"CEO monk" set to franchise Kung Fu Shaolin shrine in southwest China
25/11/2008 16:50
Pretty soon, it won't be necessary to go to the famed Shaolin temple in
China's Henan Province to learn its famed kung fu fighting style. You'll be able
to get your kicks at a franchised "offshoot" in Yunnan Province.
Shi Yongxin,
the abbot of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin temple in Henan, has announced that his
temple will introduce a "trusteeship" system at four 2,000-year-old temples in
Yunnan. He'll send Shaolin monks to those temples, whose earnings and donations
will go to the Shaolin temple.
Shi said that the trusteeship period will be
about 20 years.
"Our management model centers on culture, martial arts,
education, charity, and zen Buddhism. We hope these will help promote the
popularity of the four temples," said Shi.
Shi is also known as the "CEO
monk" because of his tendency to run the temple like a business. Under his
management, Shaolin has gone into film production, e-commerce and kungfu
shows.
The latest commercial move, not surprisingly, exposed Shaolin to a new
round of harsh criticism, with reaction online overwhelmingly negative.
"The
temple has been degraded to a company," an anonymous netizen from central Henan
said.
Shi rejected the idea that the "chain store" temple model is just too
commercial. "I did so at the invitation of officials in Yunan," he told
Xinhua.
But Shi's supporters said it is a good way to develop Shaolin in such
a brand-oriented society, because commercialized operation helps to protect and
spread Chinese kung fu.
Xinhua
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