China looks into allegations against controversial Shaolin abbot Shi Yongxin

The allegations, posted online last week by a man who claimed to be a former disciple at the temple, drew much attention from China’s internet users and state media.

Under the pseudonym of “Shi Zhengyi”, the accuser alleged that Shi Yongxin had been kicked out of the Shaolin Temple in the late 1980s, held double identities, had sexual relations with several women and even fathered their children.

The accuser backed up his claims with documents that he gave to the press, including copies of papers allegedly issued by the temple dating back to the ’80s. The papers purportedly showed the temple’s decision to expel the abbot after he was caught “applying for reimbursement with fake receipts” and “having serious financial problems”.

The accuser also produced copies of documents allegedly showing that the abbot had two national identity numbers with different birthdates. The name on one of the identity papers accorded with the abbot’s birth name, and the photos on both papers’ looked highly similar.

The Shaolin Temple, which is more than 1,500 years old and is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese martial arts, denied all the accusations in a statement on its website, describing them as “groundless, vicious and libellous”. It had reported the matter to police, it added.

Some thirty Shaolin disciples also issued an online statement on Thursday to defend their abbot. They claimed the accuser was an ousted Shaolin disciple who had resorted to “vicious libel” for revenge.

Shi Yongxin, who holds a Master of Business Administration degree and is often spotted using an iPhone, is no stranger to controversy.

Shi, who became the abbot of the Shaolin Temple in 1999, has frequently appeared in the Chinese press, sometimes for the wrong reasons.

The delegate to the National People’s Congress and vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, has previously been accused of turning the temple into a cash cow at the expense of the integrity of religious instruction, such as renting the venue to filmmakers.

In 2006, Shi came under public scrutiny after accepting a 1 million yuan (HK$1.27 million) luxury car from the local government for his contribution to tourism.

In March this year, he and the temple came under fire again for a plan to build a US$297 million hotel complex that includes a temple, a live-in kung fu academy and a golf course in Australia.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Authorities check claims against Shaolin abbot

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