Recently, in Beijing’s Fayuan Temple, a 600-year-old stone lion was pushed over by a tourist, breaking into two pieces and causing the lion’s head and body to separate. This incident has garnered attention.
Fayuan Temple is the oldest existing Buddhist temple in Beijing, originally constructed in the 19th year of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenguan era (645 AD).
On March 11th, a video depicting the incident of a tourist toppling the 600-year-old stone lion at Fayuan Temple began circulating online. In the video, a man wearing a down jacket walked up to the side of the historic lion and forcefully pushed it over, causing it to break into two pieces.
According to a report by the Beijing News, staff at Fayuan Temple confirmed the authenticity of the incident but mentioned that it did not occur on March 11th as circulated online, but at an earlier date. The Beijing Xicheng police department responded, stating that the case is currently under investigation.
Currently, the damaged artifact has been transferred to the cultural relics appraisal department for evaluation. A researcher from the Beijing Institute of Archaeology mentioned that the damaged stone lion dates back at least 600 years, belonging to the Ming and Qing dynasties, and holds significant artistic value. Depending on the evaluation results, if it reaches a certain level, the case could potentially fall under criminal law, or at a lighter outcome, administrative penalties.
After the video went viral, it incited public outrage online.
Netizens expressed their anger by stating, “This is not just a tourist, this is a criminal.” “If someone has that much free time, they should go mine… only when the mined resources compensate for the damage to this lion can they change their ways.” “Legally speaking, this is intentional damage to cultural relics, from a religious standpoint, it should be seen as destruction of temple property… every blade of grass in a temple is considered valuable and should not be tampered with. Some people are ignorant and fearless, failing to believe in karma, arrogantly committing evil deeds.” “They are digging their own grave.”
“We must impose severe penalties, criminalize this behavior, individuals who lack responsibility, public morality, disregard public property, fail to appreciate historical artifacts, possess a lack of legal awareness, and act arrogantly must be dealt with seriously.”