After falling from grace, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple in Henan, Shi Yongxin, received criticism from the Deputy Chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Association and the Henan Buddhist Association. The Henan Buddhist Association publicly stated that Shi Yongxin had “failed the party’s cultivation.” Some commentators believe that this statement is a bit too straightforward, indicating that the Communist Party is no longer pretending.
On September 4th, the Henan Buddhist Association issued a statement condemning Shi Yongxin for being “indulgent, chasing fame and profit, acting recklessly, and crossing the bottom line,” accusing him of “failing the entrusted cultivation of the party and government,” and so forth. The statement also emphasized the need to “deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on religious work.”
In late July of this year, Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Henan, came under investigation by multiple departments for alleged criminal offenses, embezzlement of significant funds from the Shaolin Temple, maintaining multiple mistresses, and having illegitimate children.
The Chinese Buddhist Association has criticized Shi Yongxin twice in August, and the Henan Provincial Buddhist Association’s recent statement can be seen as a form of “covering up.”
Shi Yongxin, whose secular name is Liu Yingcheng, was born in Anhui in 1965. He was ordained at the Shaolin Temple in 1981 and became the abbot of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in 1999. He has long been involved in the commercial operation of the Shaolin Temple, with annual revenues reportedly exceeding two billion yuan. Shi Yongxin has served as the Deputy Chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Association, Chairman of the Henan Provincial Buddhist Association, and has been a delegate to multiple National People’s Congresses. Under the current system, Shi Yongxin has often been referred to as a “political monk,” enjoying privileges within the Communist Party system, with his personal issues often having wider implications.
Traditionally in the Chinese officialdom, if an official is purged, the localities or organizations they were in charge of usually issue statements expressing their “support for the central decision” to show their loyalty and distance themselves. The one-thousand-word statement issued by the Henan Provincial Buddhist Association is similar in content to official documents. The statement’s accusation that Shi Yongxin “failed the entrusted cultivation of the party and government” has drawn external attention.
Public reports indicate that the Chinese Communist Party has consistently “politicized” religious organizations and covertly cultivated numerous fake monks, fake Taoist priests, and fake pastors who have gradually taken control of various levels of religious associations. They enjoy the same status and treatment as Communist officials, conducting religious rituals during the day but engaging in corruption and immorality like officials do in the evenings and weekends, empowered by privileges to act as they please.
Shi Yongxin had control over the enormous assets of the Shaolin Temple. As early as ten years ago, he was openly accused by his peers of corruption and maintaining mistresses, but at that time, the investigation by the authorities came to naught. His sudden downfall now has led to speculations that his “backing” has disappeared.
Former Chair of the “New York Overseas Chinese Writers’ Pen Club,” Cai Kefeng, has indicated to media that Shi Yongxin’s qualifications, era background, and identity as a former National People’s Congress delegate all fit the selection criteria of the past “political monks.” In the Chinese system, such “political monks” have become a form of administrative role. They are not genuinely committed to monastic life but rather serve in administrative roles and carry out united front tasks. They are monks, officials, business administrators, and tools within the system.
China affairs expert Henghe commented that the initial sponsor of Shi Yongxin was Li Changchun, a former member of Jiang Zemin’s faction. Shi Yongxin has navigated through the leaderships of three generations of Chinese Communist Party leaders, including Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping, thriving under each. His commercial empire, particularly with the support of these three leaders, likely had connections to every standing member of the Politburo, and even all three party leaders could have been his backup.
During Xi Jinping’s tenure, Shi Yongxin not only did not fall from grace during the anti-corruption campaign but progressed further, assuming positions such as member and standing committee member of the Henan Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Association’s Council.
Henghe believes that Shi Yongxin’s Shaolin Temple commercial empire leans more towards a private enterprise, making party and government officials covetous. The Chinese Communist Party has assigned the traditional temple-trained “Red Monk” Shi Yinle as the new abbot of the Shaolin Temple. This move somewhat resembles a state-owned enterprise taking over a private one. As private enterprises require more obedience, the party is still not at ease.