For some years the city center (inside the Erhuan, or second city loop) has been prey to forced demolitions and the super-fast construction of hotels, high-rise buildings and offices to host companies preparing for the event and those coming to capital enticed by the Chinese market. Good or bad, the attempt to restore ancient buildings and redistribute the religious population is part of the Beijing’s urban planning project in preparation for the Olympic games. The reopening of the above mentioned temples will allow the concentration of faithful to be distributed in the suburbs, thereby “avoiding crowds and incidents”. Na said that there are too many Buddhist pilgrims concentrated around Yonghegong, the Lamas’ downtown temple. The proposal is a sign of economic and political concern, more than that of religious freedom. The project includes the restoration and reopening of the Tianning Buddhist temple and the reopening of the Huoshen Taoist temple. The project is part of a proposal presented by Na Chang, member of the People’s Policy Consulting Conference. The construction sites were opened in December and work will be concluded by next Christmas.” One of them will be constructed in the Chao Yang neighborhood, while the other in the Fengtai area in the southwest outskirts of the city. The newspaper said “for the first time after over half a century, two Christian churches will be built in the capital. The news, which has gained worldwide attention, was published in the China Daily. However, for many Catholics and Protestants there are no prospects for new churches, but instead await the demolition of their centers of worship. This is what members of Beijing’s Office of Religious Affairs told AsiaNews. Different than what the media says, the two churches about to be built in the capital –the first in over 50 years – will not be Catholic, but Protestant.
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