Zishou Shaolin Temple in Lingshi county, Northwest China's Shanxi province

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China's Kungfu Shrine Eyes National Expansion
2015-01-28 20:29:07 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Yangyang

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Zishou Temple in Lingshi county, Northwest China's Shanxi province [File Photo: nandu.com]

China's high-profile Shaolin Temple has been making efforts at expansion means of opening branches, setting up sub-monasteries and the trusteeship, reports nandu.com Wednesday.

The temple's latest move was enlisting Zishou Temple in Lingshi county, northwest China's Shanxi province, as its sub-monastery after signing a document with the local government in August, 2014. During the trusteeship of 30 years, the Shaolin Temple will invest 2000 million yuan (about 320 million USD) to build Zishou Temple Culture and Industrial Park in three to five years.

There are many well-preserved wall paintings dating back to the Yuan Dynasty and colored sculptures from Ming Dynasty in Zishou Temple, but visitors are rare. The temple's revenue of tickets and donation in the first half of 2014 was 27, 000 yuan (or about 4,300 USD).

With the reputation of Shaolin Temple and influence of Abbot Shi Yongxin, more people and religious believers know about the Zishou Temple, said Pei Chunsheng, head of local religious affairs bureau.

The Shaolin temple has also been provided a trusteeship of 30 years over four ancient temples in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan province since November 2008. During that period, the four temples were called 'Kunming Shaolin Temple'.

The Shaolin Temple has opened branches in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The 1,500-year-old Shaolin temple is arguably China's most famous and controversial Buddhist temple due to its active commercial and cultural activities, like kung fu shows. It is also among the first religious institutions in China to go digital. It built its first website in 1996, and has huge followings on Chinese social networks such as Weibo and WeChat.

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The undated photo shows a monk walks in the Zishou Temple in Lingshi county, Northwest China's Shanxi province [File Photo: nandu.com]

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Abbot Shi Yongxin attends the ceremony at Kunming Shaolin Temple, in Southwest China's Yunnan, Sep 16, 2009. [nandu.com]

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Another subsidiary temple. I need to make a list of the subsidiaries posted here someday.

More activity and reach since how many hundred years?
Very honorable to see them laying money into these historic sites too.

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Shaolin Temple Continues Expansion Through Trusteeship
Erika Miranda | Jan 30, 2015 12:12 PM EST

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The Shaolin Temple expands further as it eyes national coverage.

China's world-famous Shaolin Temple continues to make efforts to pursue its plan to expand all over the country.

A report from CRIEnglish reveals that the high-profile temple has not given up its goal to achieve global expansion as it set up new branches, open sub-monasteries and the trusteeship.
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The most recent addition to the Shaolin Temple's network include Lingshi county's Zishou Temple, located in China's northwest province of Shanxi, as one of its sub-monasteries.

According to the report, the Shaolin Temple has entered into an agreement with the local government of Lingshi in Aug. 2014.

The trusteeship, which would last for 30 years, indicates that the Shaolin Temple would be investing 2 billion yuan (around $320 million) to cover the expenses for building the Zishou Temple Culture and Industrial Park in three to five years.

The Zishou Temple boasts many well-preserved wall paintings from as far back as the Yuan Dynasty as well as colored sculptures hailing from the Ming Dynasty.

Despite this, the temple sees very little visits from foreign and local tourists alike, earning the temple ticket sales and donation revenue of only 27,000 yuan ($4,300) during the first half of 2014.

Bringing in influence and the amicable reputation of the Shaolin Temple would mean more people would be visiting the Zishou Temple, says Local Religious Affairs Bureau Head Pei Chunsheng.

Aside from the Zishou Temple, four other ancient temples in Kunming--then dubbed as the "Kunming Shaolin Temple"--have provided the Shaolin Temple 30-year trusteeship since Nov. 2008.

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I should have posted this with the initial post, but here's a thread on the Guandu Temple in Kunming.

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Shaolin Empire Continues to Expand in Shanxi Province
Manny Salvacion | May 05, 2015 08:37 AM EDT

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A Shaolin monk performs during a show in southwest China's Chongqing municipality. (Photo : Reuters)

The Zishou Temple in Lingshi township in Shanxi Province continues to undergo changes based on the expansion scheme started by Shaolin Temple since 2014.

Nicknamed "the fashionable monk," 28-year-old Master Yanbang earned his monicker for being knowledgeable in painting, calligraphy and tea ceremony. The monk also reportedly lived abroad for 12 years.

Master Yanbang was the abbot of the Zishou Temple when the Shaolin Temple took over it in 2014. Four temples in Henan have also been taken over in 2008 by the Shaolin as part of its commercial expansion scheme, the Global Times said.

According to the report, Master Yanbang was able to attract 22 other monks to live in the temple. Prior to the takeover in 2014, Zishou had only two monks and only a few tourists visit the temple, which receives government support and maintenance that costs one million yuan ($160,000).

The takeover of Zishou was part of the contract between the government and Shaolin which allows it to manage the temple for 30 years, the report said.

For its part, Shaolin has agreed to deploy a crew to reside in the temple and take care of Zishou's cultural relics, as well as manage the religious services and cultural affairs.

The report said that after the takeover, the temple took in visitors for free and the local government used the temple's connection to Shaolin kung fu to lure tourists, contributing to the local economy.

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A lot of monks, the wenseng, are well studied in painting, calligraphy and tea ceremony.