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Thread: Economic State of Shaolin Temple today

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  1. #1

    Economic State of Shaolin Temple today

    Accounts from those who have been there point to alot of poverty. In fact, several KFM articles mention this. This is the thread to discuss it.

  2. #2
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    From my experiences there are 4 broad groups of locals:

    1 - the Shaolin (DengFeng) rural population - poor

    2 - the population working in the martial arts sector (teaching, running schools, etc) or related businesses (equipment, uniforms, students transport, travel agencies, etc) - doing much better than most rural Chinese

    3 - the "management" (government and tourism officials, big school owners, ... all the way to the abbot) - doing very well even by western standards

    4 - the students - they come from all over China and range from very poor to quite comfortable, depending on their family

    So IMO overall Shaolin business has certainly had a fantastic impact on the economics of the region and the living standards of most of the locals, creating lots of jobs and bringing lots of $$$ that otherwise would have never been spent / invested in Henan.

    Wall
    > it is your mind, that creates this world >

  3. #3
    Hows about your run-of-the-mill monk? I've heard they don't do so well. And then there are also the monks-in-training. Again, I hear about lots of poverty with them.

  4. #4
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    Isn't this like asking how real mice are doing at Disney World?

  5. #5
    Poverty Levels in Henan Countryside…US$200 / year

    Henan has a population of about 100mn people. About 80mn are farmers. They are very poor with an average household income of Rmb1600 per year. That is US$200 a year, or 17 dollars a month. (Data Source: China National Bureau of Statistics – June 2006)


    Shaolin Temple Earnings…over US$20mn / year

    Gate ticket earnings:
    - About 1,500,000 tourists / year @ US$5 / ticket = US$7.5mn
    - The temple gets about 25% of that, or just under US$2mn

    Shaolin performances:
    - 60 countries a year, over 1000 performances a year
    - The troupe earns about US$10,000 each performance, at 1000 performances
    - That is about US$10mn

    Performances (Feng Zhong Shaolin)
    - Originally performed at the Beijing Ballete Concert Hall and now throughout China
    - Earned them about US$8mn in 2005

    In total that is roughly US$20mn a year

    On a side note the Deng Feng municipality alone has already generated over US$100mn in tourist dollar revenue ending July 2006 – obviously most of it attributed to the Shaolin temple and its surrounding wushu schools.

    There is no doubt that the success of the Shaolin temple has had little impact if any on the overall living standards and conditions of the peasant farmers and small factory workers in the Dengfeng municipality. There are over 600,000 of them. Citizens still have limited access to very minimum standards of education and medical care. Factory layoffs and unemployment are high, while umemployment insurance and pensions are virtually nonesistant.

    Anyone who tells you that the Shaolin temple is pumping money directly into the local economy to help the Dengfeng citizens are pulling your leg. Shaolin revenues are no doubt going into the devleopment of more tourist related business models and real estate investment projects, while government revenues are going into industrial infrastructure devleopment.

    Now you know why when fat cat spiritual leaders like Shi Yongxin recieve cars from local government departments that it enrages local citizens.

    And I do stand corrected….Shi Yongxin already does have an MBA.



    Sources:
    http://cme.ce.cn/left/rw/200604/16/t..._6715211.shtml
    http://www.zynews.com/2006-08/15/content_415084.htm
    Last edited by bungbukuen; 08-30-2006 at 08:06 AM.

  6. #6
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    Bungbukuen, you are partly incorrect.

    Many people at Shaolin (DengFeng), many of the people I've known personally, have substantially increased their earnings, and now support their otherwise very poor families, thanks to Shaolin.

    They have transformed themselves from sons and daughters of poor peasant farmers and small factory workers to tourist guides, kungfu instructors, taxi drivers, weapons and equipment sellers, hotel staff, shop and restaurant operators, etc.

    Note that I'm not saying that the Shaolin temple is pumping money directly into the local economy to help the Dengfeng citizens, I am saying that the Shaolin business and tourism boom is having huge positive fallout effets on the local population.

    The boosting in local spending and investment by millions of non-local and foreign people impact the economy on a macro level, regardless of the local re-investment, or lack of, by Shaolin itself.

    In simple terms: if all of a sudden millions of extra people spend millions of extra dollars in your town, directly or indirectly it will have a positive economic impact on the whole town and most people living in it

    Wall

    NB. this is all relevant to the DengFeng and surrounding area only; the rest of Henan obviously derives no tangible macroeconomic benefit from the Shaolin boom, and so remains a very depressed chinese rural region.

    PS for The Xia: the 'monks in training' are students, and as such how well they are doing financially mostly depends on their families earnings (usually they come from peasant families so they are not doing so well). The 'run of the mill monks' as you call them usually are doing pretty well by local standards; they have basic teaching or performing salaries which they augment with teaching to foreigners or other "entrepreneurial" activities, and thus overall are doing better than most young people in Henan (keeping in mind that Henan standards are a low starting point).
    Last edited by wall; 09-01-2006 at 07:28 AM.
    > it is your mind, that creates this world >

  7. #7
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    Again, keep this in perspective. This is China.

    I remember when they were building the Tamo statue above the cave. Laborers would carry a block of stone up the tortuous mountain trail from the Nunnery on their backs - it was brutal, hard work. They worked at dawn and dusk, when light was poor, because it was way too hot to attempt when the sun was high. These stones were easily 75-100 lbs. I know because I tried to lift one with the mistaken idea that I'd contribute to this great task. They were paid the equivalent of $0.25 a stone. And they were happy about that. That was good money for that amount of work for them.

    In Henan, there are still cave dwellers. In fact, some of them aren't that far from Shaolin. Many rural Chinese live very poorly - ramshackle dwelling, dirt floors, no electricity or plumbing. There are some extremely poor areas of China. Shaolin isn't one of them anymore. It's one of the most affluent temples in China now, so of course there's considerable trickle-down. Remember the forced relocation? That was a huge shakedown and many of the migrant poor who made their living hawking crap in front of the temple were sent on. Most relocated to Baimasi, which is the next most popular tourist temple in the area. But if you want to see poverty near a temple, check out the beggars in front of some of the smaller ones. Visit Guanlinsi and pay your respects. The poor there will break your heart.
    Gene Ching
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    China's Shaolin monks plan deal with travel co.

    SHANGHAI - The famed fighting monks of China's Shaolin Temple next plan to tackle modern finance.

    The local government entity in charge of managing the 1,500-year-old Buddhist temple's tourism-related assets has agreed to cooperate with China Travel Service, a spokeswoman for the state-owned company said.

    News reports said the venture would seek to raise up to 1 billion yuan ($146.4 million) by listing shares on either a mainland or Hong Kong index.

    The Dongfeng government in central Henan province where the temple is located confirmed it was negotiating with China Travel Service on tourism cooperation but denied reports of a stock offering.

    "We are against being listed and this attitude will never change," Qian Daliang, head of the intellectual property and intangible assets management center of Shaolin Temple, told the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

    China Travel Service (Holdings) Ltd., based in Hong Kong, did not comment on the report of a possible listing. It would issue an announcement later, said the company's spokeswoman, who gave only her surname, Zhang.

    Shaolin, its monks and their distinctive form of kung fu have developed into a lucrative business enterprise, raising controversy among some who disapprove of the commercialism of the temple's business-savvy abbot, Shi Yongxin.

    Since taking over as abbot in the 1990s, Shi has moved aggressively to promote and protect the Shaolin brand, threatening to sue companies that use the temple's name or image without permission and serving as executive producer for martial arts films centered on the temple.

    He also has sought to upgrade temple facilities — installing lavish visitor restrooms equipped with uniformed cleaners and TVs that brought still more criticism.

    The Shanghai-based newspaper Oriental Morning Post and other reports said the temple itself was not part of the negotiations between Dengfeng and China Travel Service.

    That deal calls for China Travel Service to invest 100 million yuan ($14.6 million) for a 51 percent stake in a venture under the Shaolin brand name that will handle sale of admission tickets, operate its cable car, cinemas, hotels and tourist bus services in Dengfeng, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported.

    ___
    from CNBC this morning

  9. #9
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    The always forget the link. Geez
    http://www.cnbc.com/id/34458535/for/cnbc/
    Master of Shaolin I-Ching Bu Ti, GunGoPow and I Hung Wei Lo styles.

    I am seeking sparring partner. Any level. Looking for blondes or redhead. 5'2" to 5'9". Between 115-135 weight class. Females between 17-30 only need apply. Will extensively work on grappling.

  10. #10
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    The Vatican makes waaaaaay more than that!

    They are in the Billions.

    Millions is a lark. The pope walks around in solid gold bling.

    Don't see no one getting peed at that.

    weird world.
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  11. #11
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    In the NYT

    At Monastery, Plans to Go Public
    December 18, 2009, 4:29 am

    The flying monks of Shaolin may soon learn how to float, as well.

    The holding company set to run the tourism-related assets of the Shaolin Temple may go public next year, The Oriental Morning Post, a Shanghai daily, reported Thursday.

    Dengfeng’s municipal government in Henan province, where the temple is located, has inked a deal with China Travel Service HK, a Hong Kong travel company, to invest 100 million renminbi ($14.64 million) to create the holding company under the Shaolin name, the newspaper said.

    The venture would seek to raise 800 million to 1 billion renminbi through several channels, including an I.P.O., the newspaper said, according to China Daily.

    The Shaolin Temple, historic center of Chinese Buddhism and kungfu, is run by the abbot Shi Yongxin, known as the “C.E.O. monk” because he earned an M.B.A. and is said to run the temple more like a business than a monastery.
    And on the BBC...
    Shaolin Temple denies flotation report

    Shaolin monks are famous around the world

    The ancient Shaolin temple - famous for its fighting kung-fu monks - has denied a report that it is planning to list on the stock exchange.

    The government body responsible for the 1,500-year-old temple's tourism said it was "absolutely untrue".

    However, the Dengfeng government said it was in talks with China Travel Service about a new tourism joint venture in the Songhan mountains.

    China Travel confirmed the talks but said it was too soon to comment.

    Many have criticised the commercialisation of the temple and the shrine's martial artist monks had opposed any share-listing plans.

    The temple's abbot, Shi Yongxin, took over in the 1990s and has aggressively promoted the Shaolin brand, acting as executive producer in martial arts films based on the temple and upgrading temple facilities for tourists.
    Google lists nearly 90 news articles on this. I think the Abbot is proving himself to be a master of viral marketing.
    Gene Ching
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  12. #12
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    I'm beginning to think...

    ...that Abbot Yongxin is becoming a brilliant manipulator of web news.
    Company refutes rumors of managing Shaolin Temple
    By Zhao Chunzhe (chinadaily.com.cn)

    The opening ceremony for the "Dengfeng Songshan Shaolin Culture and Travel Company" was held on Sunday. The new company will manage all tourism near the famous Shaolin Temple on Songshan Mountain in Henan, chinanews.cn reported. However, it will not manage the Shaolin temple itself.

    "The company will manage the Dengfeng Songshan scenic spot, not included the Shaolin Temple. The tickets of the Shaolin Temple won't change," said Xu Muhan, the vice president of the Dengfeng Songshan Shaolin Culture and Travel Company.

    The Dengfeng municipal government of Henan province and the Hong Kong-based China Travel Service Group (CTS) have jointly invested in the company, which is worth a total of 100 million yuan ($14.6 million). The government will hold 49 percent of the company's stock, while CTS owns the remaining 51 percent.

    The abbot of Shaolin Temple did not attend the ceremony of the company, although there was a seat with his name on it.
    New company set up to promote Shaolin culture, tourism
    www.chinaview.cn 2009-12-27 23:44:21

    ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A new company was set up Sunday to promote the culture of the world-famous Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province and the tourism of Songshan Mountain, home to the 1,500-year-old temple.

    The CTS (Dengfeng) Songshan Shaolin Culture Tourism Co. Ltd. was established as a joint venture between the Dengfeng Songshan Shaolin Culture Tourism Group Co. Ltd., which is owned by the Dengfeng city government in Henan, and the Hong Kong-based China Travel International Investment Hong Kong Limited, a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corporation (HKCTS).

    The Hong Kong company takes a 51-percent stake and the Dengfeng company holds 49 percent of the new joint venture, which has a registered capital of 100 million yuan (14.7 million U.S. dollars).

    "In the next 10 years, we will greatly promote the tourism of the Songshan Mountain scenic spot, improve the infrastructure and upgrade the services," said Bo Baohua, board chairman of the new company, at an inauguration ceremony held in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan.

    "Meanwhile, we will greatly promote the Shaolin kungfu and culture," he said.

    CONTROVERSY ENDED

    The new joint venture had come under spotlight as earlier reports said the government of Dengfeng, where the Shaolin Temple lies, was trying to have the religious place listed in the stock market.

    The reports had sparked criticism on the Dengfeng government, as critics say it was selling state assets at a low price and the agreement would hurt the feelings of Shaolin monks and religious people.

    But the Dengfeng government had denied the reports in a statement earlier this month, saying "16 cultural relics of national and provincial levels, including the Shaolin Temple, in the area will not be managed by the new joint venture".

    Xu Muhan, vice general manager of the HKCTS, also refuted the reports Sunday.

    "The shares that our company holds are of the Songshan Mountain scenic spot, which does not include the Shaolin Temple," he told reporters.

    "Meanwhile, HKCTS itself is a state-owned company, so such an issue does not exist about selling state assets at a low price," he said.

    "In addition, we will protect the cultural heritage and religious places in tourism development," he added.

    The Shaolin Temple, built 1500 years ago during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, is famous for Buddhist teaching and Chinese martial arts, particularly Shaolin kungfu.

    Shaolin, which has become a household name around the world, has developed business operations such as kungfu shows, film production and online sales under the leadership of Shi Yongxin.

    Shi Yongxin has also earned himself the nickname the "CEO monk" since he officially took over as abbot in 1999.

    However, he had repeatedly pledged that "Shaolin Temple was not an enterprise, its value was beyond measurement, and it is never to be listed."

    He has submitted proposals several times to the national legislature, suggesting the exemption of entrance fees at religious tourist attractions to promote cultural protection.

    Shi was absent from Sunday's inauguration ceremony, although he had been invited by the organizer.
    Dengfeng Launches JV to Promote Songshan Mountains Tourism
    Mon. December 28, 2009; Posted: 06:46 AM

    DENGFENG, Dec 28, 2009 (SinoCast Daily Business Beat via COMTEX) -- CVIWF | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The municipal government of Dengfeng, Henan Province, is scheduled to inaugurate a tourism joint venture with China Travel International Investment

    Hong Kong Limited (SEHK: 0308) for the promotion of the scenic spots in Songshan Mountains, home to the time-honored Shaolin Temple, on December 27, 2009.

    With a registered capital of CNY 100 million, Shaolin Culture and Tourism Co., Ltd. (transliterated), will be 51% owned by the Hong Kong-based company and 49% taken by the municipal government of Dengfeng, according to a framework agreement the two sides entered earlier.

    The newborn company is about to manage and popularize the sparkling scenic spots in the Songshan Mountains in accordance with the local regulations, said Zheng Fulin, mayor of Dengfeng, noting that infrastructure in the scenic spots are excluded from the venture.

    Shaolin Culture and Tourism will raise CNY 800 million-CNY 1 billion over the following three years for scenic spot infrastructure construction and cultural tourism project development to beef up the core competitiveness of the Songshan Mountains in and out of the country, according to Mr. Zheng, without giving details.

    "The ticket price of the scenic spots including the Shaolin Temple will stay unchanged after the joint venture starts operation," said Mr. Zheng, "the formation of the venture will neither impact the cultural relics protection nor change the religious activities in the historic places here."

    Revenue from the scenic spots is expected to increase sharply as more tourists will come in the future, predicted Mr. Zheng, adding that the venture will leave the existing management measures unchanged. Currently, ticket sales from the Shaolin Temple alone stands at CNY 150 million a year.

    "There is no possibility for the Shaolin Temple to go public as reported since it is a cultural relics instead of an entity," said Xu Muhan, general manager for the Hong Kong-listed company, explaining that only a joint-stock company will have a chance to get listed on the stock market.

    There were widespread reports that the Shaolin Temple was gearing up for a listing on the stock market, striking worries about a possible negative perception of the 1,500-year-old Buddhist shrine where the Chinese kung fu was born.

    The temple has nothing to do with the newly established company, according to Huang Kun, legal consultant for the Shaolin Temple, echoing Mr. Xu. Nevertheless, the monastery, considered as the spiritual home of China's most formidable martial art exponents, has gone very far as a vehicle that market observers said had raked in handsomely from a series of commercial activities.

    (USD 1 = CNY 6.83)
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  13. #13
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    Shaolin and CTS preparing $85m IPO

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/c...epare-IPO.html

    I think this is absolutely awesome. Best sell out ever.

    More for Yong Xin's detractors to get heated about.

    I find it somewhat amusing that people get bent out of shape when Shaolin Si doesn't conform to their misguided expectations of what a modern temple should and shouldn't be.

    Arguments about the wealth of Shaolin Si having been going on for centuries.

    Using global profile to spread the traditional culture of 禪武 is ultimately a good thing.

    It is not for me to begrudge anyone for making money.

    I don't practice in order to argue politics.

  14. #14
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    i find it hard to believe that members of the shaolin order would find themselves impoverished by any means... furthermore i do not believe that there are any shaolin at the so-called "shaolin temples" in china today. beings true to the order would never be subject to an outside ruling authority, especially one as oppressive and sinister as the PRC. shaolin has dispersed long ago from china... no longer are they incarnated there, nor do they dwell there, this was to protect the order from ultimate extinction.

  15. #15
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    More on Shaolin stocks

    I did bring this up with the Abbot in my most recent interview with him. It will be in the upcoming Shaolin Special 2010. You'll have to pick that up to see how he answered me.

    Again, abbot refutes listing plan of Shaolin
    By Cui Jia and Zuo Likun (chinadaily.com.cn)
    Updated: 2010-03-05 12:55

    Shi Yongxin, the abbot of China's famous Shaolin Temple, reiterated Friday on the sidelines of a national congress in Beijing that his temple will not be listed in the stock market.

    Shi, who holds an MBA degree and speaks fluent English, said the temple will neither become a shareholder nor join in the business operations of a newly established tourism company in Dengfeng City, Henan province, where the temple is located

    On December 27, a joint-venture tourism firm was established by the Dengfeng city government and China Travel International Investment Hong Kong Ltd., a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corporation.

    At a press conference in December, shortly after the venture's launch, Shi said the legal rights and interests of the Shaolin Temple have been well-protected under Chinese laws concerning religious affairs, and will not be affected by the new company.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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