Little detailed information on Buddhist temples, associations, leaders and their treatment by public officials in Chang Le, Fujian province could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

In a telephone interview of 26 January 1998, a Professor of Chinese History at McGill University who is very familiar with Fujian province and Chinese religions and who visited Chang Le during the Summer of 1996, provided the following information. There is a great deal of religious activity in Chang Le funded from overseas, especially Taiwan. Overseas money is used to finance the building of new shrines and temples. Taoism and folk religions such as the Mazu cult exist alongside Buddhism and it would not be unusual for Buddhists to perform their rituals in Mazu temples. Many people in Fujian practice several religions. Buddhism is widespread and every town has a nunnery and other Buddhist sites. It would be more proper to refer to Buddhist sites as "shrines" rather than as "temples". Monasteries also exist in the larger towns and there are two large Buddhist schools in Fuzhou. There is very little formal organization in Buddhism beyond the local or individual shrine level. Whole villages or towns may follow one particular sutra or Buddhist reading.

Religious sites, nunneries and monasteries are supposed to be registered with the Chang Le Bureau of Religious Affairs but often this is not the case and local officials turn a blind eye to their existence. Temples, shrines, nunneries and monasteries were moved and probably some destroyed when the government expropriated a vast tract of land, including whole villages, in order to build a new airport near Fuzhou. He is not aware of any specific government policy to destroy Buddhist shrines other than those that might have been destroyed during the construction of the airport.. Please see Information Response CHN28406.EX for additional information on religion in Fujian province.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

McGill University, Montreal. 26 January 1998. Telephone interview with Professor of Chinese History.

China Focus [Princeton]. 1996-1997.

China Journal [Canberra]. 1996-1997.

China Rights Forum: The Journal of Human Rights in China [New York]. 1996-1997.

Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Global News Bank, LEXIS/NEXIS, REFWORLD (UNHCR database), World News Connection (WNC).

The Encylopedia of Religion [New York]. 1987.

Resource Centre Country File (China). 1996-1997.