In the news reported on February 6, 2026 by Dajiyuan, the monk Shi Jingjue from Zhanjiang, Guangdong, returned to the temple and accused the local religious bureau and the temple’s resident abbot of persecuting him for their own benefit, leading him to leave a suicide note and jump into the river late at night. Some netizens commented that the Chinese Communist Party “has left even monks with no way out!”
On the evening of February 4, a monk in Wuchuan City, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, jumped into the river at Jiangxin Island, leaving his disciples crying on the bridge.
Video footage from the scene showed the monk calmly standing on a bridge pier before jumping into the water, despite rescue personnel trying to persuade him to stop. He ultimately leaped into the river. A woman’s voice crying out, “Master jumped into the water!” can be heard in the video.
The monk who jumped into the river was Shi Jingjue, and in his suicide note, he accused officials from the local religious bureau and the resident abbot of the temple, Shi X, of forcing him to leave the temple for their own exclusive interests.
According to the suicide note, around 8 a.m. on January 31, the resident abbot of the temple, Shi X, along with his cousin and others, drove him out of the temple and threw his belongings out. Shi Jingjue claimed he did nothing wrong, and the abbot’s actions were solely to monopolize the temple’s benefits and appoint his relatives to manage the temple.
It was rumored online that on January 26, the Bureau of Religious Affairs and the Buddhist Association unanimously voted against allowing him to stay in the temple, leading to his expulsion in accordance with the law.
On January 30, the temple issued a notice stating that Shi Jingjue was moved out for violating discipline, and later refused to cooperate with registration before forcibly trying to enter the temple.
The monk’s suicide sparked discussions among netizens.
Famous Chinese writer and commentator Li Chengfeng humorously wrote on social media, “Thinking back to when Shi Yongxin from the Shaolin Temple was arrested in a big way, and recently the monks have been trending… Throughout history, monks trending is definitely not a good sign… Temples are places of pure practices, with minds as calms as still waters. If monks’ emotions are stirring, it indicates the empire is always in trouble.”
Some netizens commented, “In a prosperous era, news about monks should be ‘High monk delivering sermons’ and ‘Blessing rituals’. In turbulent times, monk’s news tends to be about ‘Corruption arrest,’ ‘Jumping into the river to protest,’ ‘Committing crimes’. Shi Jingjue’s leap not only symbolized a monk’s act, but also tore open a glimpse of the ‘prosperous era ants.’ When the people farthest from secular society live in such turmoil, it is indeed not a good omen.”
“Recalling the former museum female director surnamed Zeng who jumped off a building, under the Communist Party’s umbrella, whether in a religious setting or any other unit, power is the core.”
“Despite the emperor through the ages being formidable, leaving even monks with no way out! Truly a unique talent of ancient times!”
“When monks are forced to petition, forced to jump off bridges, forced to hold umbrellas – in this era, there is no law and no sky.”
“In this world, even those who renounce the world and seek peace struggle to survive, let alone ordinary people. Their lives will only become more difficult!”