On the evening of May 10, the Hall was a blaze of warm light welcoming Tzu Chi members and friends to the Worldwide Tzu Chi People Convention.

For days before the anniversary, Master Cheng Yen traveled from the Abode of Still Thoughts to the Still Thoughts Hall a couple of times a day to check on progress. She tirelessly spoke to the workmen and volunteers, encouraging them and cheering them on.

Less than two weeks before the anniversary, the Hall was still completely surrounded by scaffolding, the interior was a chaotic construction site, and the exterior was a sea of mud. An army of Tzu Cheng Faith Corps volunteers worked day and night to help get things ready.

On May 9, the day before people were to start arriving for the celebration, the Tzu Cheng Faith Corps volunteers were still busy planting grass and stones.

The new international convention center in Still Thoughts Hall is a bright, comfortable facility that will be of tremendous use in the future. In the evening, a variety show was staged for the entertainment of the Tzu Chi people.

With all the hard labor of so many volunteers, the Still Thoughts Hall was finally ready to greet the Tzu Chi people and other distinguished guests from all over the world. All the scaffolding, except for the very top of the roof, was gone and the interior was clean and decorated.

Delegations of Tzu Chi members came from a number of foreign countries. Each group was invited to perform for the convention. Here, the American group puts on a rousing, spirited show.

On the morning of May 11, the various national delegations and other Tzu Chi organizations made a grand entry into Still Thoughts Hall, led by a drumming team from the Tzu Chi Junior College of Nursing.

A number of foreign guests and journalists were also present for the celebration. Here Master Cheng Yen greets Sister Angela Mary Doyle, director of Mater Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Sister Angela Mary gave a speech at the meeting this morning -- in Chinese!!! (See the news story about Sister Angela Mary in the spring edition of the Tzu Chi Quarterly.)

The main hall seated over 3,000 people. The entier building was filled to capacity, as more people in other halls and lecture rooms watched the proceedings on closed-circuit TV. In all, over 10,000 people attended.

Other speakers included(clockwise, from top)Lin Yang-kang, advisor to Pres. Lee, Hsiao-Yen Chang, head of the Overseas Chinese Commission, and Gary Ho, CEO of the Tzu Chi Vancouver Branch. (See news story about Gary Ho in the spring edition of the Tzu Chi Quarterly.)

The Commissioners Choir (left) performed Tzu Chi songs.

The sign language team (below left) sang and danced with graceful movements that reflected the gracious spirit of Tzu Chi.

Master Cheng Yen (right) gave the keynote address. She expressed her gratitude for all the support and hard work of Tzu Chi members in the last thirty years, and she hoped that everyone would continue for the next thirty years.

After all the speeches and performances, everyone had lunch, prepared by the hard work of many dedicated volunteers. Here, disciples at the Abode of Still Thoughts make a special surprise of rice dumplings.