In this article I explore the Buddhist interaction between Taiwan and Fujian during the period of Japanese rule. Masters Taixu and Yuanying represent positions of reform and conservativism respectively in contemporary Chinese Buddhism. These two masters came to Taiwan in 1917 and 1923 respectively, while Taiwan was under Japanese rule. Once in Taiwan, they led Buddhist services and transmitted precepts. Because Ven. Taixu has written an autobiography and Dongying caizhenlu (Records of eastern travels), works which provide us with clear historical information, we can know for certain the motivations and dates of his trip. However, in the case of Ven. Yuanying, although we have his collected writings (Yuanying dashi fahui) to refer to, there is no clear information regarding the precise time and motivation of his trip to Taiwan. Therefore, in addition to referring to his collected writings, I also refer to the magazine Nanying Fojiao (South Seas Buddhist Magazine) and Taiwan riri xinbao for my investigation. As a result, it is possible to determine the correct times and motivations of their trips, the Buddhists in Taiwan with whom they had contact, and their influence in Taiwan. Additionally, it is possible to see that in 1917, the two masters already had a long-lasting friendship, established when Ven. Taixu received his precepts in Tiantong si at age 16 and Ven. Yuanying held the position of supervision master. However, as the years went by, their friendship shifted, to the extent that it had a large influence on the reforms of contemporary Chinese Buddhism and on the development of post-war Taiwan Buddhism. However, these issues must be saved for future publication.
