• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT CHINA
    • NEWS
    • TESTIMONIES
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • GLOSSARY
    • CHINA PERSECUTION MAP
  • FROM THE WORLD
    • NEWS
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • TESTIMONIES
  • INTERVIEWS
  • DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS
    • DOCUMENTS
    • THE TAI JI MEN CASE
    • TRANSLATIONS
  • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • TOPICS

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

three friends of winter
Home / China / Testimonies China

Authorities Hire Criminals to Destroy a Buddhist Temple

09/09/2018Shen Xiang |

Panoramic view of Changling Buddhist temple after the destruction
Panoramic view of Changling Buddhist temple after the destruction

Hired criminals recently razed a temple in Hubei to the ground, even though it had all government permits in place.

On April 14, the municipal government of Danjiangkou city in Hubei assembled personnel from the Public Security Bureau, Religious Affairs Bureau and other related departments for a temple demolition.

The temple in question was the Changling Temple, originally built during the reign of one of the major royal dynasties of China, Song Dynasty. It had been rebuilt last year in June by an abbot, Zhou Hongmei. Even though the new temple did not compare with the antiquity of the original one, thousands of Chinese continued to make a pilgrimage to the temple. The crowds often gathered in large numbers on New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year’s Day as well.

The temple is, however, located in the mountains. Which is why, when the authorities tried to bring in an excavator to demolish it, the vehicle was unable to make its way to the temple due to narrow roads.

That didn’t deter CCP officials as two days later; the public security bureau hired over a dozen criminals for the job. The Party could not send in armed personnel of its own to avoid being petitioned by locals or believers in courts. Despite the illegality of its actions, it is essential for the Party to maintain a clean image.

The hired men smashed all of the temple’s glazed roof tiles and destroyed doors, windows, and walls. Abbot Zhou was upset to see the temple being demolished despite having done everything legally and working hard at it.

According to sources, the temple was completely legal. Before the rebuilding, permits from more than a dozen departments had been duly obtained. Some of those departments included the municipal bureau of religious affairs, United Front Work Department and the town administration.

Reported by Shen Xiang

 

The destroyed dining hall on the right side of Changling Buddhist temple
The destroyed dining hall on the right side of Changling Buddhist temple

 

The destroyed dining hall on the left side of Changling Buddhist temple
The destroyed dining hall on the left side of Changling Buddhist temple

Tagged With: Buddhism

Shen Xiang profile picture
Shen Xiang

Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.

Related articles

  • Buddhist Temples Vandalized in California

    Buddhist Temples Vandalized in California

  • Historical Buddhist Temple Closed in Jiangxi

    Historical Buddhist Temple Closed in Jiangxi

  • Megastatue of Buddha Destroyed in Sichuan

    Megastatue of Buddha Destroyed in Sichuan

  • Elderly Man Dies Protesting Temple Demolition in Anhui Province

    Elderly Man Dies Protesting Temple Demolition in Anhui Province

Keep Reading

  • Residents Beaten for Protecting Their Temples
    Residents Beaten for Protecting Their Temples

    Followers of Buddhism and Taoism, two traditional Chinese religions, face ruthless suppression at the hands of authorities for defending their religious liberties.

  • Buddhists Falsely Accused of Being Falun Gong Members in Hong Kong
    Buddhists Falsely Accused of Being Falun Gong Members in Hong Kong

    Accusations against True Buddha School devotees in Hong Kong by the Chinese Communist Party are aimed at applying the National Security Law against them.

  • Guan Yin Citta: Leader Dies, Crackdown on Buddhist Movement Continues
    Guan Yin Citta: Leader Dies, Crackdown on Buddhist Movement Continues

    In 2019, Bitter Winter revealed a secret plan to eradicate the group, whose leader died on November 10, in China. It did not succeed.

  • Outdoor Buddhist Statues Destroyed in Temples and Scenic Areas
    Outdoor Buddhist Statues Destroyed in Temples and Scenic Areas

    The CCP’s campaign to eliminate Buddhist icons across China continues unabated for nearly three years. More accounts of demolitions.

Primary Sidebar

Support Bitter Winter

Learn More

Follow us

Newsletter

Most Read

  • France Joins China and Russia by Introducing Special Police Techniques Against “Cults” by Massimo Introvigne
  • “Socialist Spiritual Civilization”: The Great Comeback of an Old CCP Concept by Hu Zimo
  • The Fate of Tibet After the Inevitable: A Tibetan Opinion by Ugyen Gyalpo
  • Ngaba Prefecture, Sichuan: Massive Re-Education to Prevent Tibetan Self-Immolations by Lopsang Gurung
  • Wang Hai: Miao Christian Pastor Still Harassed and Investigated by Mo Yuan
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 7. The Scientologist as Artist by Massimo Introvigne
  • Mark Fino: No Asylum in Japan for Evangelist Threatened in Bangladesh by Tom Eskildsen

CHINA PERSECUTION MAP -SEARCH NEWS BY REGION

clickable geographical map of china, with regions

Footer

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

MASSIMO INTROVIGNE

Director-in-Charge

MARCO RESPINTI

ADDRESS

CESNUR

Via Confienza 19,

10121 Turin, Italy,

Phone: 39-011-541950

E-MAIL

We welcome submission of unpublished contributions, news, and photographs. Each submission implies the authorization for us to edit and publish texts and photographs. We reserve the right to decide which submissions are suitable for publication. Please, write to INFO@BITTERWINTER.ORG Thank you.

Newsletter

LINKS

orlir-logo hrwf-logo cesnur-logo

Copyright © 2023 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY