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The Shaolin monastery abbot has long appeared in headlines as the "CEO monk". Who could resist it? On his watch Shaolin has made films and IPO plans. But I spent time there & came away with a v different conclusion.
A long-ish read & short thread (1/x) https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2020/12/19/tales-of-a-ceo-monk-obscure-the-business-of-faith-in-china
A long-ish read & short thread (1/x) https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2020/12/19/tales-of-a-ceo-monk-obscure-the-business-of-faith-in-china
Founded 1,500 years ago, Shaolin is the cradle of both kung fu and Zen Buddhism. Thanks not least to Wu-Tang Clan, it is one of the best-known Buddhist monasteries in the world. All that has made it a huge tourist attraction. (2/x)
Shi Yongxin, its controversial abbot, has known for years that this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he wants to promote Buddhism. In the 1980s, Shaolin in shambles, he simply wanted to restore the half-destroyed temple. Hence the need for popularity and revenue. (3/x)
On the other hand, Shaolin's fame has led to complications. Local officials have fought with it for control of ticket sales. Outsiders have tried to capitalize on its name, branding their products as "Shaolin" and opening nearby kung fu schools that have no link to it. (4/x)
And beyond business, Shaolin has multiple groups to satisfy: the national government, trying to steer China's religious revival in a "patriotic" direction; the martial arts world, which puts Shaolin on a pedestal; and 200+ monks, many focused more on Buddhism than kung fu. (5/x)
A combustible mix. And it nearly brought Shi Yongxin down in 2015, when he was accused of corruption and violating his celibacy vows. But 5 years on, he's still at Shaolin: a rare survivor of such a scandal in the Xi Jinping era. So I was curious to follow up on the story. (6/x)
What I found was a monastery more modest than the glitzy temples in China's big cities; an abbot more sincere and even naive than the cartoonish depictions of him as a "CEO monk"; and a state-owned firm that tried to cash in on Shaolin but failed. (7/7) https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2020/12/19/tales-of-a-ceo-monk-obscure-the-business-of-faith-in-china
