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.
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 meters 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 first 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.
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.
Na's proposal was one of 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 that handles proposals under
the CPPCC Beijing Committee.
Ren said government organs welcome criticism and suggestions of
CPPCC members.
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 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.
(China Daily February 3, 2004)