Protests by neighbors halt temple plan
Print Edition
PLANS to build a large Buddhist temple in a neighborhood in Nanchang, capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province, have been halted following a campaign by residents.
However, the plan merging three small temples on one site is still set to go ahead at another location, reported Xinhua news agency.
Residents voiced opposition as according to feng shui it is bad luck to live near a temple. They also feared disturbance from visitors and pollution from incense burning on the 2.67-hectare site.
Nuns and monks oppose the plan as they want to continue living in single-sex institutions.
Under the project, the three temples will be merged into one known as Nanhai Xinggong — literally the Palace in the South China Sea.
The name comes from a renowned temple which was said to date from 1,700 years ago. Damaged in 1952, while being used as a factory, a hotel and homes now stand on the site.
Two of the temples being amalgamated have already been pulled down, Beijing Times reported yesterday.
Jingye Temple was demolished in 2012. Its abbess, Huiren, refused to give permission unless the authorities promised a new temple solely for nuns.
The authorities would not agree to this and finally the director of the Nanchang Buddhist Association gave permission on her behalf.
Shili Ancient Temple was pulled down to make way for a road. Its abbot, Kuanxing, said demolition officials had threatened him to get him to agree.
The only one of the three temples still standing is sure to go the same way as the others, reported the newspaper.
Now, Huiren and her nuns are living in a deserted school building, while Kuanxing sleeps in a temporary shelter.
Residents near the proposed site for Nanhai Xinggong — which had originally been scheduled to become a public green space — made their opposition to the Nanhai Xinggong project clear.
Homeowners set up a group on the QQ online chat platform, attracting 800 protesters, the paper reported.
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