Former Shaolin Temple abbot sentenced to 24 years for embezzlement and bribery

The former head of China’s legendary Shaolin Temple, a historic Buddhist monastery known worldwide as the birthplace of kung fu, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for financial crimes, a Chinese court ruled Friday.

Shi Yongxin, who led the 1,500-year-old temple in central Henan province from 1999 until his defrocking last year, was found guilty of embezzling temple assets and offering bribes to government officials.

According to the court, Shi misappropriated more than 282 million yuan (approximately $42 million) from the temple between 2003 and 2025. He also used his official position to illegally obtain millions of yuan from temple construction projects and paid large bribes to officials, the court said.

State news agency Xinhua reported that Shi had admitted his guilt prior to the verdict. Following the ruling on Friday, he said he would not appeal.

Shi, born Liu Yingcheng, earned the nickname “CEO monk” for his aggressive modernization of the ancient religious institution. Under his leadership, the temple opened overseas schools, formed a traveling performance troupe showcasing Shaolin kung fu, and transformed itself into a global brand.

In 2015, Shi was investigated over allegations of embezzlement and fathering multiple children but was cleared of those charges at the time. In an interview with the BBC that year, he said, “If there were a problem, it would have surfaced long ago.”

Last year, China’s Buddhist association confirmed that Shi had been defrocked.

The Shaolin Temple, set in a mountain range, continues to attract thousands of disciples from China and abroad each year. Its cultural influence has extended into pop culture, from the 1982 film Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li to references by American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and a spin-off of the video game Mortal Kombat.