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Former abbot of China’s famous Shaolin Temple sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption
Shi Yongxin is alleged to have embezzled and misappropriated funds for personal use, as well as violating Buddhist precepts by maintaining relationships with multiple women.Listen to this article with a free account
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Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Shaolin Temple, in Dengfeng, Henan Province, China, in 2005.Cancan Chu / Getty Images file
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May 29, 2026, 9:55 PM GMT+8 / Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
BEIJING — A Chinese court on Friday sentenced a former abbot of China’s famous Shaolin Temple to 24 years in prison after he was found guilty of offences including misappropriation of funds and bribery, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
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Shi Yongxin, whose original name is Liu Yingcheng, was also fined 3.5 million yuan (about $516,000) by the court in central Henan province after a trial.
The court found that Shi used his positions, including as the temple abbot, to illegally embezzle over 131 million yuan ($19 million) alone or in conspiracy with others, between 2003 and 2025, CCTV reported. The court also discovered that Shi misappropriated funds amounting to over 151 million yuan (about $22 million) for personal use for more than three months without repayment between 2012 and 2022, among other findings, the report added.
The court said Shi’s crimes involved huge amounts, his bribery offenses were particularly serious and his criminal conduct lasted for a long period.
“They caused severely harmful consequences and adverse social impact,” CCTV reported the court as saying.
Shi confessed his crimes, voluntarily disclosed details that law enforcement authorities had not yet discovered and showed remorse, CCTV added.
Last year, Shaolin Temple announced that Shi was under investigation on suspicion of misappropriation and embezzlement of project funds and temple assets.
