Officials do nothing as temple rots

"I'm very curious to know why the city has failed to prohibit construction in the perimeter around the bell tower," Chu said.

The Cultural Heritage Preservation Law (文化資產保存法) stipulates that the owner of the historic landmark should specify a preservation area around the site for the sake of protection.

Officials of the city's Bureau of Education (教育局), the managing party of the temple complex, argue that the construction project of the recreation center was finalized in January 1997, seven months before the bell tower was designated a historic relic.

Master Yuan also wonders why in the world the bell tower was declared a historical landmark, but the temple was not.

"I don't know why the 84-year-old temple is considered less important than the 71-year-old bell tower," he said.