Ven. Hiu Wen (1912-2004), a native Guangdong Province, was known as the first female Master in the Buddhist community in Taiwan. On account of her dedication to Buddhist arts and Buddhist higher education, she was also internationally renowned and awarded honorary titles such as the honorary chair of the International Association of Buddhist Women. In 1967 she moved from Hong Kong to Taiwan and began her career as a professor of Buddhist arts. Thereafter she established the Lotus Ashram and the Institute of Sino-Indian Studies. Her groundbreaking work of establishing Huafan University, the first institute of Buddhist higher education, sealed her place in the Chinese Buddhist history. Moreover, she is the first female heir to Ven. Tanxu (1875-1963, the 44th patriarch of the Tiantai School. These achievements make Hiu Wen one of the most outstanding leaders among contamporary Taiwanese Buddhist bhiksunis. This article is to analyze Ven. Hiu Wen's image as a religious leader by discussing her career, chronologically divided into three periods. I will discuss how she successfully built and connect networks of students and small nunneries to help usher in the reform of Buddhist education. With her superb ability of establishing vast networks, Ven. Hiuwen helped bring Buddhist education into the 20th century, gave Taiwanese Buddhist nuns a new self-identity, and boosted women's self-esteem by connecting them to and placing them in Buddhist higher education.
