Legend has it that the British priest who built Chaonei Church disappeared without a trace before it was completed。

Then, another story goes, the church became the residence of a Kuomintang officer who abandoned his wife. She became so distraught that she committed suicide. People later claimed that, on some nights, her screams could be heard in the corridors of the church。

These are among the spooky associated with Beijing's famous "haunted house" - Chaonei Church at No 81 Chaonei Avenue in the Dongcheng district。

But the Beijing Patriotic Catholic Association, the owner of the building, says it is not haunted at all。

The association has plans to renovate the historic structure, which consists of two three-story buildings。

"We are waiting for the green light from the local relics protection department before going through the necessary procedures," said Bi Wensheng from the association。

The funds for the renovation will come from multiple sources, Bi said。

Records show that an American missionary constructed the building in 1910 and that it was used as a school and a church. In the 1950s, it served as the offices of the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau。

In the 1990s, it was returned to the Beijing Patriotic Catholic Association and has been unused ever since。

Bi said people regard the old building as a possibly haunted house。

"Because the building has been left unused for a long time and its gate is always closed, many children from nearby schools are curious about it. They climb over the wall to see what it is like inside," he said。

"In recent years, we have allowed people to visit the outside of the building, and they can park their cars on the site."

But people are advised not to go inside the building because it is dilapidated and they might get hurt, he said。

"You can see the stairs are seriously aged. There are cracks in the ceiling and the wooden floors. The windows are also broken," Bi said。

Nonetheless, curious people try to sneak into the building at night, he said。

Ghost-story enthusiasts were disappointed by news of the planned renovation。

Among them was Daniel Newman, managing director of newmantours.com, which features tours, including "ghost tours," led by English-speaking guides。

"This is the first time that I've heard the haunted house would be renovated, and I feel very sad," Newman said。

There are many interesting ghost stories about the Chaonei church, and the renovation would damage those legends, he said。

"I hope the original appearance of the building can remain," Newman said。

But a passer-by at Chaonei Church surnamed Zhang, who works in a nearby bank, got into the yard for a better look at the building and said she was looking forward to the renovation。

Zhang had heard that the church was one of Beijing's haunted sites。

"The church is beautiful," she said. "If it could be renovated, it would become a unique part of the landscape of Beijing."

【新闻快讯】

北京“朝内大街81号”是很多城市探险者心中的圣地，相关“鬼故事”多达十多个版本，被网友称为“朝内鬼屋”。而在此驻守的负责人孟奇先生说，已开始着手申请对院内的两栋老楼进行修缮，“修旧如旧”。闻此，曾去探访过的探险者颇感欣慰，“传说不过是吓唬人”，如果能把老楼修好，应该会是北京一道别致的景观。

两楼荒废被传为凶宅

图片为传说中的“凶宅”的朝内大街81号。三层欧式小楼上爬满红绿色的爬山虎，窗户多处残破，墙皮也有大面积脱落，西侧的老楼窗户则玻璃全无，极其通透地矗立在斜阳中。

走进欧式小楼，才发现楼内较为昏暗，几乎照不到阳光，所有房间都空无一物，走在破损的地板上发出“吱吱”声响，墙上涂鸦着“某某到此一游”、“死”、“有鬼”等字，角落里堆着一些烟头和饮料瓶。每层楼梯处都写着“危房危险”，朱红色的楼梯上有镂花纹案，大部分已经斑驳，三楼的木地板裂缝最多，最宽的将近4厘米，天花板上也能看见几道光从裂缝中透出来。西侧楼内的危旧情况更甚，楼梯腐坏严重，不堪重负，工作人员劝告“为了安全，最好别上”。

好奇心制造的“凶宅”

对于这两栋楼被传为凶宅，产权单位天主教爱国委员会的相关负责人孟奇先生表示早有所闻，“但其实这个院子就是历史久些，加上十多年没人住才荒废下来，根本不是什么凶宅。”他介绍，这两栋楼于1910年美国天主教会所建，作为培训传教士中文和提供休息的华北协和话语学校，1930年后改名为加利福尼亚学院，开始招生，解放后为北京市民政局的办公楼，1995年后交还给天主教会。由于资金问题，这两座楼从1999年后便一直闲置。

2005年左右，许多热衷于城市探险的年轻人出现在院子周围，他们把自己的经历想象加工，于是网上出现“81号院闹鬼”的传言。“有传言说这里死过一个民国将军夫人，其实东楼只在解放前被一对比利时老夫妇做私宅用，从来没有民国军官居住过。”孟奇说。

孟奇称，让这个院子变成“凶宅”的都是人们的好奇心。“原本院里都是一人多高的荒草，再加上常年锁门，难怪有人好奇，有不少人都在晚上翻墙进来探险，前几年还有几个孩子把东墙挖了一个洞，就为钻进来看看。我们发现拦不住，所幸把门开开随便看”。从前两年起，81号院便在白天打开大门，人们可随意参观，只不过看门人会提醒他们注意安全，院内的空地也被改造成停车场方便周边市民停车。

两栋老楼或被修缮利用

据曾经到81号院深夜探访的城市探险者“大胆小兔子”介绍，他在2006年秋天翻墙进院，一行人拿着手电在楼内转了两圈便出来了，“不过是个传说，楼内一片荒寂，是有些恐怖，但根本没有传说中的会有人半夜哭泣。我前两天再去，发现楼体坏得更厉害了，估计撑不了多久”。他说，如果能把这两栋老楼修缮起来，应该会是北京一道别致的景观。

说起这两栋老楼的将来，孟奇称，天主教会一直想修缮这两座建筑，“我们迟迟未动工主要是资金问题，而且这个院子还是东城区文保单位。现在相关手续正在办理，基建部门已着手修缮。虽然允许市民和游客入院参观，但因两楼在1999年和2004年两次已被鉴定为高度危房，所以我们不建议进楼探访。”