A memorial hall to mark Xuan Zang, a Chinese monk who traveled to India for Buddhist knowledge some 1,300 years ago, opened at Nalanda of north Indian state Bihar on Monday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing attended the opening ceremony with a high-profile Chinese delegation including 80 monks.

"Let us write a new chapter of our relationship," Li said when addressing the inaugural ceremony of the memorial hall.

The opening of the hall will strengthen the old cultural and religious ties between India and China, he said.

He also invited the Indians to visit China adding that it will promote the Sino-Indian friendship.

Indian Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, Bihar Governor R. S. Gavai, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Indian Center for Cultural Relations Chairman Karan Singh were also at present.

As key programs in China-India Friendship Year of 2006, the Chinese government supported the restoration work of Xuan Zang Memorial Hall while the Indian government built a Buddhist temple of Hindu style in north China's Luoyang city.

A 26-member Chinese team had stayed at Nalanda for about 100 days carrying out the restoration works.

The memorial hall is located near the relics of ancient Nalanda University, a top institution for Buddhism study at that time.

Xuan Zang started his journey to India, home to Buddhism, in 627 A.D. and stayed there for 13 years including five years of study in Nalanda. He brought back lots of Buddhist sutra and translated into Chinese, which laid foundations for Chinese Buddhism.

Source: Xinhua