Monk remanded over alleged Monkey King statue theft
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A mainland Chinese monk, 57-year-old Zha Jianxin, has been remanded in custody after being charged with theft over a Monkey King statue allegedly taken from Lung Mo Temple in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.
He appeared at West Kowloon Court on Wednesday facing one count of theft involving the temple statue, which was valued at HK$2,000.
Court documents said Zha holds a two-way permit and lives in Shenzhen, and that he allegedly took the statue on August 24.
The next hearing was scheduled for September 23 after he did not apply for bail.
Key Points
- Zha Jianxin, 57, was brought before West Kowloon Court on Wednesday on a single theft charge linked to Lung Mo Temple in Tsuen Wan.
- The allegedly stolen item was a HK$2,000 statue depicting Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from the 16th-century novel Journey to the West.
- According to court documents, Zha lives in Shenzhen and entered Hong Kong on a two-way permit before the alleged August 24 theft.
- Zha did not seek bail, but told Principal Magistrate Don So Man-lung he wanted to call a fellow monk.
- Defence counsel said the Buddhist monk had been due to help a friend by chanting sutras, but could not because of the case.
Why It Matters
The case centres on an alleged theft from a Hong Kong temple, drawing attention to the vulnerability of religious sites and their objects of worship.
It also shows how even lower-value items with strong cultural and spiritual meaning can become the focus of criminal proceedings in the city’s courts.