Former Shaolin Temple’s Head Sentenced to 24 Years, State Media Reports

BEIJING, May ⁠29 (Reuters) – ⁠Shi Yongxin, ⁠former abbot of ​China’s Shaolin Temple was ‌sentenced to 24 ‌years ⁠in ⁠prison for crimes including embezzlement and ​bribery, state media reported Friday.

Shi, 60, ​was charged in March ⁠this year ⁠after being ⁠placed under ​investigation in July last ​year.

A ⁠court in the central Chinese province of Henan ⁠handed the sentencing, saying Shi abused ⁠his roles to embezzle, misappropriate, and take and give bribes totaling around 300 million yuan ($44.33 million) over nearly ⁠three decades.

($1 = 6.7672 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Shi Bu and ​Liz LeeEditing by ​Tomasz Janowski)

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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