Nervous CCP's 'religious management' on display as Guangxi temple is demolished again

Beijing, Jan 8 Human rights magazine Bitter Winter has highlighted that by demolishing reconstructed Longfu Temple in Guangxi, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has once again showcased its unique interpretation of "religious management".

Quoting local villagers, the Italy-based Bitter Winter, stated that the local government sent over 100 personnel, including police, firefighters, and medical staff, to conduct a "forced demolition operation" at Longfu Temple, a modest folk‑religion shrine rebuilt by villagers with their own savings and which has existed in the region for generations, long enough that local residents cannot even recall when it first appeared.

"On December 23, in Xinglongzhai Village, Zhongshan County, Hezhou City, Guangxi, the Chinese Communist Party once again demonstrated its unique interpretation of “religious management”: if it exists, demolish it; if villagers resist, gas them; if anyone films it, arrest them," Liang Changpu, who uses a pseudonym due to security reasons, wrote in Bitter Winter.

Longfu Temple had collapsed a long ago. However, villagers pooled their savings in 2024 to rebuild the temple and completed the construction in April 2025. At the time, government raised no objections, warnings or issued no notices. However, officials suddenly said that the temple was an "illegal construction" and mentioned that it was "too close to the ring road." The same ring road which had apparently caused no danger when the temple was being rebuilt.

"Villagers were stunned. One elderly resident wrote online: 'It was here when I was a child. Now I am old, and only last year did we finally rebuild it. We all donated what we could.' But in China, nostalgia is no defence against a demolition order. When the demolition team arrived, villagers organised themselves with the kind of tactical clarity CCP members usually reserve for military parades. Men formed the first line of defense outside the temple. Women barricaded themselves inside, guarding the entrance. It was a scene straight out of a folk epic—except the heroes were unarmed villagers, and the villains carried riot shields," the Bitter Winter report stated, .

Clashes erupted as police, wielding batons and shields, pushed forward and villagers were knocked to the ground. At least four villagers were arrested and videos showed bodies falling under police blows, demonstrating that “maintaining stability” in China often means destabilising the lives of ordinary people.

"Inside the temple, women held the doors against repeated attempts by police to ram them open. When brute force failed, officers resorted to a tactic customarily reserved for hostage situations: they fired an unidentified irritant gas into the temple. White smoke filled the hall. Women choked and stumbled back. The door fell. The temple fell. And with it, another piece of China’s folk heritage was erased," wrote Liang Changpu.

"Within hours, Longfu Temple was reduced to rubble. A villager watching the destruction shouted bitterly: “When we built it, everything was fine. Now they say it’s illegal. The temple we worked so hard to rebuild is gone in an instant.” The official excuse—proximity to a ring road—would be amusing if it weren’t so tragic. China is full of buildings far closer to roads than Longfu Temple ever was. But those buildings belong to developers, not deities," the writer detailed.

"The real reason behind authorities action is ideological as China is facing mass resistance incidents, with over 30 large-scale clashes reported in December last year. The CCP is nervous as its economic model is faltering, unemployment is increasing, and people's anger is growing. In such a situation, building even a small temple by villagers becomes a threat not because it blocks a road but because it does something that party cannot control - faith, community and memory," it added.

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