【Epoch Times May 30, 2026】(Epoch Times reporter Tang Bing comprehensive report) Former abbot of Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Henan Province, China, Shi Yongxin was sentenced to 24 years in prison in the first instance, with an official disclosed involvement of nearly 300 million. The Chinese Buddhist Association issued a statement on the 29th criticizing Shi Yongxin as “completely bringing it upon himself.” However, there were previous media reports saying, “Strongly oppose the religious community throwing bad monk Shi Yongxin to our secular world.” The official sentencing used his secular name, Liu Yingcheng (formerly known as Shi Yongxin), causing heated discussions.
The Intermediate People’s Court of Xinxiang City, Henan Province, publicly pronounced the first-instance verdict yesterday (May 29), sentencing Liu Yingcheng (formerly known as Shi Yongxin) for embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, bribery of non-state functionaries, and giving bribes, combining multiple offences, to serve a 24-year prison sentence and a fine of 3.5 million yuan (RMB).
The case shows that Liu Yingcheng was allegedly involved in nearly 300 million yuan. However, online users are skeptical, with many expressing that the sentence is too lenient and questioning who his protective umbrella is.
Shi Yongxin, secular name Liu Yingcheng, was born on September 6, 1965, in Anhui. Shi Yongxin was ordained at Shaolin Temple in 1981 and became the abbot of Mount Song Shaolin Temple in 1999. He has long been in charge of the commercial operations of Shaolin Temple, with reported annual income exceeding 200 million yuan. Shi Yongxin has served as the Vice Chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Association, President of the Henan Buddhist Association, and has been a delegate to multiple sessions of the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China. Under the current system, Shi Yongxin is often referred to as a “political monk,” enjoying privileges within the Communist Party system, with his personal issues often having wider implications.
In the court notice, the defendant is named Liu Yingcheng (formerly known as Shi Yongxin).
Online users say, “He used to be called ‘Master Shi Yongxin,’ now he’s called Liu Yingcheng… ”
Independent commentator Cai Shunkun stated on platform X, that the 60-year-old “Shi Yongxin” reverted to his true form, this so-called “Liu Yingcheng” abbot of Shaolin, with over twenty years of so-called “enlightenment” earning himself a 24-year long sentence. The numbers presented in court are just the tip of the iceberg. Liu is well-versed in the secular principle of “money talks,” not hesitating to offer bribes to officials.
Cai Shunkun believes that today’s ruling does not just mean “a monk has fallen,” but rather a collapse of the myth of the commercialization of religion. Shi Yongxin’s statement of “accepting the verdict without appeal” is also intriguing. Often, not appealing does not necessarily mean complete admission of guilt, but rather the individual realizing that his protective shield has disappeared, making an appeal meaningless.
Commenters in the forum said, “Are these personal faults of his alone? In mainland China, without government endorsement, without high-ranking officials backing you, can you take a bribe, give a bribe, embezzle, and get away with it?” “This matter has already involved politics, we cannot fully trust the Communist Party’s rhetoric.” “A Communist Party member, Shi Yongxin, success is attributed to the Communist Party, failure is also attributed to the Communist Party. Without the evil party of the Communist Party supporting him behind the scenes, could he have become the great monk of the Party? ”
The French newspaper Le Monde, in a report on Chinese media commentary on Shi Yongxin’s sentencing, noted that Chinese media often overlook a reality: many large temples and the scenic areas where they are located in China are actually state-owned properties. Local governments often establish specialized companies to manage the operation and tourist development of these scenic spots, earning substantial profits through high ticket prices, while the monks, as the “living signboards,” usually receive very little income. However, the former abbot of Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, evidently chose a different path.
The Chinese Buddhist Association stated on its official website yesterday regarding Shi Yongxin (Liu Yingcheng) being sentenced that the outcome of this ruling is “a strong warning for individuals in the Buddhist community” and claimed that Shi Yongxin “completely brought it upon himself.”
On the day after Shi Yongxin was investigated last year (July 28), the Chinese Buddhist Association announced that Shi Yongxin seriously violated Buddhist precepts and based on reports from Henan, applied to cancel the ordination of Shi Yongxin (secular name: Liu Yingcheng). In August of the same year, the Chinese Buddhist Association twice criticized Shi Yongxin, claiming to “firmly support” the handling of Shi Yongxin.
After Shi Yongxin was investigated for criminal offenses, the Chinese Buddhist community swiftly began actions to eradicate his “traces.” According to sources in the Buddhist community in Henan, temples nationwide have simultaneously removed inscriptions, plaques, and related materials associated with him, all coordinated by the Chinese Buddhist Association.
After the Chinese Buddhist Association announced the expulsion of Shi Yongxin, former mainland journalist Xiang Dongliang published an article titled “Strongly oppose the religious community throwing bad monk Shi Yongxin to our secular world” on his public account “Basic Knowledge.” The author said, the Buddhist Association is trying to throw Shi Yongxin, this “black sheep of Buddhism,” to our secular world. The problem is, have you sought our consent in the secular world before doing so? Your religious community does not want the bad monk Shi Yongxin, we in the secular world also do not want the corrupt figure Liu Yingcheng…
The author said, “We nurture a fine young man until the age of 16, then after he becomes a monk in your religious community, if you do not educate and train him properly, do not supervise power seriously, causing him to degenerate to this extent, tarnishing the reputation of ancient temples for a thousand years, and hurting the feelings of tens of millions of believers, should your religious community not reflect on this properly, should your religious community not take responsibility? Even if your religious community does not reflect, does not take responsibility, that’s fine, if your religious community willingly decays, we in the secular world cannot interfere. But you expelling Liu Yingcheng, who has been corrupted by your religious community, and pushing him onto the secular world, that’s just too much!”