Defrocked Shaolin abbot given 24 years in jail for embezzlement
According to the court, Liu Yingcheng, who as abbot went by the name Shi Yongxin, embezzled assets worth more than 131 million yuan (US$19.4 million) from 2003 to 2025.
The abbot of Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, speaking to AFP at the famous temple in Henan province, on Nov 8, 2009. (File photo: AFP/Peter Parks)
BEIJING: The former head of China’s famed Shaolin Temple was sentenced to 24 years in jail for crimes including embezzlement and bribery that spanned three decades, a court said on Friday (May 29).
Liu Yingcheng, who as abbot went by the name Shi Yongxin, was removed from his post in July 2025 for “extremely” bad behaviour. He was 59 years old at the time.
He was placed under investigation and defrocked over allegations of misappropriating project funds and temple assets.
Liu “took advantage of his positions as Shaolin Temple abbot and president of the Shaolin Charity Welfare Foundation”, the Xinxiang Intermediate People’s Court in central Henan province said in a statement.
His crimes were “particularly huge, the circumstances of the bribery were particularly serious … and the social impact was enormous”, the court said.
The Shaolin Temple in Henan province is known as the birthplace of kung fu.
Liu took office as abbot in 1999 and helped the temple establish dozens of companies over the following decades, but was also criticised for commercialising Buddhism.
According to the court, he embezzled assets worth more than 131 million yuan (US$19.4 million) from 2003 to 2025, acting alone and colluding with others to do so.
He further misappropriated more than 151 million yuan in funds from the organisation for personal use from 2012 to 2022, the court said.
Liu had illegally accepted assets worth more than 11 million yuan in relation to temple construction projects since 2006.
He also gave more than 5 million yuan in money and property to “state functionaries” between 1995 and 2022, seeking “improper benefits”, the court said.
Liu was also fined 3.5 million yuan (US$517,000).
He said he would not appeal against the verdict, according to the court.
People on social media platform Weibo cheered the sentencing. One user commented: “Crimes deserve punishment”.
Yet others offered blessings for change.
“It is hoped he will wake up, reform and provide good guidance and Buddhist light to all inmates,” another wrote.
