By Lisa Wang



Netizens were outraged at the erection of a “crude and blasphemous” statue of two buddhas engaging in sexual intercourse.

Commissioned as the centrepiece of Date Fate (Yanyujiu) bar in Lijang, Yunnan province, the four metre high statue was taken down last week following complaints by visitors who found the statue wholly inappropriate and just plain weird.

Some visitors did take a liking to the statues and nicknamed them the ‘yanyu buddhas’ (yanyu is basically a euphemism for one night stands). Most customers, however, couldn’t understand why the statue had been designed the way it had been, and found the whole thing rather confusing and offensive.



“I think the concept of a buddha on stage in a bar is strange in itself, and the position of the buddhas just puts improper thoughts into your head,” remarked a local resident, surnamed Li.

Frustrated at having to constantly explain to visitors the true inspiration behind this statue, the bar’s owner eventually decided to take it down to avoid further misunderstandings.

“I’m a little disappointed”, the owner, surnamed Lin, told reporters “as it took us months to have this buddha statue commissioned.”

In actual fact, he argues, the statue depicts a real Tantric Buddist symbol called Yab-Yum that represents the unity of wisdom and compassion as achieved by means of a mystical physical experience (sexin’). Judging by the scarcity of patrons who came in specifically to touch the statue hoping for a better love life, however, it’s safe to say that few were aware of the spiritual references. As far as most netizens were concerned, the only wisdom that the buddha was gaining was the knowledge of a woman – in the biblical sense of the word.

The bar is now welcoming suggestions for a new centrepiece. Maybe he ought to make subtler reference to coitus, by placing beds throughout the establishment, or even turning a whole bar into a bed.

Share this: Pocket

Telegram

Print

