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在线翻译:
szdaily -> In depth -> 
Temple demolition plan sparks controversy
    2013-04-16  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    A LOCAL government’s planned demolition of part of a Buddhist temple in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, ostensibly to support its application for UNESCO World Heritage status, has sparked controversy among the public over its validity.

    Xingjiao Temple, a renowned Buddhist site in Chang’an District of the provincial capital Xi’an, quit its participation in the application Thursday afternoon, saying the demolition would affect its religious activities and the normal life of Buddhists.

    “If they demolish the buildings under the current plan, it is still possible that the application will be vetoed by the international panel,” said Master Kuanshu, the temple spokesman. “If Xingjiao Temple takes the initiative to quit, it will not affect the province’s application.”

    But according to Feng Jian, who leads the office that is handling Xi’an’s application for UNESCO World Heritage status, only the city government can decide if the application should be halted.

    “I don’t think it’s appropriate for Xingjiao Temple to quit its participation at the moment, because the proposal has been accepted by UNESCO and the project involves three countries, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan,” Feng said Sunday. “No one can predict the result if Xingjiao Temple insists on stepping out of the plan. This has never happened before.”

    According to the government’s plan, some of the newer buildings that are unmatched with the original style of the 1,300-year-old temple, including the dining hall and dormitories, will be demolished by June 30.

    The move is part of preparations for an application for UNESCO World Heritage status for several sites in Shaanxi Province along the Silk Road, an ancient trade route running from the Middle East to China.

    The monks have lodged their firm opposition to the plan.

    “If there was no demolition, we would support the world heritage application. But if the plan includes demolition, we shall quit,” temple abbot Kuanchi said at a meeting Wednesday.

    The temple also wrote a response to the plan.

    “The buildings gradually constructed throughout the years were built around the Xuanzang Tower,” the response states. “Therefore, it is essential to preserve the integrity of the entire temple…The integrity and history of Xingjiao Temple would be destroyed if all the supporting buildings were torn down.”

    Xingjiao Temple holds the remains of Xuanzang, a famous Chinese monk who traveled to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures in the seventh century and inspired the epic Chinese novel “Journey to the West.”

    Zhang Jinlai, who played the Monkey King in a popular 1988 TV adaptation of “Journey to the West,” commented on the demolition plan Wednesday on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblog service, calling on the national religious affairs administration to interfere.

    As of yesterday, Zhang’s comments had been reposted more than 188,000 times and received more than 41,000 comments, most of which supported his appeal.

    The Buddhist Association of China said it was shocked and worried about the plans for Xingjiao Temple, according to a statement posted on its website Thursday night.

    “Demolishing temple buildings without getting permission from the residing Buddhists seriously violates religious policy and laws, and infringes upon the legal rights of the Buddhist community,” it said.

    The State Administration for Religious Affairs urged religious authorities in Xi’an on Thursday to investigate the case and consult with local Buddhists before properly acting, in line with relevant laws and policies.

    Zhao Xiaoning, an official with the Chang’an District cultural heritage administration, said he felt sad about the reports criticizing the government over its handling of the UNESCO application.

    “Our application is to better protect the ancient pagodas from which the temple gets its fame,” Zhao said.

    According to official documents, the world heritage application lists only the towers that were built in 669. Almost two-thirds of the buildings on temple grounds would be demolished, but the three towers, including one that houses the remains of Xuanzang, who died in 644, would be preserved. Most of the surrounding buildings would not qualify because they were built in the 1920s, after the originals were destroyed in fires. Some of the newly built buildings were constructed after the 1990s in a style that places them at odds with their surroundings, Zhao said.

    Xingjiao’s monks would be relocated to a nearby temple after the planned demolition.

    The Chang’an district government has already planned to construct new buildings in nearby villages to guarantee the accommodation of Buddhists and their normal religious activities.

    But the government is yet to reach an agreement with the temple on the land distribution for resettlement.

    “The temple supported our application but was capricious in the land distribution,” a district government official said on condition of anonymity.

    He claimed that an appeal for 10 mu (0.67 hectare) of land had risen over time to 80 mu, so “the cost of relocation is too high.”

    A State-owned enterprise denied charges that it was behind the demolition plan in an effort to profit from redeveloping the temple and promoting it as a tourist attraction Wednesday night. The company stopped participating in all relevant construction projects in January, said a post on its official Sina Weibo account.

    Applications for UNESCO World Heritage sites have been filed thick and fast in China in recent years, with a successful bid likely to bring in numerous tourists and considerable revenues for local governments.

    In the Xingjiao Temple case, experts have called for stakeholders to hold talks and settle on a compromise.

    “The religious relics are sacred in believers’ eyes. The government should make the application and relocation plans public and ask the Buddhists, public and experts to deliberate on their validity,” said Li Li’an, a professor at Northwest University.

    Li also called for the government to be on alert for overdevelopment and commercialization after the application.

    Zhou Kuiying, an official with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, warned against demonizing the government’s application efforts and said a balance must be struck.

    “We should regard the application in the interest of the nation, instead of selfishly,” Zhou said. “Cultural heritage protection should never be bundled with commercial development, either.”

    (Xinhua)

    According to the government’s plan, some of the newer buildings that are unmatched with the original style of the 1,300-year-old temple, including the dining hall and dormitories, will be demolished by June 30.

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