A SACRED symbol in St Eustachius Church in Tavistock has a direct link with ancient China, according to a local cultural environmentalist. Dr Tom Greeves, a leading authority on Dartmoor and chairman of the Dartmoor Society, travelled to China last autumn in an attempt to discover more about the three hares symbol, which can be seen in the 15th century parish church?s wooden roof bosses. The design of three hares joined by their ears to form a circle can also be seen in Buddhist caves in North West China dating back to AD600-900. Other examples have been seen elsewhere in Britain, in France, Germany and across the Europe and Asia and their history and meaning is sparking international interest. Dr Greeves said: ?We were invited to a conference out in China to give a presentation on our work with the three hares symbol in Europe. ?It was held at the site of these Buddhist caves on the old Silk Road, which was this great trade route between the East and the West. ?These caves are about 1,000 miles from Beijing, right on the edge of the Gobi Desert, so they are very remote. ?There are 500 of these caves, mostly painted with scenes of the life of Buddha and they cover a 1,000-year period, between 400AD and 1400AD. ?They were sacred Buddhist caves and 17 of them actually have the three hares motif painted in them, just like the ones in Devon and Tavistock. ?We know of 17 parish churches in Devon that have them, so we are running neck-and-neck with China!? Joining Dr Greeves on the Three Hares Project trip was Sue Andrew, an art historian from Walkhampton, and photographer Chris Chapman from Throwleigh. Dr Greeves said: ?We have been tracking the symbol right across Europe and Asia and found these links that led us right to Devon, which has a really important cluster of these symbols. ?We think they travelled from East to West, but it makes a direct link between Ancient China and Mediaeval Tavistock. ?It?s very interesting because it not only occurs in Buddhism but in Islam and Judaism, so there are four major religions using the symbol in very significant or sacred contexts over at least 700 years.? Dr Greeves said he believed the link between the symbols was the silk trade ? but there was still much work to be done on the project. He and his colleagues are hoping to visit the Vosges region in Eastern France later this year to document more examples of the ancient symbol. ?It?s absolutely amazing and what is so interesting is the links that are so clearly there in remote periods between different parts of the world.? Dr Greeves will give an illustrated talk, entitled The Three Hares ? Tavistock?s sacred link with Ancient China, on Wednesday April 6 at 7.30pm in the parish church. The event has been organised by the Friends of St Eustachius ? tickets cost £2.50 on the door.