On July 27, Shaolin Temple issued an official statement: Abbot Shi Yongxin is suspected of criminal offences and is currently under joint investigation by multiple departments. (Screenshot from the internet)
[People News] On July 27, Shaolin Temple issued an official statement confirming that its abbot, Shi Yongxin, is under joint investigation by multiple government departments for alleged criminal activities. Earlier in June, overseas independent media reported that Wang Zuo’an, former Deputy Minister of the United Front Work Department and Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, was also under investigation.
According to the Shaolin Temple’s statement on the evening of July 27, Shi Yongxin is suspected of embezzling and misappropriating project funds and temple assets. He also allegedly violated Buddhist precepts by maintaining long-term illicit relationships with multiple women and fathering illegitimate children. The statement, issued by the Shaolin Temple Management Office, noted that the results of the investigation would be made public in due time.
On the night of July 27, both CCTV and People’s Daily reported on the case, citing the official announcement on the Shaolin Temple website.
Rumours of Shi Yongxin’s investigation began circulating online on July 26. When approached by the media for confirmation, the temple merely replied: “Wait for official information.”
At noon on July 27, an alleged “police report” began circulating online claiming Shi Yongxin had attempted to flee to the U.S. with his lover, children, and 34 others, only to be intercepted by authorities. The report, supposedly issued by the Kaifeng Public Security Bureau, has since been declared fake by the Kaifeng police.
When mainland reporters called three monks at the temple for information on Shi’s whereabouts, responses included: “Wait for official news,” “He’s studying abroad, unclear,” and one call ended abruptly. A temple spokesperson surnamed Zheng replied, “We haven’t seen him lately.”
Sources told Economic Observer reporters that Shi Yongxin was taken away around July 25, 2025, by police in Xinxiang, Henan Province. He is currently under joint investigation by multiple departments, including Xinxiang authorities.
Shi’s last public appearance was during a Buddhist ceremony on May 5, 2025. For over two months afterward, the once high-profile “celebrity monk” vanished from public view. Internal sources at the temple privately admitted they had “lost contact with the abbot.”
His personal social media account has not been updated for three days, with the last post dated 6:58 AM on July 24, 2025.
Shi Yongxin, 59, born Liu Yingcheng in Ying Shang, Anhui Province, became a monk at Shaolin Temple at age 17. At 22, he became director of the temple’s management committee, and in August 1999, he became the 30th abbot of the temple. He currently holds the positions of Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China and President of the Henan Province Buddhist Association. He also served as a deputy to the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th National People’s Congresses, earning him the nickname “political monk.”
Shi has long been a controversial figure. Netizens have compiled at least seven major scandals involving him over the years.
From the “Millennium Bell Fundraising Scandal” in 2000, to rumours of solicitation in 2011, anonymous accusations in 2013, and incense-related profit controversies in 2014, Shi has repeatedly made headlines. Although most incidents were eventually dismissed, they consistently drew public attention.
On July 25, 2015, a viral online post allegedly authored by a Shaolin insider named “Shi Zhengyi” accused Shi Yongxin of being a “big tiger” needing oversight. The post claimed he had two household registrations and ID cards, kept mistresses, and engaged in extramarital affairs. The next night, the Shaolin Temple posted an official statement online, demanding that authorities investigate the alleged defamation.
Henan’s religious affairs and public security departments jointly launched a 19-month investigation at the time.
In February 2017, officials concluded that there was “insufficient evidence” and that the accusations were “unsubstantiated.” The State Administration for Religious Affairs publicly supported this conclusion.
In June this year, Jiang Wangzheng, a spokesperson for the China New Youth Movement, announced on his personal channel that Wang Zuo’an, former Deputy Minister of the United Front Work Department and Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, was under investigation.
Wang Zuo’an had a long tenure with the State Administration for Religious Affairs, starting in August 1987. In February 1998, he was promoted to deputy director and also served as the head of the Religious Culture Publishing House. In September 2009, he became director of the bureau, and in March 2018, he was appointed deputy head of the United Front Work Department while retaining his directorship. He retired in June 2022.
The conclusion of the 2015 investigation into Shi Yongxin—which found insufficient evidence—was endorsed by the religious affairs bureau under Wang’s leadership.
In September 2010, while visiting Taiwan, Wang Zuo’an personally received a legal complaint from a Falun Gong practitioner. According to the Taiwan Falun Gong Lawyers Association, Wang, who had been a deputy to former director Ye Xiaowen, spread defamatory propaganda about Falun Gong through religious, educational, and media institutions. He played a key role in justifying the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. As of now, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are reported to have died as a result of persecution in China. Wang Zuo’an is among the main targets pursued by the Global Human Rights Lawyers Group for Falun Gong.
At the time, the NGO “World Organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong” (WOIPFG) stated that they had opened investigations into Ye Xiaowen, Wang Zuo’an, and Cao Shengjie. The complaint stated that since July 20, 1999, these individuals, acting under the directives of Jiang Zemin’s regime, had publicly led the crackdown on Falun Gong. They held press conferences, gave interviews to domestic and international media, and published reports defaming Falun Gong. These lies were widely disseminated by state-run media such as Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, and CCTV, and used in official training materials to incite hatred against Falun Gong. Ye Xiaowen also made defamatory statements about Falun Gong and its founder during Buddhist association meetings and overseas visits, exporting the CCP’s ideology of religious persecution and fueling the brutal suppression of practitioners that led to deaths.
If the reports of Wang Zuo’an’s investigation are true, they may be intricately linked to Shi Yongxin’s current case.
(First published by People News)
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