ST: Coerced to pay up $355 for lotus candles in China temples

Terrible...

"Fearing our safety, we were left with no choice yet again, but to pay up so as to 'escape' from further bullying."

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Nov 5, 2007

Coerced to pay up $355 for lotus candles in China temples
MY HUSBAND, friends and I were on a 10-day package tour from Oct 11 to 20 to Jiuzhaigou and the Three Gorges (China) booked with Super Travel Pte Ltd.
We were in awe of the breathtaking scenic beauty of Jiuzhaigou and the Three Gorges, but our enjoyment was marred by what I deemed as undue harassment in two of the famed temples we visited.
On the second day of our tour, we visited a reputable temple in Jiuzhaigou with our China-based guide conducting the visit. After a tour of the temple's grounds, we were segregated into groups and brought to different chambers, with individual monks assigned to each group to read our 'fortunes'. Thereafter, we were asked if we wanted to pay our respects by partaking in the ritual of lighting up lotus candles with the monk showering 'blessings' upon us. We were instructed to answer in the affirmative to questions posed to us. For example, to the 'blessing' of 'Would you like to have a long life?', we would say 'yes'. This line of questioning went on for about four times. The questions were innocuous enough, and did not warrant anything less than 'yes' answers.
Just as we let down our guard after a series of four 'yes' answers, the punchline was delivered - 'Would you like to light up lotus candles for RMB1,699 (about S$355)?' The rigmarole of a series of 'yes' answers coupled with the fact that we were in a house of worship led us to instinctively answer 'yes', and we 'dutifully' paid up. After we re-congregated, we shared our experiences, and expressed disgust that we were pressured into succumbing.
Leaving the matter behind us, we continued on our tour of the scenic Three Gorges, only to encounter another similar coercive episode. The same old tactics were employed on us on another temple visit. This time, we thought we were wiser, and refused to be conned yet again. We questioned the temple's practice of dictating a fixed price for joss stick oil (RMB199) as we had understood it to be a voluntary tithe. However, as we resisted, the temple monks resorted to intimidation tactics like shoutings and bangings on tables so much so that some of us were reduced to tears.
Fearing our safety, we were left with no choice yet again, but to pay up so as to 'escape' from further bullying.
I am writing this letter to express abhorrence to what we had to undergo in two reputable places of worship in China. As Jiuzhaigou and the Three Gorges are famed tourist spots popular with Singaporeans, I cannot imagine that my tour group was the first to experience such 'treatment'.
At no time were we warned pre-tour that there was a minimum tithe that we were expected to contribute. I hope Super Travel can clarify this matter. This letter is also to forewarn Singaporeans travelling to China of what possibly awaits them in some places of worship.
Angie Chua Kee Koon (Ms)

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