Ex-head monk of China's 'kung fu temple' jailed for embezzlement

The erstwhile caput of China's celebrated Shaolin Temple - known arsenic the birthplace of kung fu - has been sentenced to 24 years successful jailhouse for crimes including embezzlement and bribery.

Shi Yongxin had misappropriated temple assets worthy much than 282m yuan ($42m; £31m) from 2003 to 2025, a tribunal successful the cardinal Henan state said.

It said Shi had besides utilized his authoritative presumption to illegally get millions from temple operation projects, arsenic good arsenic offering immense bribes to Chinese officials.

Shi - whose commencement sanction is Liu Yingcheng - had earlier admitted his guilt, China's authorities Xinhua quality bureau reported. On Friday, helium said helium would not entreaty against the verdict.

The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple - located connected a upland scope - attracts thousands of disciples from China and elsewhere each year.

Shi took bureau determination arsenic abbot successful 1999, soon earning the nickname "CEO monk" for transforming the instauration into a planetary brand.

Under his leadership, the temple started opening schools extracurricular China and formed a travelling troupe of monks who performed Shaolin kung fu shows - the temple's signature benignant of martial arts.

Last twelvemonth helium was defrocked, China's Buddhist relation said.

Shi was investigated for embezzlement and fathering respective children successful 2015, but was aboriginal cleared of the charges.

In an interrogation with BBC Chinese that year, helium said: "If determination were a problem, it would person surfaced agelong ago."

The sanction "Shaolin Temple" has gained prominence successful popular civilization implicit the years, including being the rubric of a 1982 movie starring Jet Li.

The temple is referenced successful songs by American hip-hop radical Wu-Tang Clan and inspired a spin-off of the video crippled Mortal Kombat.