A cartoon Maitreya shows up at the cultural festival in Prato, Italy. [Photo/Fenghua Fabu WeChat]

A festival themed on Buddhism in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, especially the culture about the Maitreya, or Buddha of the future, was held in Prato, Italy from Feb 14 to 17.

Xuedou Mountain in Fenghua district of Ningbo was said to be the ashram of Buddha Maitreya in ancient times. An old temple, as well as a large bronze statue of Maitreya made the mountain widely known for its profound Buddhist culture.

Since 2008, the cultural festival themed on the Buddha has been held for over a decade and Fenghua has conducted cultural exchanges with over 50 countries and regions around the world.

This time in Prato, a city with the largest population of overseas Chinese in Italy, meetings for blessings, cultural performances and a lantern show entertained the Italian residents with their distinctive Chinese characteristics.

Officials from Ningbo and Prato attend the opening ceremony of the festival in the Italian city on Feb 14. [Photo/Fenghua Fabu WeChat]

A dragon dance is staged at the cultural festival in Prato, Italy. [Photo/Fenghua Fabu WeChat]