Shaolin Monastery Changes Abbot, Triggering a Wave of Monks Leaving
Keywords: Shaolin Monastery, Shih Yung-shin, Shih Yin-le, De-commercialization, Monks Leaving Wave
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Wednesday, 06 August 2025
After the former abbot of the Shaolin Monastery in Songshan, Henan, Shih Yung-shin was investigated and removed from his position, the new abbot, Shih Yin-le, introduced several new regulations to 'decommercialize' the monastery. He also required monks to recite scriptures in the early morning, farm in the morning, and practice spiritual cultivation in the afternoon, while confiscating mobile phones and prohibiting entertainment. Multiple reports indicate that the Shaolin Monastery has recently experienced a wave of monks leaving. On July 29, the Shaolin Monastery announced the election of Shih Yin-le as the new abbot. The commercial model established by Shih Yung-shin has been significantly revised, with several controversial paid items canceled. According to information from Chinese social media, Shih Yin-le introduced five major new regulations on his first day in office: shutting down commercial performances, prohibiting high-priced consecration, clearing temple shops, promoting self-sustaining agriculture, and reforming income distribution. According to the First Financial News of China, after Shih Yin-le took office, only a few stalls remain operational inside the Shaolin Monastery. The 'martial monks' who previously asked tourists to scan QR codes for donations are no longer visible. Some information that used to require payment is now displayed on exhibition racks for tourists to freely access. A tourist said that previously, a single incense stick could cost hundreds or even thousands of yuan, but now no one is selling incense, and the public can queue up to collect free incense. Charged items like 'peace incense' and 'family portrait incense' have disappeared. Shih Yin-le also restored the traditional practice of 'combining farming and spiritual cultivation,' requiring monks to participate in morning scripture recitations at 4:30 a.m., then go to the fields to farm, and practice martial arts and spiritual cultivation in the afternoon. Mobile phones are uniformly kept in the warehouse by the monastery, entertainment activities are prohibited, and monks are not allowed to leave the monastery on weekends. A young monk complained on social media, 'We were used to using mobile phones to look up scriptures, and suddenly having our devices confiscated feels like losing an arm.' It has been reported that commercial projects such as the Shaolin Martial Monks' Global Tour (which once generated up to $500,000 per performance), cultural and creative stores, and Taobao shops have been completely halted. A shop employee who has sold souvenirs at the Shaolin Monastery for 12 years admitted that he used to earn more than 10,000 yuan per month through dividends, but now that the shops have closed, 'there's no choice but to leave.' According to multiple reports, after Shih Yin-le took office, the 'offering boxes are no longer ATMs,' and the Shaolin Monastery has experienced a wave of departures, with more than 30 people leaving so far, mainly monks and employees who relied on commercial activities, as well as young monks who were used to lenient management. Some young people who had dreams of becoming 'internet-famous martial monks' have left because they could not adapt to the transition from 'live-streaming and shouting in直播间' to 'planting rice in the fields.'
