Beijing to build two new Christian churches ( 2004-02-03 09:22) (China Daily)
For the first time in more than half a century, two Christian churches will
be built in the capital city.
At the same time, plans to renovate two ancient temples for Buddhist and
Taoist religious rites are in the works.
A Christian church
on the Beijing Wangfujing Street.
[newsphoto/file]
It is the first time churches are going up in the city since the People's
Republic of China was founded in 1949.
One of them will be located in Chaoyang District, the other in Fengtai
District in southwestern Beijing, said Hou Xiaoming, an official with the
Beijing Religious Bureau.
He said construction started in mid-December. Both churches are 1,500 square
metres each and will be finished by Christmas.
The projects follow a proposal put forward by Na Cang, a member of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Beijing Committee,
the city's top advisory body.
Na said during the frist session of the 10th CPPCC Beijing Committee early
last year that the city seriously lacks ritual places and the current
distribution of religious sites is unbalanced.
He pointed out that Beijing has only five temples for Buddhist rituals, and
only one of them - the Lama Temple - performs the rites of Tibetan Buddhism or
Lamaism.
Na said thousands of lamaists and visitors visit the Lama Temple every day
during Spring Festival, overcrowding the space and creating a high risk of
accidents.
Believers attend a
public mass at the Donghe Christian Church in Donghe village of Jinbei
town, Jinhu County, South China's Jiangsu Province. The church was built
in 1982.[newsphoto/file]
Other than the two churches under construction, the Tianning Temple, one of
the oldest temples in the capital, built during the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD
386-534), will get a facelift and will be opened to Buddhist rites, said Hou.
And the 1,371-year-old Huoshen Temple will also start holding Taoist rituals
after restoration work is completed, Hou said.
The
Donghe Christian Church was built in 1982. It is a major ritual place for
villagers nearby. [newsphoto/file]
Na's proposal
was one of the more than 1,200 motions put forward by CPPCC members.
Non-Communist parties such as the China Democratic League and the Jiu San
Society have also put forward proposals.
"More than 70 per cent of the proposals have been adopted or partly accepted
by government organs in decision making," said Ren Yingying, vice-director of
the office which handles proposals under the CPPCC Beijing Committee.
Ren said criticism and suggestions of CPPCC members are welcomed by
government organs.
The municipal Public Security Bureau even opened a "through train" for
members to submit their opinions through the Internet.
The second session of the 10th CPPCC Beijing Committee is scheduled to be
held between February 15 and 19 before the national CPPCC session in March.
So far, the committee has received nearly 100 proposals, said Ren.
She said the proposals covered a wide range of issues, including regional
economic development, traffic, health care, environmental protection, social
security, employment and social credibility.
"The development of the non-State economy is one of the key issues for the
session this year, and most of the democratic parties have put forward special
proposals on the topic," said Ren.
By pointing out social problems, conveying public complaints and submitting
suggestions, the CPPCC Beijing Committee, a watchdog over the city government,
is playing a big role in decision making, Ren added.
