Thousand Year Old Temple to be Destroyed, Luxury ‘Bathhouse’ to Be Built (Updated)
A centuries’ old Buddhist temple in Chongqing is about to become part of a luxury “bathhouse” complex. News of the temple’s fate is currently circulating around the Chinese blogosphere. The following is one netizen’s view, selectively translated by CDT:
A brief introduction to the Beibei Wenquan Temple in Chongqing: the Wenquan temple and its first master were established in the first year of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (423 A.D.), and is linked to the Mahayana sect. It has gone through the tides of great changes through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. … Past notable figures include Hui Guan, Cheng Pin, Chang Tai, Da Fang, Xiang Yan, Long Shu, and so on. The Wenquan temple is a famous temple in the area, having thorough teachings and traditional instruction on Buddhist thought.
重庆北碚温泉寺简介：温泉寺于慈应禅师创建于南北朝景平元年（公元423年），属大乘佛教临济宗。历经唐、宋、元、明、清，沧桑兴废 … 历代高僧有慧灌、成聘、常泰、大方、香延、隆树等。温泉寺为川东名刹，教化四方之所，传承法脉之地。
Recently however, the temple’s auspicious location has attracted some attention, and some desire to transform the temple into Chongqing’s largest relaxation and vice establishment, or a “bathhouse.” Several moneyed and coarse capitalists, in collusion with corrupt local officials, have staged the world’s biggest joke: it uses the Wenquan temple as its building material, a bathhouse as its front, and prostitution as its aim.
而如今，有人看上了这一方风水宝地，欲在这里建重庆最大的休闲色情场所，“洗浴中心”。几个财大气粗的资本家，在勾结当地腐败官员后，上演了本世纪最大的笑话……用温泉做料，洗浴为名，情色交易为主。
The temple received some pro bono counsel from those who tried to understand their situation. But in my decades of experiences in this society, they don’t have much hope; it’s inconceivable that they’d get very far. Perhaps after one phone call, the shadow of their simple lives could disappear without a trace.
法律界人士在了解情况，准备无偿为寺院提供法律援助。但以我几十年的社会经验，对此并不抱有太大的希望，无法想象他们能走多远。或许只须一个电话，他们单薄的身影就会消失的无影无踪。
The Religious Affairs Management has used “inspection” as an excuse, persisting in disrupting the temple’s normal order.
宗教管理部门以“调研”为借口，坚持干扰佛寺正常宗教秩序。
These are some precious [Song Dynasty] Buddhist cultural artifacts. Take one more look at them — they are hidden by the large road to the bathhouse, and no one knows what their fate will be.
The final era of culture. Aside from the government’s influence, what else will we sacrifice on the road for our so-called economic development? After 100 years, how will later generations criticize our period of history?
这些都是国宝级的佛教文物
再看一眼他们吧
因为它们正好挡在情色洗浴扩张的大路上，没人知道它们的命运…
文化的断代，除了政治的因素之外，还要牺牲在所谓的经济建设的道路上吗？
百年后，后人该怎么评说这段历史？
Aside from seriously hurting the Buddhists’ feelings, the cover-up of the illegal behavior ironically coincides with the second session of the World Buddhist Forum in Wuxi. Thousands of monks from 56 countries will assemble to talk about “Harmonious Society, Unity of the Multitudes.” This is a serious provocation of the country’s religious policies and Buddhist interests!
而如此严重的损害佛教徒宗教感情，侵吞佛教教产的违法行为却发生在第二届世界佛教论坛在中国无锡盛大举行的时候，来自56个国家的僧团及数千名佛教徒聚集无锡梵宫畅谈“和谐世界，众缘和合”之际。是对国家宗教政策和佛教利益的严重挑衅！
The regional authority’s important “written comments,” that was authorization for the [bathhouse plan] implementation.
区级领导的重要“批示”，并且开始执行。
Do you dare to look upon the State Council’s religious policies?
而这些国务院的宗教政策文件你们敢看吗？
Update: We have changed the headline and introduction to this post, which previously implied that the entire temple would be demolished. We thank Xujun Eberlein for pointing this out, and for providing additional details about the fate of the Beibei Wenquan Temple.
POSTED COMMENTS: 4 Responses
haha this is ridiculous. but typical in china. where nobody gives a fcuk about anything except for money. this is disgusting.
Umm…where does it say they’re demolishing the temple? It looks like they’re planning to build a “spa” next to it?
Hi Retre,
Thanks for your comment. The spa will indeed be built on temple grounds, not next to the temple.
The temple in its entirety will not be demolished, but a number of architectural features have already been torn down, and its cultural significance will undoubtedly be irreparably damaged.
Hope that clears things up.
Paulina
It is more and more apparent every day,the corrupt communist goverment officials are a bunch of super perverts and since beijing restricted the corrupt officials from spreading their corrupt perversion to other countries where they spent millions of the Chinese citizens money for prostitutes and alcohol,now the corrupt communist goverment will tear down a two thousand year old temple to make a SPA for the filthy perverted corrupt communist officials to expand their perversion in china,with the poor Chinese peoples money,while the whole time,they kick Buddhism in the stomach,to shack up their whores in a place of worship to corruption and perversion,and the only enlightenment will be to their beastliness perversion,and theft of more money.China’s corrupt communist goverment lied again about protecting Buddhist temples,as usual,I hope the world takes notice to the continual lies from beijing.