The Buddhist Association of China was founded on 30 May 1953, and was disbanded in the late 1960s during the
Cultural Revolution, then reactivated following the end of that period. The BCA was one of five such religious groups, which also included the
Islamic Association of China, the
Chinese Taoist Association, the
Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and the
Catholic Patriotic Association. In 2006, the BCA and the
Hong Kong Buddhist Association hosted the second
World Buddhist Forum for dialogue between Buddhist monks and scholars from 50 countries and regions. The forum lasted for four days in the city of
Wuxi in
Jiangsu province. The organizer of events was the president of the BCA, Venerable Master
Yicheng. The vice president is
Gyaincain Norbu, a disputed 11th
Panchen Lama. In 2017 the BCA declared the longstanding tradition that the first offering of incense of the new year are particularly auspicious to have no grounds in Buddhist doctrine. In 2018, the BCA's parent organization, the
State Administration for Religious Affairs, was absorbed into the CCP's United Front Work Department. In February 2023, the BCA launched a searchable database of official practitioners. ==Presidents==