(China, 28th) The current abbot of the Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, has been taken away for investigation, shocking the entire country. On the evening of the 27th, Shaolin Temple announced that Shi Yongxin is suspected of criminal offenses, including misappropriating and embezzling project funds and temple assets; seriously violating Buddhist precepts; and maintaining improper relationships with multiple women over a long period, resulting in illegitimate children. He is currently under investigation by multiple departments.
Ten years ago, in 2015, Shi Yongxin had already been reported in real names by multiple people from the Shaolin Temple. They claimed to have witnessed Shi Yongxin drinking alcohol and eating meat, and monks privately referred to his mistress as “Shiniang” (master’s wife), which caused a huge uproar at the time.
Chinese media such as “The Paper” reported in 2015 that in July of that year, someone calling themselves “Shi Zhengyi”—claiming to represent all those dissatisfied with Shi Yongxin—repeatedly posted online allegations, accusing Shi Yongxin of “having illegitimate children, playing with women, and embezzling Shaolin assets,” among other issues.
“Shi Zhengyi” alleged that Shi Yongxin had two household registrations and two ID cards, and even listed his ID numbers; that Shi Yongxin and his mistress, the nun Shi Yanjie, had an illegitimate daughter, and Shi Yanjie also held dual household registration (Han Mingjun).
In August of the same year, Shi Yanlu, who had served as the head instructor for Shaolin Temple warrior monks, along with several others who had lived or worked at the temple, also went to Beijing to publicly report Shi Yongxin in their real names.
Shi Yanlu and others claimed they had witnessed Shi Yongxin drinking alcohol and eating meat; that Shi Yanjie repeatedly used an ID card under the name of “Han Mingjun”; and that monks privately referred to Shi Yanjie as “Shiniang.”
Shi Yanlu also claimed that over the years, Shi Yongxin had extorted nearly 20 million RMB from him, with 7 million being verifiable.
However, regarding the multiple accusations against Shi Yongxin, subsequent official investigation results were released one after another, all claiming the evidence to be false.
According to earlier reports, there were frequent rumors about Shi Yongxin riding in luxury cars, his kasaya and Buddhist prayer beads being of great value, and that he had “illegitimate children, lovers, and overseas assets.” Even though officials repeatedly refuted these rumors, his image as a “playboy monk and big businessman” has long been etched in people’s minds.
As early as 2013, Chinese media quoted a Spanish newspaper report alleging that he had a Peking University student lover, an illegitimate child in Germany, and $300 million in overseas accounts. The Shaolin Temple responded at the time that these were all rumors, and that the abbot had offended powerful figures due to the temple’s plans for going public and demolition matters, leading to malicious smears. Such rumors have cropped up repeatedly since 2011, with the police also having stepped in to refute them, but the controversies have continued.
Ten years ago, in 2015, Shi Yongxin had already been reported in real names by multiple people from the Shaolin Temple. They claimed to have witnessed Shi Yongxin drinking alcohol and eating meat, and monks privately referred to his mistress as “Shiniang” (master’s wife), which caused a huge uproar at the time.
Chinese media such as “The Paper” reported in 2015 that in July of that year, someone calling themselves “Shi Zhengyi”—claiming to represent all those dissatisfied with Shi Yongxin—repeatedly posted online allegations, accusing Shi Yongxin of “having illegitimate children, playing with women, and embezzling Shaolin assets,” among other issues.
“Shi Zhengyi” alleged that Shi Yongxin had two household registrations and two ID cards, and even listed his ID numbers; that Shi Yongxin and his mistress, the nun Shi Yanjie, had an illegitimate daughter, and Shi Yanjie also held dual household registration (Han Mingjun).
In August of the same year, Shi Yanlu, who had served as the head instructor for Shaolin Temple warrior monks, along with several others who had lived or worked at the temple, also went to Beijing to publicly report Shi Yongxin in their real names.
Shi Yanlu and others claimed they had witnessed Shi Yongxin drinking alcohol and eating meat; that Shi Yanjie repeatedly used an ID card under the name of “Han Mingjun”; and that monks privately referred to Shi Yanjie as “Shiniang.”
Shi Yanlu also claimed that over the years, Shi Yongxin had extorted nearly 20 million RMB from him, with 7 million being verifiable.
However, regarding the multiple accusations against Shi Yongxin, subsequent official investigation results were released one after another, all claiming the evidence to be false.
According to earlier reports, there were frequent rumors about Shi Yongxin riding in luxury cars, his kasaya and Buddhist prayer beads being of great value, and that he had “illegitimate children, lovers, and overseas assets.” Even though officials repeatedly refuted these rumors, his image as a “playboy monk and big businessman” has long been etched in people’s minds.
As early as 2013, Chinese media quoted a Spanish newspaper report alleging that he had a Peking University student lover, an illegitimate child in Germany, and $300 million in overseas accounts. The Shaolin Temple responded at the time that these were all rumors, and that the abbot had offended powerful figures due to the temple’s plans for going public and demolition matters, leading to malicious smears. Such rumors have cropped up repeatedly since 2011, with the police also having stepped in to refute them, but the controversies have continued.