Faye Wong urges 'end to forced demolition' after Fuzhou temple torn down

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Ruins at Ruiyun temple after it was torn down. Photo: screenshot of ifeng.com

Published: 1:45pm, 11 Dec 2013Updated: 2:34pm, 12 Dec 2013

Diva, pious Buddhist, and influential blogger Faye Wong called for “an end to forced demolition” on Weibo on Wednesday morning after a historic buddhist temple in Fujian province was torn down against the will of its resident abbots.

The two abbots at the Ruiyun temple, in their 70s and 80s, had refused to leave the Fuzhou temple even after it was reduced to ruins by demolition workers on Sunday. They were taken away on Wednesday morning by security guards, Chinese online news portal ifeng.com reported, quoting witnesses at the temple. Abbots had phoned once for help after they were brought away, but weren't able to be reached since, said sources.

The whereabout of the missing abbots and the forced demolition of the 117-year-old house of worship has angered China’s religious community. Thousands protested on Weibo, demanding respect and protection of religious sites.

Bloggers say they were especially touched by a video clip reposted by Wong that was allegedly recorded 20 minutes before the demolition took place on Sunday. In the clip, a calm and resolute 84-year-old abbot performed her last round of worship in the temple, before walking away from the place she had served and lived in or years.

Abbot worships 20 minutes before the forced demolition

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