Chinese community seeking Palma land for temple that would attract religious tourism

The request comes specifically from the Hai Hui Shan Buddhist Community in Spain, whose president, Master Renshan, met the mayor, Jaime Martínez, at the beginning of last December. He was accompanied by a delegation of monks from Zhejiang. Up to 3,000 square metres of land are being sought for the project to build a large temple. Elsewhere in Spain there are small facilities for study and nothing on the scale envisaged for Palma.

"We consider Mallorca to be a good land for spiritualisation. In Europe there are more than eight million people with a Buddhist spirit," says Fang Ji. The fact that Mallorca combines the concepts of sea and mountains so well also makes the island attractive for Buddhism, which affords these elements a deep spiritual meaning. He adds that when Master Renshan visited the island, he immediately "fell in love" with it.

At present, there is no centre for learning Buddhist teachings in the Balearics, although the project is not only intended as a centre for the resident population. It would become a centre for religious tourism that could attract people from all over Europe.

Fang Ji highlights the fact that construction would involve attracting foreign investment, as the techniques required for a building of this type of temple are not known to local companies. This potential investment is estimated at around 20 million euros, but would depend on the final dimensions. It is understood that there have been some initial, informal talks with the town hall and that there is to be an official meeting in early March.