Monk remanded after alleged theft of Monkey King statue from Hong Kong temple
A mainland Chinese monk has been remanded in custody after allegedly stealing a statue of the Monkey King, a deity famed in classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, from a Hong Kong temple. The 57-year-old, Zha Jianxin, appeared in West Kowloon Court on Wednesday after being charged with one count of theft involving a statue belonging to Lung Mo Temple in Tsuen Wan. The statue, valued at…
A Chinese Buddhist monk is facing theft charges after allegedly removing a statue of the Monkey King from a Hong Kong temple, according to prosecutors. The 57-year-old monk, identified as Zha Jianxin, appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with one count of theft involving a statue valued at HK$2,000 (approximately US$255). This statue depicts Sun Wukong, a legendary character from the 16th century novel Journey to the West, revered in Chinese culture as an emblem of resilience, rebellion, transformation, and spiritual growth.
Zha, who holds a dual permit and resides in Shenzhen, is accused of stealing the statue from Lung Mo Temple in Tsuen Wan on August 24. At his court hearing, Zha declined to apply for bail but requested to make a phone call to a fellow monk. His lawyer explained that the defendant intended to assist a friend by chanting sutras as part of their help, but was unable to do so due to the legal proceedings.
The magistrate, Amy Chan Wai-mun, granted Zha's wish to make the call and subsequently remanded him in custody. The next court appearance is set for September 23.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
