Chinese monks call police to rescue man trapped inside wishing pool while trying to take coins

April 12, 2022

Monks at a Chinese temple reportedly called the cops on a man who got trapped inside their temple’s wishing pool while trying to take coins donated by visitors.

The incident occurred at the Phoenix Temple in southwest China’s municipality of Chongqing on March 21. A monk noticed a man sneaking around the wishing pool through the temple’s surveillance camera, according to reports.

Temple monks eventually called the police. After seeing the authorities, the man reportedly panicked and said he “just came down to look.” During questioning, police discovered that the man, identified by his surname Chen, was purportedly having trouble finding a “suitable” job and decided to take wishing pool coins.

The authorities helped Chen get out of the wishing pool via a ladder. He was not charged for the incident, and the monks decided not to file an official complaint since the amount Chen took was reportedly too small. Embarrassed by what happened, Chen apologized to the monks and left the temple.

The video of the incident became widely shared on Weibo, with users expressing differing opinions.

One Weibo user said the coins in the pool could have been used to help the less fortunate, while several others stated that Chen had disrupted public order while stealing “the wishes of the people.”

Share this Article