The former abbot of Shaolin Temple, known as the birthplace of Chinese kung fu, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison on corruption charges.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Reuters, and Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily on the 30th, the Intermediate People's Court of Xinxiang in Henan province, central China, on the previous day sentenced former Shaolin Temple abbot Liu Yingcheng (former dharma name Shi Yongxin) to 24 years in prison and a fine of 3.5 million yuan (about 780 million won) on charges including embezzlement and misappropriation of funds in the course of duty, and bribery received and offered.
The court found that from 2003 to 2025, Liu Yingcheng abused his positions to embezzle and misappropriate a total of 300 million yuan (about 66.8 billion won). Liu admitted guilt and said he would not appeal.
On July 7 last year, the Shaolin Temple management office officially announced that he was under investigation on suspicion of criminal offenses, and the next day the Buddhist Association of China stripped him of his monastic status. The Buddhist Association of China said, "This shows the principle that all are equal before the law," adding, "This serves as a strong warning and wake-up call for figures in the Buddhist community."
Born in 1965, Shi Yongxin took Master Shi Xingzheng, the 29th abbot at Shaolin Temple, as his teacher in 1981, which set the course for him to become, as the first holder of a U.S. MBA, the person in charge of running Shaolin Temple starting in 1999.
After establishing Henan Shaolin Temple Industrial Development, which develops tourism products, he pushed various businesses such as kung fu, Shaolin Bookstore, and Shaolin Pharmacy, leading the commercialization of Shaolin Temple. In China, he was even nicknamed the "CEO of Shaolin Temple."
However, in July last year, Shi Yongxin was arrested on suspicion of embezzling large-scale temple asset and having improper relationships with women. At the time, rumors also spread online that he was stopped by authorities while trying to leave for Los Angeles (LA), United States, through Shanghai Pudong Airport with seven lovers and 21 children.
As the importance of oversight and supervision in the Buddhist community came to the fore with the Shi Yongxin case, the Buddhist Association of China announced in December last year that it would establish a supervisory body for the first time.