Starbucks near temple fuels uproar in China

BEIJING: American coffeehouse chain Starbucks’ outlet that opened near a famed Buddhist temple in the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou last month continues to drawn flak. Netizens in Hangzhou have been protesting the outlet on Chinese Twitterlike site Sina Weibo. State-run media, including the People’s Daily, have given wide coverage to the criticism.
Starbucks was forced to shut its outlet on Beijing’s Forbidden City premises in 2007 after people protested the “eyesore’’ inside the historical monument. The new outlet came up late last month next to the Lingyin Temple.
The temple administration has countered the criticism , saying the shop is located at a long distance. “It is located in the tourist service area outside of the temple as part of the supporting facilities ,” said official Wang Shan.
Beggars caged during temple fair
Authorities had put over 100 beggars in a cage to stop them from disturbing a temple fair in China’s Jiangxi province last month, pictures released on Sina Weibo have revealed and provoked outrage across the country. Photographs showed beggars inside the 165-feet-long iron cage during the fair on September 15.