uncover secrets of the hidden treasures of famen-si masterpieces
DESCRIPTION
FamenSi, is one of the most revered Buddhist sites in China. Situated about 120 km West of Xian, the temple has a very long history and is believed to have been founded in the 2nd century AD. It reached its peak of fame during the Tang dynasty , when it effectively became a Royal Temple, with the ruling Emperor visiting each year and bestowing gifts and treasures. Today, the Famen Temple is marketed to tourists as a Tang dynasty site, The new buildings are clearly intended to impart a feeling of awe, being built on a gigantic scale. It takes some time to realize that the building complex at the entrance to the site does not serve any religious function but instead houses a supermarket, restaurants, rows of souvenir shops and a 200 room five-star hotel, all there to part the tourist from his money. Even if the buildings are modern design while the pagoda has kep some older formality with some remains of the old temple has an authentic feel., However the site of the old temple museum was was sited next to the actual site where in 1987 while preparing for the reconstruction, workmen discovered a hidden underground palace which had been lost for over 1,000 years. The underground chambers were filled with relics and royal treasures, including the temple’s great claim to fame, what is said to be a finger bone of Buddha . These underground treasure rooms, with many of their precious artefacts are now open to visitors. Tourism is big business in China now and the bulk of the overseas visitors come from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and other East Asian countries, which all have strong Buddhist traditions. While the Famen Temple was already a draw for these visitors, the Shaanxi Provincial Government wanted to create an even bigger attraction and began building a whole new shrine and visitor complex which was completed in 2009. The new complex stood impressive as the scenic area , Rather than seeming impressive, the acres of gold paint only serve to give the air of pretence, making the experience seem more like a theme-park than a religious establishment. The theme-park feeling is then amplified by the rather humorous theme-park type trains used to transport visitors along the avenue .This feeling and development has been made clear by the abbot of the Famen temple ,that the main temple ground are located at the museum ,the rest theme park are commercialized by business party oversee by the local authority , out of their judistriction The biggest complaint about the new shrine is the way it now dominates and redefines the older temple. Though it is some distance away it is so big that it looms over the traditional pagoda as if the intent is to make it seem insignificant. The Chinese people have a very mixed up relationship with their past. On the one hand they are very proud that they are heirs to some four thousand years of culture and civilisation and on the other it is less than 50 years since they were heading out daily to smash up any vestige of the old culture. Most Chinese are still unable to face up to the horrors of the Cultural Revolution but a slightly schizophrenic attitude to the past is still with them today. Many Chinese get angry and upset about the destruction of the old Imperial Summer Palace by Western troops or about the looted Chinese treasures on display in London or Paris, yet they often seem insensitive to the damage done to parts of their cultural heritage found on their own doorstep. Damage does not have to be physical however and I cannot help wondering if the new complex at FamenSi will be regarded in the future as a new cultural treasure or as a form of cultural vandalism.TRANSCRIPT
