China's "CEO Monk" Of Famous Shaolin Temple Under Probe For Embezzling Funds
China's famous Shaolin Temple announced on Sunday that its abbot is under investigation on suspicion of misappropriation and embezzlement of project funds and temple assets.
Shi Yongxin is alleged to have committed criminal offenses and violated Buddhist precepts by maintaining relationships with multiple women over a long period and fathering at least one child, according to a notice from the temple's authority on its WeChat account.
The notice said a joint investigation was being carried out by multiple departments and its findings would be announced in due course.
The fame of the Shaolin Temple, based in the central Chinese province of Henan, has gone beyond a religious institution. It is also renowned for its martial arts culture, or kung fu, which has been referenced in many movies and TV dramas, including the 1982 film "The Shaolin Temple," starring martial arts superstar Jet Li.
Local media reported that Shi Yongxin, whose original name is Liu Yingcheng, had faced accusations in the past, including claims that he fathered several children and embezzled money. Provincial investigation reports exonerated him of all charges in 2016, according to the Caixin Global news outlet.
Shi Yongxin entered the Shaolin Temple in 1981 and became its abbot in 1999, according to the temple's website.
China's state news agency Xinhua reported in 2015 that he was known as a "CEO monk," attracting criticism for developing commercial operations to promote kung fu shows and merchandise.
Earlier on Sunday, Chinese local media outlets reported that authorities had dismissed as fake an online notice claiming Shi Yongxin was intercepted by authorities while trying to flee to the U.S. with a number of mistresses and some 20 children.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Nailing the Pahalgam perpetrators
If coincidence is ever worthy of historical recall, it was here. After a hunt of 96 days—and, as it happened, exactly before a Parliament debate was to start on national security issues flowing from the April 22 Pahalgam massacre—the Pakistani terrorists who executed it were tracked down and killed in Kashmir. Their end came in the Dachigam forests near Srinagar, on the morning of July 28. Forensics confirmed their identity in another day, and the news broke just as Parliament started a two-day debate on Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor, the Indian military's retaliation against Pakistan. Naturally, that blunted the Opposition's artillery, which had expected to fire away from a position of advantage, with a focused critique of lapses in intelligence, operational strategy and foreign policy. In the event, the Narendra Modi government's big guns managed to hold on to moral high ground, while tactfully sidestepping trickier questions like the Chinese collusion with Pakistan and the alleged loss of fighter jets.
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
Two arrested for duping Hyderabad citizens of over ₹1 crore in separate cyber frauds
Two individuals involved in online fraud operations that collectively defrauded victims from Hyderabad to the tune of crores were arrested by the cybercrime wing of the Hyderabad Police. In the first case, police arrested Paras Singla, a 29-year-old resident of North West Delhi, for his involvement in an import-export scam. The accused, along with absconding associates Mahesh Singla and Lakshya Verma, posed as representatives of a bogus company named 'Aces Trading', presented as a Hong Kong-based enterprise. They induced the victim into transferring over ₹1.11 crore by falsely promising to facilitate a spirulina powder trade deal through Trade Fundamental Private Limited, based in New Delhi. Investigators revealed that the fraudsters demanded multiple payments under the guise of processing charges, legal fees, and refund guarantees, while assuring the victim of a full refund post-deal finalisation. Once the money was transferred, all communication ceased. In a separate operation, Chikkala Santosh Kumar, a 31-year-old resident of Warasiguda, Hyderabad, was arrested for duping an individual of ₹7.27 lakh in a stock trading fraud. The victim was lured by a woman identifying herself as Neha, who befriended him over WhatsApp and coaxed him into investing on a fake trading platform, Initially shown false profits, the victim was repeatedly asked to pay additional sums as tax and exchange fees. When demands escalated, the victim realised he had been cheated. Further investigations revealed that Santosh Kumar was not merely facilitating financial fraud, but was actively involved in procuring bank accounts and online credentials for fraudsters operating from Cambodia. He supplied accounts and trafficked individuals from his native village, promising job opportunities abroad but instead delivering them into exploitative conditions where they were forced to commit cybercrimes, a form of digital bonded labour. Kumar previously operated a consultancy and had international connections, including with a Chinese national named Toto who supervised call centre operations in Cambodia. Four other individuals were arrested earlier in the same case, all of whom played supporting roles as account holders or suppliers. These include a student, an auto driver, a delivery boy and a private employee. The arrested accused, Santosh Kumar, is wanted in six cases across multiple states including Telangana, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Police seized significant material evidence from the accused in both cases, including 30 mobile phones, multiple SIM and debit cards, passbooks, cheque books, laptops, tabs, and even a fake press ID card. They also recovered shell company stamps used in fraudulent operations. Further investigation is underway.
NDTV
14 hours ago
- NDTV
Pakistan Is Fast Becoming A Security Burden For China ... But Are We Suprised?
During a meeting with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, on July 25, the Vice-Chairman of China's Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions operating in the country. China's repeated calls for stronger security reflect lingering apprehensions that continue to cast a shadow over the "all-weather strategic cooperative partnership". This engagement, Munir's first with the Chinese military leadership since his visit to the White House, informs a pressured bilateral dynamic shaped by security deficits that threaten the operational viability of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The increased security threats against Chinese personnel and infrastructure in Pakistan sheds light on the fault line that Beijing can no longer mitigate solely through incremental security enhancements and diplomatic assurances. A report by Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) in 2024 noted that 20 Chinese nationals have been killed and 34 wounded in militant plots since 2021. A Twin Problem These security violations, perpetrated by both Baloch insurgents and Islamist outfits like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), speak to Pakistan's chronic governance and law enforcement challenges in safeguarding critical assets. As such, the consistency of these security threats can plausibly evolve from mere irritants to serious obstacles to Chinese presence in Pakistan. Consequently, this undermines China's capacity to provide foreign direct investment critical to its economic aspirations in Pakistan. Chinese assets in Pakistan essentially face threats from two groups: TTP and Baloch insurgents, each motivated by independent but overlapping reasons. The TTP's targeting of Chinese interests is part of its broader ideological opposition to the Pakistani state and its strategic partnerships, aimed at undermining Islamabad by attacking high-profile symbols. Meanwhile, Baloch insurgent groups perceive Chinese investment as exploitation of their region's resources, which marginalises the community and dilutes their autonomy. While collaboration between the two groups is purportedly restricted to low-level logistical support, this twin threat reflects a converging modus operandi in targeting China as a proxy to challenge Pakistan's economic agenda. The War Within Pakistan The tensions highlight the coexistence of two competing narratives within Pakistan. On one hand, both countries are determined to deepen this strategic bilateral relationship, supported by geopolitical imperatives and economic benefits. Concurrent to that is the Pakistani state institutions' limitations in enforcing security frameworks in sensitive regions, addressing ethnic grievances and perceptions of economic marginalisation. This reality raises dissonance between Pakistan's internal security policies and its alignment with national strategic goals. The modus operandi of Baloch groups in recent years has included hijacking passenger trains and convoys, targeting road transport vehicles, seizing strategic towns like Mangochar to block key highways such as the Quetta-Karachi route (N-25), and employing suicide bombers, including women, to maximise impact. These road-based attacks seek to paralyse crucial trade routes, triggering supply chain disruptions and increased security costs. A Fragile Friendship The second phase of the CPEC, which will shift focus to business-to-business (B2B) cooperation, essentially depends on legitimacy derived from security confidence. The repeated targeting of Chinese assets exposes the fragility of this foundation. While Pakistan has employed various measures, such as deploying Special Security Divisions, instituting Safe City surveillance systems, and reinforcing airport and transit security protocols, these measures appear reactive rather than preemptive. They enable tactical mitigation without addressing strategic vulnerabilities within Pakistan's counter-terrorism abilities and complex socio-political environment. Further, Pakistan's staunch refusal or limited allowance for Chinese involvement in on-ground security operations points to a sovereignty dilemma. In that light, Zhang's statement should be seen as Beijing's genuinely waning patience with Pakistan's perceived security inadequacies, and not just as diplomatic rhetoric. This puts Islamabad under immense pressure to resolve internal security-related weaknesses. Will China 'Reassess' Its Friendship? From a regional geostrategic position, Pakistan's security shortcomings can have broader ramifications. The CPEC, the flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), integrates economically and strategically with western China's stability agenda, notably over Xinjiang. Pakistan's inability to guarantee security undermines these strategic objectives, which may force China to reassess risk thresholds. This precarious nature highlights the extent to which bilateral ties are vulnerable, beyond diplomatic management, to internal security dynamics. From an economic perspective, these challenges translate to tangible costs. Project delays, increased insurance premiums, operational scale-backs, and threats to Chinese nationals directly erode the cost-benefit calculus underpinning Chinese investment decisions in Pakistan. Pakistan's broader economic challenges further aggravate this situation, with fiscal constraints impacting the sustained funding required for comprehensive security improvements and institutional reforms. Consequently, the flawed security environment can quickly turn Pakistan from a strategic partner to a liability in Chinese geopolitical decisions. Failing to substantially reduce threats to Chinese interests can risk catalysing strategic recalibration in Beijing, potentially impacting trust, restricting future investments, and leading to more stringent terms of engagements. For India, the ongoing security volatility in Balochistan carries broader implications. It may encourage China to echo Pakistan's narrative that external actors, particularly New Delhi, are covertly backing Baloch militants to sabotage CPEC. As with Kashmir, the discourse around Balochistan risks shifting from a domestic insurgency to a contested geopolitical flashpoint.
