What may be Buddha's finger is on display in Taiwan
A devastating flood in central China in 1981 caused an ancient pagoda to collapse at Famen Temple near Xian.
When archaeologists looked through the rubble a few years later, they made a startling discovery.
Sealed in a miniature stone casket, they found what they believed to be part of one of the Buddha's fingers.
The relic had apparently been placed there more than 1,000 years earlier.
So sacred is the finger to Buddhists in Taiwan, as elsewhere, that tens of thousands of people have turned out to pay homage to it.
Finger on display
Now touring Taiwan, the relic was for a while on display at the mountain-top monastery of Fo Guang Shan, near the southern city of Kaohsiung.
I asked senior nun Yi Kong how the relic came to be there.
"In 1989, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, the Venerable Master Hsin Yun, went to China on a trip to visit his family. This was two years after the Buddha finger relic was discovered in Famen Temple," he said.
"Hsin Yun went to see the finger to pay his respects. It's the only one of its kind in the world and is invaluable and precious to all Buddhists.
"In Taiwan, a lot of people believe in Buddhism. So of course it was our hope to bring the relic to Taiwan so 23 million people would be able to see it."
At Fo Guang Shan, the finger was on display in a huge auditorium. It was a vast room with seats and cushions to allow pilgrims to rest and contemplate once they have seen the relic.
Closely guarded
The finger itself was in a miniature golden pagoda at the back of the room.
It was being guarded by four monks who, I was told, were martial arts experts.
Visitors, who had to go through metal detectors before they were allowed in to see the finger, slowly filed by the relic.
They had just time to bow three times before being moved on.
There was incense burning and flowers all around the relic but, from this distance, it was impossible to get a good look at the finger.
But for the visitors who travelled here, seeing seemed irrelevant to believing.
Visitors appeared physically moved by what they saw.
"I feel very honoured and grateful that I have had the chance to see the Buddha relic," said one. "It was buried under the pagoda for a long time so I feel good now I've had chance to see it."
Another vistor added: "I was born more than 2,000 years after the Buddha, but I feel moved and touched to have seen the finger.
"I hope we can all learn the ways of the Buddha and try to cultivate Buddhism and help everybody."
The nuns and monks at Fo Guang Shan were just as moved as the visitors, as one of the nuns, Man Kuang, told me.
"Most of the Buddhists can feel that it is the Buddha sitting in front of them. I have that kind of feeling.
"And I had a funny experience because I was leading the chanting group in front of the Buddha's relic.
"The first time I just cried. It was very embarrassing because I was doing the leading part.
"For a few minutes, I couldn't make a sound. I would like to cry out loud, but since I was leading the chanting group I couldn't."
No-one can be sure if the finger really was the Buddha's.
But the thousands of Taiwanese who have flocked to see it seem to need little convincing.
Improved relations with China
The loan of the sacred Chinese relic to Taiwan is another example of the burgeoning cultural and religious exchanges across the Taiwan Strait - exchanges which are thriving despite the political impasse.
Back at the Fo Guang Shan monastery, Yi Kong said the relic was a symbol of peace.
"As far as cross-Strait relations go, we think that this is an excellent sign of goodwill shown by both governments.
"The finger is a number one treasure in China, so if this can be brought here we can look forward to a bright future where both governments work together well.
"To have a religious exchange is a very good start."