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Thread: Economic State of Shaolin Temple today

  1. #61
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    Quote Originally Posted by lunghushan View Post
    Man, Gene, wow, is there anybody you don't know? That's crazy.
    Man, I guess Gene could be the seven degrees of seperation from every person on the earth!
    VOTE FOR PEDRO '08

    Ever notice how virtually everyone agrees that 95% of all traditional schools are crap, but NOBODY ever admits to being in that 5%? Don't judge... your skill may suck also...
    Quote from SevenStar

    Just call me the Shaolin Do Wet Blanket. Gene Ching

  2. #62
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    Only for Shaolin...

    ...and Shaolin is getting so big, I can hardly keep track.

    Here's something of AFP
    Shaolin temple will not go public: state media

    (AFP) – 3 days ago

    BEIJING — The abbot of China's ancient Shaolin temple -- famous for its kungfu monks -- has refuted reports that the monastery will go public as part of a travel joint venture, the state Xinhua news agency said.

    Shi Yongxin -- known as the "CEO of Shaolin" for aggressively pursuing commercial ventures since taking over as abbot a decade ago -- also said the temple would not be a shareholder in the new firm created to promote tourism.

    The temple's core functions are to "organise religious activities to meet the demand of religious followers," Xinhua quoted Shi as saying at a press conference in central Henan province, in a report issued late Thursday.

    The abbot added that the temple's "legal rights and interests" would not be affected by the creation of the new tourism firm.

    Shi's remarks came days after the Dengfeng city government and a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of the state-owned China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corp. launched a tourism joint venture using the Shaolin name.

    Earlier reports had suggested that the joint venture would handle ticket sales and operate buses servicing the temple -- effectively taking the temple public -- and would seek to list in either Hong Kong or on the mainland in 2011.

    The Shaolin temple, which was established in 495 AD, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism.

    Shi -- who has developed commercial ventures such as kungfu shows, film production and online merchandise sales since taking over the temple -- has been repeatedly criticised for his perceived pursuit of money.

    In a recent interview with AFP, he defended his efforts as a way to boost the temple's profile, not pure commercialisation.

    "Believers have demands, and we must satisfy and serve them to the best of our ability -- it's a service that provides faith products," he said of the temple's online sales.
    Gene Ching
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  3. #63
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    Question for Gene.....

    Gene,

    Do you have sources that comment about these articles inside shaolin? Any idea on what appears to be the general consensus inside Shaolin? Are they for this or against these "proposed ideas"? I don't see any articles where they talk to those that live in or around the Shaolin area to get that insight.
    Last edited by Songshan; 01-04-2010 at 10:22 PM.

  4. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    It's a game of 'he said, Shi said'
    ouch lol


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  5. #65
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    Some follow up on Miaozhan Temple in Guandu

    This came up on my newsfeed this morning.
    Shaolin Temple - Guandu old town
    官渡古镇少林寺
    Guandu Nan Lu, inside Guandu old town, Kunming
    昆明市官渡南路,官渡古镇内
    Categories: Temples
    Former Miaozhan Temple, under Shaolin Temple management until late 2029, free admission

    Reviews

    *
    chris
    Yesterday
    A pleasant enough temple managed by friendly Shaolin monks. Needs more spontaneous kung fu brawls.

    The temple is nestled in the back of Guandu old town, which makes for a nice afternoon out of the city center, although it is surrounded by lots of "new" fake old shopfronts.

    Just take the 46 bus to the Guandu Dong Lu stop (官渡东路站) and you're pretty much there... a cab from the city center runs around 35 yuan.
    Gene Ching
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  6. #66
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    This is the state of shaolin today:


    Kung Fu is good for you.

  7. #67
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    More on the Entertainment Arts Research deal

    Back when I was first going to Shaolin, videogame parlors were huge. That was before the relocation, when there were a ton of kids in the valley with nothing to do after kung fu class but play videogames.
    Georgia Firm in $22 million Gaming Deal With China's Shaolin Temple
    Trevor Williams
    Atlanta - 02.11.10

    An Atlanta gaming company has won a $22 million deal to produce at least four martial arts video games for China's famed Shaolin Temple over 12 years.

    Entertainment Arts Research Inc. signed a license agreement with officials at the Buddhist monastery in China's Henan province Feb. 8. The deal includes the development of a virtual world and console video games. It is expected to create 50 jobs in Georgia.

    The Shaolin Temple, established in the Henan mountains during the fifth century, has long been known for kung fu, a Chinese form of martial arts. Its warrior monks have been featured in many movies. The Entertainment Arts project is the temple's first foray into virtual media and game development, according to a Georgia Department of Economic Development news release.

    Production on the first game will begin March 1, and the finished product is scheduled to launch in December. Electronic Arts Research will produce all Shaolin digital games and will maintain exclusive distribution rights everywhere except in a few Asian nations.

    Company officials credited Georgia's entertainment incentives for helping attract the investment.

    "This is a project that could have gone to many other places, so I’m glad the availability of the state’s incentives gave us a competitive edge, and that EARI and Georgia will be a part of the temple’s continuing contributions to global culture,” said Joseph Saulter, CEO and founder of Entertainment Arts Research.

    Under the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act passed last year, the state offers a 20 percent tax credit for qualified entertainment projects, with an additional 10 percent credit for projects that embed a Georgia logo in the title menu or credits.

    Georgia's burgeoning video game industry is comprised of more than 60 companies employing more than 1,600 people. International gaming companies including France's Metaboli and Iceland's CCP Games have set up shop in the state, according to the release.
    Gene Ching
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  8. #68
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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.

  9. #69
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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
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  10. #70
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    Selling tombs?

    Haihui tower - hadn't heard about this one. The abbot didn't mention this to me in our interview for our 2010 Shaolin Special.
    Shaolin abbot: Underground funeral palace not for sale
    (Xinhua)
    Updated: 2010-05-02 11:26

    ZHENGZHOU: The abbot of Temple in central China's Henan Province said the newly built underground funeral parlor is for monks' ashes only and not for sale, after suspicions arose online claiming the parlor would be used for profit.

    Shi Yongxin, the abbot, said it is Buddhist tradition to store monks' ashes underground under a tower.

    "The parlor was built to store the ashes of our temple's more than 200 monks. We will not sell it for money," Shi said.

    Dengfeng Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau approved the construction of the parlor in 2008. But the tower, Haihui Tower, has yet to be built as Shi is still trying to get approval from the bureau.

    According to Buddhist tradition, upon death, only accomplished monks may have their own tower and parlor while common monks share one, Shi explained.

    Located in the western part of Shaolin Temple, the parlor consists of five caves and has an area of about 100 square meters.

    Shi has been criticized for commercializing Shaolin Temple by running it for profit. Recently, netizens posted online comments accusing Shi of building the parlor to sell.

    The Shaolin Temple, built in 495 during Northern Wei (386-534) of Northern and Souther Dynasties( 386-589), is famous for Buddhist teaching and Chinese martial arts, particularly Shaolin kungfu. The temple, 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.
    Gene Ching
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  11. #71
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    High-Speed Rail

    The times they are a changin'. Why I remember when we had to hike to Shaolin in deep snow, and then cut off our arm just to get in...
    High-speed Rail Transports Zhengzhou into Future
    2010-11-23 08:44:23 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Zhangxu


    Tourists crowd Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou of central China's Henan province on Oct. 18, 2010. Because of the convenient high-speed rail, which travels up to 350 km/h, the number of foreign and domestic tourists to the historic city of Zhengzhou has increased sharply. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Zhang Xu]

    Special: High-speed Railways in China
    by Zhang Xu

    Central China's new Zhengzhou-Xi'an high-speed railway has brought with it great changes. One of the areas that has most benefited is Henan province's capital city of Zhengzhou. Tourism, transport and trade here are all on the up.

    Zhang Jianhui, deputy mayor of Henan province's capital city Zhengzhou, says the new high speed rail track linking his city with Xi'an has been of great benefit to the local tourist industry.

    "Due to our limited transport connections of the past, there used to be an old saying: Visit Xi'an, bypass Henan. But now because of the convenient high-speed rail, which travels up to 350 km/h, the number of foreign and domestic tourists to the historic city of Zhengzhou has increased sharply."

    Zhengzhou is part of a traditional transport artery where the north-south Beijing-Guangzhou railway and the east-west Lanzhou-Lianyungang railway cross. Nearly all trains to Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an pass through Zhengzhou.

    To cater for this new high speed revolution, Zhengzhou is now constructing a huge state of the art train station. The five-storey station covering 400 thousand square meters is designed to handle over 7,000 passengers per hour at its busiest.

    Yang Song is general director of the new station.

    "At present 80% of the tracks at the station's base have been completed. The station will begin trial operation in July 2011, and officially come into use by the end of 2011."

    Zhang says that transport is Zhengzhou's biggest economic advantage and that the development of high-speed rail in China means the city will become one of China's key transport hubs in the future.

    "In the future, the high-speed railways will not only link Lanzhou, Xuzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou, but also Chongqing, Taiyuan, Jinan and Hefei. Then it will take less than two hours to travel to Henan's surrounding big cities."

    Zhang also hopes the ambitious transport plans will boost the logistics sector as well as big industry.

    He says the municipal government will set up an economic circle around the new station including bus stations, hotels, convention centers, shops and more.

    The director of the new station explains that the new high speed trains will help release cargo pressure of the old railway network. Zhang adds that the city also plans to build freight distribution centers around the city's outskirts.

    "Through the freight distribution centers, we want to expand Zhengzhou's transport capability in order to adapt to the rapid development of logistics. This will drive Zhengzhou��s economic development."

    Like the millions of passengers already using China's high speed rail network, it seems Zhengzhou is on the move.


    The photo taken on Oct. 19, 2010 shows the construction site of Zhengzhou East Railway Station in Zhengzhou of central China's Henan province. The high-speed railway station will begin trial operation in July 2011, and officially come into use by the end of 2011. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Zhang Xu]
    Gene Ching
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  12. #72
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    40 companies

    China's Shaolin Temple builds business empire
    (AFP) – 12 hours ago

    BEIJING — China's famed Shaolin Temple has set up over 40 companies overseas as it hopes to spread Buddhist-inspired martial arts around the globe, state press reported.

    But the announcement of a vast business plan to send the temple's famed warrior monks abroad has been met with criticism over the commercialisation of Buddhism, the Global Times said on Monday.

    "We currently operate over 40 companies in cities across the world, such as Berlin and London," the paper quoted Shi Yongxin, the temple's abbot, as saying at a Beijing culture forum.

    "The Shaolin Temple is also participating in the operation of some other companies related to the same industry," he said, adding that the companies have bought land and property overseas.

    Shi, the first Chinese monk to earn a master's degree in business administration, denied the businesses were profit-motivated, insisting that the temple was fulfilling an overseas infatuation with "Shaolin culture", it said.

    The temple, which was established in 495 AD, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu.

    Shaolin warrior monks have held legendary status for centuries throughout Asia, while over the last 50 years films and television have spread their reputation worldwide.

    Besides teaching martial arts around the world, the Shaolin centres also include Zen meditation workshops and Chinese language training, Shi said.

    The temple has nearly 130 martial arts clubs in the United States alone, while Shaolin monks are already capable of teaching in English, German and Spanish, he said.

    Shi, known as the "CEO of Shaolin" since taking over the temple a decade ago, has developed commercial ventures such as kung fu shows, film production and online merchandise sales.

    Last year he denied the temple planned to participate in an initial public offering with a Hong Kong travel company, while a Beijing court turned down an application to put a Shaolin trademark on consumer goods like instant noodles.

    Shi's business efforts have been widely criticised as a naked attempt to commercialise Buddhism, the report said.

    "To many people, a temple is a reclusive place outside the bustles of the material world," but "when a monk like Shi travels frequently by plane to promote his businesses, secular society cannot keep up," the paper said in an editorial.

    "While spreading ideas has been the traditional theme of most religions, Shaolin's ventures abroad also help China spread its traditional culture and thinking, and gain more understanding through a civil channel."
    I would love to see a list of the Shaolin 40. Maybe it's on the Global Times article. I'll look for that later - I've got a full plate today and won't have the time to surf newsfeeds like usual.
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  13. #73
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    caught a break

    The Global Times article...just couldn't resist.

    Shaolin Temple spreading wings
    * Source: Global Times
    * [08:24 January 10 2011]
    By Deng Jingyin

    The top monk at Shaolin Temple in Henan Province revealed Saturday that the world famous site has opened some 40 businesses throughout the world, and has bought land and property overseas, news that generated a debate about whether the Buddhist institution is over-commercializing a popular icon in Chinese culture.

    "We currently operate over 40 companies in cities across the world, such as Berlin and London. Meanwhile, Shaolin Temple is also participating in the operation of some other companies related to the same industry," Shi Yongxin, the temple's abbot, said at the 8th cultural industry forum at Peking University Saturday.

    Shi said Shaolin's current focus is to grow overseas and monks are spreading Shaolin culture in English, German as well as Spanish around the world, Beijing News reported.

    The news had again ignited growing concerns over whether the traditional culture should be commercialized.

    The temple is the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu.

    However, the leader denied that their overseas expansion plans is motivated by profit and emphasized such move is to spread the Shaolin culture.

    "Foreign countries attach more importance to the spread of Buddhism compared with China, that's why we place extra emphasis on other countries these years," Qian Da-liang, head of the Intellectual Property and Intangible Assets Management Center at Shaolin Temple, told the Global Times.

    Qian refused to disclose the temple's income from overseas activities to the Global Times.

    Shaolin Temple is prohibited from profit making in China. Nearly 70 percent of the temple's income is submitted to the local government while the rest is for operational cost.

    Zheng Weiwei, 23, who studied in the UK, told the Global Times that she feels that Shaolin's overseas activities are profit-driven.

    She also cast doubts over the effectiveness of such commercial behavior, saying that if Shaolin fails to spread domestically, it would be hard to spread the true culture overseas.

    Shaolin Temple receives nearly 2 million visitors every year, including 150,000 overseas visitors. About 60 martial arts schools opened near the temple with 60,000 students, according to Shi.

    Chen Qijia, from the religion research office at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times Sunday that Shaolin businesses and property overseas could be seen as commercializing the religion.

    "Buddhism allows spreading its doctrines in secular ways," Chen said. "I think as long as they insist on what should be in a religion, commercialization is just a form."
    I just interviewed the Abbot. I wish I had this piece of info as I would have integrated it into our interview.

    Here's more:
    Abbot defends foreign ventures
    Shanghai Daily, January 10, 2011


    A photo of Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province.

    The controversial abbot of Shaolin Temple says he will continue to concentrate on the overseas market even after the world famous temple has opened more than 40 centers around the world to teach foreigners kung fu and Zen Buddhism.

    "Only if the temple grows stronger abroad will it have a bigger influence at home," Shi Yongxin, the temple's 30th abbot, told a cultural industry forum at Peking University over the weekend.

    Shi said the ancient temple in central China's Henan Province came up with a convenient foreign development method - firstly renting houses to teach kung fu and then using the tuition fees to buy the premises.

    "We almost do not need money, but only need to send out young monks (as trainers), rent a local house, decorate it and then start enrollment," he said.

    The abbot said the temple did not aim to make money but to promote the Shaolin culture around the world.

    Since taking up his post in 1999, the abbot's commercial activities - opening pharmacies, kung fu schools and online stores - have come under fire, with critics saying a temple should not engage in so many money-generating and publicity-gaining activities.

    But Shi said he is determined to continue with commercial development to revitalize the 1,500-year-old temple and conserve its rich Buddhist and cultural heritage.

    The temple had set up "culture centers" in cities such as London and Berlin where monks could teach in foreign languages, the abbot told the forum.

    He said each center could enrol more than 1,000 students every year, mostly adults curious about kung fu and Zen.

    Shi goes to some centers once every two years to test foreign students on kung fu.

    The centers also taught the Chinese language and lifestyles of monks to introduce Shaolin culture to foreigners.

    "I hope other temples in China can also send monks to world cities, because it has become an ideal way to promote Buddhism across the world," Shi said.

    The temple also sends monks to perform kung fu shows around the world.

    Shi said more than 400 martial monks performed abroad last year. They performed in 56 cities in 29 countries in the past three years and won many prizes.
    Gene Ching
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  14. #74
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    More in the wake

    One thing I'll say about the Abbot. He knows how to get viral traffic.

    The business of culture
    English.news.cn 2011-01-11 13:42:42

    Monk Yongxin at the forum. (Photo: Global Times)

    BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- You can tell a new decade has truly arrived when experts and insiders from every field are busy making plans and ambitious predictions for the bright future of their industries. Indeed, in such a rapidly developing country as China, everything seems to have a good future in the next 10 years.

    Such is now also the case for "cultural industries": A number of talents, including government officials, scholars and experts from fields such as film, animation, music and publishing, gathered over the weekend to talk about their interpretations and expectations for the prospects of cultural industries in the new decade.

    Held at Peking University (PKU), the two-day forum organized by the Institute for Cultural Industries, PKU, was ambitiously entitled Prospects for 2020: A New Decade of Chinese Cultural Industries, which itself signified confident expectations in the future of Chinese culture.

    The institute was founded in 2002 with the authorization of the Ministry of Culture, and was the research base for innovation and development of national cultural industries; therefore, any outcome it reaches, whether the conclusion of a research project, a book published, or forum like this held, means something in terms of advising the government and guiding public attention.

    Basic opinions from participants, officials and experts, even company CEOs, were generally the same: The new decade will be essential, critical and promising for the development of cultural industries in China, and the government and individual companies need to work together to grasp the opportunities.

    Ye Lang, director of the institute, said at the opening ceremony on Saturday morning that with global economic growth as the premise, cultural business had had the chance to flourish over the past decade, since they entered the new millennium.

    "With this momentum, the next 10 years should be a golden period for the development of every aspect of cultural industries in China. I personally am confident in the general environment," Ye told the Global Times after his speech at the forum.

    "Cultural industries" was never officially a term before July 2009, when the Cultural Industry Promotion Plan was issued by the State Council–it is now already a buzzword among cultural circles such as film, animation, publishing and even the intangible cultural heritages.

    Culture and art, especially in the case of publishing, were something strictly related to political direction, which was seldom open to the market since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and there was previously no way to link culture with something like "industry".

    However, over the last few years, things began changing dramatically. With a series of plans and regulations issued by the central government, it seems that there has never been such a good time facing the cultural industries in China.

    And there are "going out" strategies being applied to almost all cultural fields, which means the country isn't just satisfied with the economic achievements it had made, or the hundreds of Confucius Institutes opened all over the world. What it now needs is all-round cultural influence on an international scale.

    Even the ancient Shaolin Temple is ambitious in joining the new wave, with Monk Yongxin, current abbot of the Temple invited to give a speech at the forum. He said that the Shaolin Temple is making efforts to broaden its world influence, with monks helping local people better understand Buddhism in China.

    "We are so glad that it is the best of times for the Shaolin Temple to do something overseas, as China has already got widespread attention," Yongxin told the Global Times during the forum. "Like other contemporary art and culture, we need to help foreigners know us, and we have achieved a lot in this."

    But there are challenges ahead, as many experts also pointed out at the forum.

    Both the "going out" strategy and the development of culture face tricky problems, especially in terms of quality. While seemingly prosperous in quantity of output, according to director Ye, innovation is something urgently needed in industries, such as animation and film. "Equipment and hardware are very crucial in such a digitalized world, but innovation in ideas and content, which we are now lacking in all fields of art and culture, are even more important."

    Also, a "healthy spiritual content" need to be nurtured while pursuing commercial success, he added, explaining "culture is anyway a special industry, with the particular ability of cultivating the youth."
    Shaolin commercialized to spread Chinese culture
    * Source: Global Times
    * [08:16 January 10 2011]

    Shaolin Temple, the legendary home of Chinese kung fu, has made headlines in the past few years. Whenever it did so, controversy followed along with accusations about "over-commercialization," or skepticism over abbot Shi Yongxin's attempts to "sell" the famous Buddhist holy land.

    At a cultural industry forum at Peking University on Saturday, Shi announced that Shaolin has opened more than 40 companies abroad, in cities like Berlin and London.

    Besides, it now has close to 130 martial arts clubs in the US, where monks teach local people meditation, kung fu and Chinese.

    The news attracted no fewer eyeballs than before, and many commented in a sarcastic manner.

    To many people, a temple is a reclusive place outside the bustles of the material world. Monks ring the bell and pray every day and they live on donations of visitors who show up to ask a favor of the Buddha.

    When a monk like Shi travels frequently by plane and promote his businesses, secular society cannot keep up.

    He established Warrior Monks Group to perform in 1989. He set up Henan Shaolinsi Television Co in 1997 and Shaolin Temple Industrial Development Company in 1998. His was the first Buddhist temple to open a website.

    In addition, the Shaolin Temple has organized many performances abroad. They have performed in 50 cities around 29 countries in less than three years, according to Shi.

    It was reported that each year the Shaolin Temple earn more than 100 million yuan ($15 million) from temple tickets sales, the sale of Shaolin products online and the performance of its monks.

    The local government in Henan gets even more from the tourism industry mainly due to Shaolin.

    In this material society, we should not be so surprised with changes at the 1,500-year-old temple. The development of religion also needs financial support.

    The environment in which the Shaolin Temple operates is evolving. It has to adapt to the new environment to avoid being eliminated or marginalized.

    It is no problem for the facility to use its advantages to explore ways to sustain and develop.

    And we might not raise eyebrows at going global either.

    While spreading ideas has been the traditional theme of most religions, Shaolin's ventures abroad also help China spread its traditional culture and thinking, and gain more understanding through a civil channel.

    This channel may work better than 100 advertisements to convey a rosier image of China.
    130 martial arts clubs in the US? How did they get that number? A Google search?
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  15. #75
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    Jaysus.....


    Shaolin and the State. It's a ****ed shame. What's funny is that the native-Chinese practitioners of the art that I've studied under in the US always have the most close-minded attitudes towards the spread of the art, and protect it like it is a scarce resource--intellectual property, copyright--the whole 9 yards. That's why I've always preferred learning MA from American-born martial artists. The dissemination of the art at large in Capitalist America often gives Shaolin a bad rep, but it gives the Shaolin arts the chance to grow unimpeded in a free cultural market that isn't still hung up on medieval prejudices.

    I've always seen Shaolin (and maybe Buddhism, as well) as a kind of parasitic religious entity, being such that it often takes grant from governments, emperors, etc. That money doesn't come from honest enterprise, if you take my meaning--it comes from taxation, appropriation, and plunder. And Shaolin has rarely had the backbone to stand up and fend for itself, it seems. Every grant, every edict, every protectionist scheme, and every refurbishing of Shaolin is the direct result of a regime that preys upon the Chinese populace.

    Whadya say? Anarcho-Shaolin-Capitalism?

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