In the latest development following the fall of former abbot Shi Yongxin of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Henan, his power has been cracked down by the authorities. News has emerged that several local individuals who were part of Shi Yongxin’s core commercial team have been taken away for investigation, including Zhao, a direct female relative of Shi Yongxin. Official investigations are underway into two criminal cases involving Shi Yongxin as well as his numerous illegitimate children.
According to reports cited by Shenzhen News Network on September 19, Zhao, Qian, Liu, and other local individuals closely associated with Shi Yongxin have been detained to assist with investigations. Authorities are probing into Shi Yongxin’s two criminal cases and his many illegitimate children.
It was reported that Shi Yongxin’s direct relative, Zhao, previously became the director of an office in a department of Dengfeng city through the operation of an official named Niu. Both Zhao and Niu are currently under investigation.
Those taken in for investigation to assist with the case include the heads of core enterprises at the Shaolin Temple – Qian, Huang, Liu, former head of Shaolin Hotel Li, local builder Cui, former head of Shaolin Pharmacy Yuan, as well as someone named Yang who worked in the guest hall. They are all significant members of Shi Yongxin’s commercial team.
Shi Yongxin rose to fame for promoting the commercialization of the Shaolin Temple and was dubbed as the “Shaolin CEO”. Back in 2015, six former disciples of Shi Yongxin, including Shi Yanlu, had formally accused him of embezzling temple assets, tarnishing the temple’s reputation, keeping multiple women and fathering illegitimate children. However, the authorities denied any issues with Shi Yongxin at that time.
On July 27 this year, the Shaolin Temple officially announced that Shi Yongxin is suspected of criminal activities involving embezzlement of project funds and temple assets, severe violations of Buddhist precepts by maintaining improper relationships with multiple women and fathering illegitimate children. He is currently under a joint investigation by multiple departments.
Following Shi Yongxin’s fall from grace, news of his younger brother Liu Yingbiao going missing also surfaced. Liu Yingbiao, the fourth brother of Shi Yongxin who was also a monk at the Shaolin Temple with the monastic name Shi Yongsheng, held various roles such as Secretary-General of the Shaolin Charity Welfare Foundation, Secretary-General of the Shaolin Calligraphy and Painting Academy, Chairman of the International Shaolin Temple Cultural Media Co., Ltd., and President of the International Shaolin Kung Fu Research Association, as per online records.
Reports from the mainland earlier revealed that around May this year, the local government stationed personnel in Shaolin under the guise of the Shaolin Temple management office, indicating a critical period for the temple.
After Shi Yongxin’s downfall, both the Vice President of the Chinese Buddhist Association and the Henan Buddhist Association issued statements criticizing him, with the Henan Buddhist Association openly stating that Shi Yongxin had “disappointed the party’s cultivation”.
Commentator Li Linyi previously stated that the remark from the Henan Buddhist Association emphasizing how Shi Yongxin had “disappointed the party and government’s cultivation and trust” bluntly indicates that all these religious leaders are just tools of the party, and now the CCP is no longer bothering to conceal it.
Shi Yongxin was reported a decade ago, yet emerged unscathed, but now his sudden downfall has led to speculation that his “backing has fallen”.
Chinese affairs expert Henghe once told Epoch Times that Shi Yongxin was initially supported by former Politburo Standing Committee member from the Jiang faction, Li Changchun. Throughout the reigns of Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping as leaders of the CCP, Shi Yongxin thrived, especially with the backing of his commercial empire, likely having support from each member of the Political Bureau, maybe even all three party leaders serving as his backers.
During the era of Xi Jinping, Shi Yongxin not only evaded being implicated in anti-corruption campaigns but also climbed the political ladder to become a member and standing committee of the Henan Political Consultative Conference, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Association, and more.
Henghe believes that Shi Yongxin’s Shaolin Temple commercial empire technically leaned towards being a private enterprise, making government departments and officials envious. The CCP parachuted in the “Red Monk” Shi Yinle, who graduated from the religious system, to become the new abbot of Shaolin Temple, akin to a state-owned enterprise taking over a private one because even if the private enterprise is compliant, the party is still skeptical.