Shi Yongxin Reportedly Taken Away for Investigation — Surveillance Cameras Once Found in His Bedroom

In February 2017, the official conclusion of the investigation into Shi Yongxin was that there was "insufficient evidence," stating that the allegations were "unsubstantiated." The CCP's State Administration for Religious Affairs expressed that it respected the findings of the Henan investigation. (Image from the internet)

[People News] Recently, rumours have been circulating in mainland China that a prominent monk from a thousand-year-old ancient temple in central China has been taken in for investigation. Without naming names, all the key clues point directly to Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple in Songshan, Henan Province. In the midst of chaos among the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), if the news is true, what could it mean?

At the same time, Chinese social media has revealed that in 2011, while Shaolin Temple staff were renovating Shi Yongxin’s bedroom, they discovered multiple surveillance cameras — including one pointed directly at the head of his bed. So, who was spying on him?

In fact, Shi Yongxin was already reported in 2015 for “extortion, embezzling Shaolin Temple property and donation funds, living a corrupt and extravagant personal life, hoarding wealth, and engaging in sexual relations with multiple women.” The public was shocked. Online disclosures showed that he travelled in luxury cars worth millions of yuan, wore kasayas and prayer beads worth tens of thousands, and held significant assets overseas. His obese appearance with a fleshy face seemed to confirm the accusations weren’t groundless. Therefore, it’s not surprising that someone would have installed surveillance cameras in his bedroom.

However, in February 2017, major media outlets across China cited an interview from Henan Daily Online with the head of the investigation team into the 2015 allegations against Shi Yongxin. The conclusion? The economic accusations against him were unfounded — only internal management and financial irregularities were found within the temple. Claims that he had been "demoted" or had an illegitimate daughter were also deemed false. Shi Yongxin landed safely and continued his leisurely, high-profile role as head monk.

Nonetheless, judging by many netizens’ comments, most did not believe the official conclusion. One pointed phrase — “He has powerful backers” — hit the nail on the head.

As for Shi Yongxin’s powerful backing, several previous reports have already shed light. Shi rose to abbot largely thanks to the support of the now-deceased Zhao Puchu, former president of the CCP’s Buddhist Association and a trusted figure of Jiang Zemin. He also followed their lead in denouncing Falun Gong. During his tenure, Shi aligned himself with key Jiang faction loyalists, notably Li Changchun, a former Politburo Standing Committee member who once governed Henan.

Li Changchun served as Henan's Party Secretary from 1992 to 1998 and would have been well-acquainted with the high-profile Shaolin Temple. Shi Yongxin began overseeing temple affairs in 1997. Reportedly, Li had long shown an interest in the temple. In 1992, he approved funding for the temple and even ordered that it be developed into an "internationally renowned monastery."

A 2013 article in Hong Kong's Trend magazine stated that Li Changchun once invited a Feng Shui master from Mount Emei to assess his luxury home in Dalian. The article also claimed that Li’s belief in Feng Shui went back to his time in Henan, where rumours had long circulated. Reportedly, a monk from Shaolin Temple had advised Li in Feng Shui and fortune, playing a significant role in his rise to power starting from Henan. Clearly, Li’s relationship with the temple was far from simple.

Further evidence of this came on April 19, 2014, when Li Changchun visited Shaolin Temple with his family. According to the temple’s official website, Li was accompanied by senior provincial officials and warmly welcomed by Shi Yongxin and other monks. Upon seeing Shi, Li said, “Abbot Yongxin, we are old friends.” He then took photos with the monks at the mountain gate and later praised Shi's work. At the time, overseas analysts noted that Li’s appearance was a political gesture to support Jiang's faction amid rising internal CCP tensions, especially after Hu Jintao’s public reemergence.

As for the eventual clearing of Shi Yongxin’s name after the 2015 investigation, it’s hard to believe that Li Changchun’s intervention played no role. Now, with sudden reports of Shi being taken away for investigation, is it because his powerful backer is in trouble? Or has his list of misdeeds finally caught up with him, making him expendable in the CCP’s latest anti-corruption campaign — too toxic for even his allies to protect? Whatever the reason, if the reports of Shi Yongxin’s investigation prove true, there’s a strong likelihood of links to high-level political struggles within the CCP. The public now waits to see whether the rumours are confirmed.

(First published by People News) △