The man once known as the 'CEO monk' for turning the historic Shaolin Temple into a global commercial brand has finally faced the consequences of his greed.
Shi Yongxin, born Liu Yingcheng, was sentenced to 24 years in prison by a court in Henan province after being found guilty of embezzling more than 282 million yuan—roughly $42 million—and orchestrating a web of bribery.
The court determined that Shi abused his position of authority to siphon funds from temple construction projects and pay off government officials. Having already admitted his guilt, Shi has stated he will not appeal the verdict.
This downfall marks a definitive end to a tenure that began in 1999, during which Shi transformed the 1,500-year-old site into a profit-driven enterprise, complete with international schools and traveling performance troupes.
While he previously dodged investigations into his conduct in 2015, the weight of his criminal actions eventually caught up with him, leading to his defrocking last year. The case serves as a stark reminder that even those cloaked in religious authority are not above the law when they choose to exploit their positions for personal enrichment.
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