China's Shaolin Abbot Falls: Scandal Engulfs Monk Once Seen As Untouchable

China has launched a crackdown on powerful Buddhist monks suspected of misusing temple funds for personal wealth. The move is part of an effort to regulate religious institutions and bring transparency to the country's growing "temple economy".

The Asian country's temple economy is booming, with the sector expected to reach 100 billion yuan by the end of this year, according to The Guardian.

Temples in China have had a turbulent past of almost eight decades. Many monasteries lost their property in the 1950s, and several temples were damaged during the 1960s and 1970s. 

With economic reforms in the 1980s, temples regained popularity and relied on government-supported tourism to sustain themselves.

The Shaolin Temple, in particular, became a major symbol of this trend and turned into a money-making hub for monks.

The crackdown comes after the head abbot of the Shaolin monastery Shi Yongxin was found to have turned the 1,500-year-old monastery into a commercial empire worth hundreds of millions of yuan. 

In July, Shi, nicknamed the "CEO Monk," was put under investigation for allegedly misappropriating funds and having illegitimate children with multiple women. 

Within two weeks, he was removed from his position and stripped of his monkhood.

In 2015, Shaolin Temple also faced criticism for its proposal to construct a nearly $300 million temple complex that would have included a golf course, a hotel, and a kung fu school. During an interview with the BBC the same year, he was questioned about allegations of corruption and affairs with women.

He denied the claim, saying, "If there were a problem, it would have surfaced long ago."

Shi is not the only monk accused of using temple wealth for personal gain. Earlier in August, a video showing monks at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou counting large amounts of money went viral.

In July, monk Wu Bing was stripped of his title and investigated for allegedly using donations meant for needy women and children for his own luxury.

Wu allegedly asked the public for donations, claiming the money would help unmarried pregnant women and poor children, but instead he used the funds for his own personal luxury or spending.