to the outdoor performance arena. Both are still being tested for how much electricity they can supply in order to assess whether they can provide a portion of the electricity for lighting the facility. These two generating sources now provide spectacular lighting at night, adding considerably to the luster of the campus.

Transportation

The university is accessible West from

Jiaoxi Station Jiaoxi () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration Yilan line. It is located in Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. History The station was opened on 15 November 1919. Around the station * Fo Guang University See also * ...

of the

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

References

External links

Official site

College of Buddhist Studies
{{Coord, 24.8166, 121.7276, region:TW_type:landmark, display=title Fo Guang Shan Universities and colleges in Yilan County, Taiwan Buddhist universities and colleges in Taiwan Educational institutions established in 2000 2000 establishments in Taiwan