Four months after his arrest over financial and sexual scandals, state prosecutors in Xinxiang, in central China’s Henan Province, have formally indicted Shi Yongxin, the former abbot of the Shaolin Temple, for financial misconduct. The high-profile criminal case against the so-called “CEO monk” has rippled across China, triggering institutional reforms and a sweeping review of monastic governance.
The indictment, confirmed by the state news agency Xinhua on 20 March, charges Shi with embezzlement, misappropriation of temple assets, accepting bribes as a non-state official, and offering bribes. The sums involved have not been disclosed. State prosecutors in Xinxiang, filed the charges four months after Shi’s formal arrest was approved in November, and eight months after he was removed from his post as abbot.*
Sixty-year-old Shi, whose birth name is Liu Yingcheng, led the famed Shaolin Temple for more than 25 years before being removed from his post in July last year. Within days of his removal, the Buddhist Association of China had revoked his official ordination certificate, accusing him of conduct that “seriously undermined the reputation of the Buddhist community and the image of monks” in China. (South China Morning Post) Companies with links to Shi were deregistered.
Shi joined the Shaolin Temple in 1981. He was appointed abbot in 1999 at the age of 34. Shi holds a degree in business administration, a distinction that later came to symbolize his approach to monastic leadership.
Under his direction, the 1,500-year-old temple was transformed into what critics have described as a multibillion-dollar global enterprise. Shi established dozens of affiliate companies overseas, licensed the Shaolin name across commercial ventures, and dispatched traveling teams of monks to perform martial arts demonstrations worldwide. He justified the approach as necessary to protect a monastic institution more than 15 centuries old.
The strategy earned Shi the nickname “CEO monk” and brought the temple global visibility. His activities also drew criticism from practitioners and scholars, who argued that commercial priorities had compromised the Buddhist monastery’s spiritual integrity.
Founded in 495 CE and now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Shaolin Temple is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism as well as Shaolin kung fu. The monastery, whose name is derived from the nearby forests of Shaoshi Mountain, one of the seven peaks of the Song mountain range, has been destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout its history.
The monastery and its nearby Pagoda Forest were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. The monastery’s first abbot was Buddhabhadra (Batuo; fl. c. fifth century), a dhyana meditation master of Iranian descent who is believed to have come to China from India or Greco-Buddhist Central Asia in 464 CE to spread the Buddhist teachings.
The criminal charges against Shi stem from accusations of misconduct that have followed him for more than a decade. As early as 2015, allegations surfaced claiming that Shi had embezzled temple funds, maintained relationships with women, and received expensive gifts from companies and local governments. A provincial inquiry cleared him of wrongdoing at the time.
The latest case is more serious in scope. In addition to the financial charges, Shi has been accused of violating Buddhist monastic precepts through long-term relationships with multiple women and fathering at least one child. In a statement in July last year, the Shaolin Temple acknowledged that Shi was suspected of criminal offenses and had “seriously violated Buddhist precepts.” (The Star) The Buddhist Association of China stated that his actions were of “an extremely bad nature” and that it “firmly supports the decision to deal with Shi Yongxin in accordance with the law.” (HKFP, The Star)
A new abbot, Shi Yinle, was appointed to lead the monastery following Shi Yongxin’s removal. Senior Chinese officials have since used the case to call for deeper structural reforms. China’s fourth-ranking official and head of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Wang Huning, called on the Buddhist Association of China in December to exercise “comprehensive and rigorous governance over the religion” and “intensify efforts to raise awareness of the rule of law and guide clerical personnel to abide by the law.” (CNA)
The Communist Party secretary of Henan Province, Liu Ning, paid an impromptu visit to the monastery, where he called on the new leadership to “return to the true teachings of the religion” and “properly handle the relationship between Shaolin Temple and Shaolin culture, and clarify the boundaries between Shaolin Temple and the Songshan Shaolin Scenic Area and cultural tourism development.” (CNA)
In a significant institutional step, the Buddhist Association of China announced in December the creation of its first dedicated supervisory body for monastic conduct.
The Shi Yongxin case has reopened long-running debates within Chinese Buddhism about the relationship between institutional sustainability and commercial activity. The Shaolin Temple’s global profile under Shi was considerable: the monastery attracted thousands of students annually, including many from abroad, and its cultural reach extended beyond China’s borders through schools, performances, and licensed ventures.
The indictment lends credence to those who have long argued that aggressive commercialization creates conditions for financial opacity, weakened monastic discipline, and reputational harm to the broader Buddhist sangha.
* China’s Shaolin Temple Abbot Removed from Office Amid Embezzlement and Misconduct Allegations (BDG)
See more
Chinese prosecutors charge former Shaolin Temple’s ‘CEO monk’ (Reuters)
Former Shaolin Temple abbot prosecuted (XinhuaNet)
Former Shaolin Temple Abbot Shi Yongxin Indicted on Bribery, Embezzlement (Caixin Global)
Ex-abbot of China’s Shaolin Temple charged with bribery and embezzlement (CNA)
China authorities approve arrest of ex-abbot of Shaolin Temple (HKFP)
Former Shaolin Temple abbot indicted for bribery and embezzlement (South China Morning Post)
‘CEO monk’ removed from China’s Shaolin Temple over ‘extremely’ bad behaviour (France 24)
Former abbot of China’s Shaolin Temple charged with bribery and embezzlement (The Star)
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