Millennial temple’s advertisement for new media talent goes viral

    A 1,500-YEAR-OLD Buddhist temple has become a hit online after an advertisement recruiting new media talent received more than a million clicks and 4,000 applications worldwide within five days.

    The advertisement, which combines music, cartoons and humorous wording, was posted by Donghua Zen Temple in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province. It is looking to fill eight positions, including application operator, user interface designer, new media communication specialist and IT maintenance person.

    It was first posted five days ago on the temple’s official WeChat account, China’s most popular social network, and went viral after countless retweets.

    “Half a month in the forest relaxing your nerves and half a month in the city. Easy, flexible, full of freedom, what are you waiting for? Our Buddha needs you!” the advertisement reads.

    “The response has been far more than our expectations,” said Liu Fen, 35, one of the masterminds behind the advertisement. “New mail started showing up after just a minute or two.”

    Wang Yingyao, 28, who is a freelance copywriter for Chanel and Lancome, is one of the applicants, along with overseas Chinese from Italy and Russia. The expected salary will follow market trends, according to the temple. “I was attracted by their innovative approach and I personally am interested in Buddha’s wisdom,” said Wang. He said the advertisement was direct, simple and not mysterious, totally different from his impression about temples.

    Liu, a lay Buddhist at the temple, said most of the 12 staffers in the temple’s Culture Department are young people who feel traditional ways of promoting Buddhism are not applicable to the mobile Internet era.

    “Young people nowadays do not like reading bulky books or answering strangers’ calls,” said Liu, who worked in a cell phone manufacturing factory in Shenzhen before she joined the temple half a year ago. “Time is fragmented now. If we want them to better understand Buddhism, we need to build new media platforms to serve them,” she said.

    The temple outsourced the cartoon and scenario application to make the advertising more professional and appealing, according to Li.

    The new hires will help the temple build three technical platforms: a quality official website, a more efficient WeChat account and a social network for real interaction between Buddhists, said Li.

    “Promoting Buddhism is not limited in forms,” said Li. “If we want young people to get in touch with Buddhism, we need to use the language and approach that they can accept — otherwise we will lose them.”

    Master Huike, head of the temple’s culture department, knows nothing about apps or user interfaces, but he supports his young colleagues’ innovation. “The government advocates the rejuvenation of traditional culture, and Buddhism is part of that,” said Huike. “As a temple, we respond to the government’s call and adapt to changing times. Whatever tools we are using, the core will never change,” he said. “We will continue to spread the goodness and kindness of Buddhism.”

    (Xinhua)