In the early hours of the opening day of the Two Sessions this March, two massive fireballs streaked across the night sky in Beijing, falling from the sky and exploding mid-descent. (Image from the internet)
[People News] Shi Yongxin, a disgrace to Buddhism, rose to prominence due to his participation in the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. This earned him the favour of Jiang Zemin, and he became the abbot of the Shaolin Temple. Since September 2002, he has served as the Vice President of the Chinese Buddhist Association and has been elected as a National People’s Congress deputy for four consecutive terms. Recently, he has been at the centre of public controversy due to alleged criminal activities. Some commentators say he’s merely a pawn, but his power and wealth indicate otherwise—he may harbour ambitions of founding a state.
I. Analysis of Shi Yongxin’s Wealth
How much money does Shi Yongxin really have? This question may never be publicly answered. However, based on available data, he is immensely wealthy. Shi’s known income sources are as follows:
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Tourist Ticket Sales: Tickets range from 80 to 299 yuan. Using an average price of 150 yuan and 4 million visitors annually, that’s 150 × 4,000,000 = 600 million yuan/year.
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Martial Arts Education: The Shaolin Temple operates numerous martial arts schools such as the Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School, Songshan Shaolin Martial Arts Academy, Shaolin Warrior Monks Academy, and Shi Xiaolong Martial Arts School. As of 2011, there were 60,000 students. With an average annual tuition of 23,000 yuan, that amounts to 23,000 × 60,000 = 1.38 billion yuan/year.
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Temple Branches: Shi has expanded the Shaolin brand by establishing at least five temples in cities like Zhengzhou, Xuchang, Xingyang, and Sanmenxia. These bring in about 50 million to 100 million yuan/year.
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Shaolin IP (Intellectual Property): Generates about 100 million to 200 million yuan/year.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine: Brings in around 80 million yuan/year.
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Publishing, E-commerce, and Livestream Sales: Yields 25 million to 50 million yuan/year.
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Overseas Performances: Brings in about US$30 million annually, or approximately 215.4 million yuan/year at current exchange rates.
Total Annual Income: Between 2.45 billion and 2.625 billion yuan. Given that Shi has been abbot for 20 years, and assuming 80% of this public income flows into his personal coffers, he may have accumulated around 40 billion yuan—not including the revenue from 50 to 200 overseas Shaolin cultural exchange centres, nor the grey income earned through political dealings.
II. Analysis of Shi Yongxin’s Armed Forces
Over his 26-year tenure as abbot, with an estimated 60,000 martial arts students enrolled annually under a five-year program, there could be around 300,000 graduates. Where have they gone? According to an article from Dajiyuan titled "Li Yanming: The Investigation of Shi Yongxin Exposes Ties Between Shaolin Temple and the Military", these martial arts schools serve as training grounds for special forces troops—elite units responsible for critical operations in wartime.
Shaolin Temple maintains long-term cooperation with various military units, including: Several People’s Armed Police (PAP) regiments, such as the Second Mobile Corps, Hainan Division, and the Falcon Commando Unit; Army Special Forces such as those under the 72nd, 79th, and 83rd Group Armies; The Marine Corps, the 15th Airborne Corps (now the Airborne Corps), the Central Security Bureau, and Xinjiang anti-terror units. Admission brochures indicate: In 2017, 39 students joined special forces. In 2019, 712 students were recruited into the Army, Navy, Air Force, PAP, and foreign special forces.
Due to the Shaolin Temple’s special status, Shi’s backers have powerful political backgrounds. Reportedly, his main protectors include Jiang Zemin, Li Changchun, and Zhao Puchu.
In June and November 2010, Cao Gangchuan, a retired Politburo member, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defence, visited Shaolin Temple twice.
After Xi Jinping took power in late 2012 and launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, Guo Boxiong, to avoid prosecution, reportedly hid at Shaolin Temple in 2013 under the guise of “vacation.”
Shi Yongxin has not only established strong ties with the Chinese military, but his armed network is also expanding overseas.
Media personality Li Dayu alleged on his show that Shi Yongxin is a top overseas figure in the “610 Office” (an extralegal agency created to persecute Falun Gong), and that he is involved in overseas persecution operations. He further claims that the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 incident was linked to Shi. In 2014, Jiang Zemin allegedly orchestrated the MH370 tragedy to destroy evidence of Shaolin Temple’s role in persecuting Falun Gong abroad and to avoid fulfilling promises of vast wealth to Shi’s group.
III. Analysis of Shi Yongxin’s International Influence
Since 1990, Shi Yongxin has led Shaolin warrior monks on visits to over 40 countries, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, Australia, Brazil, and Russia.
Overseas roles held include: Head of overseas Shaolin Cultural Centres; Honorary Doctor at the United States Sports Academy; Planner of international kung fu competitions.
The most notable visits were made in 2024 and 2025, facilitated by the "Eurasia Centre".
From November 17 to 18, 2024, Shi Yongxin attended a series of high-level exchange events in Brussels organised by the Eurasia Centre. He participated under the title of “Vice President of the Chinese Buddhist Association and Senior Cultural Advisor to the Eurasia Centre.” During this trip, he met with Peter Steele, Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam, as well as representatives from the Japanese and Vietnamese embassies.
On February 1, 2025, Shi Yongxin visited the Vatican, where he met with Secretary General Yan Rui, Director of European Affairs Jonathan Schwisterka, and Pope Francis.
The Pope’s soft political power should not be underestimated. In the Middle Ages, Popes had the authority to appoint or depose monarchs. During the Cold War, the Vatican had a profound impact on political change in Eastern Europe. Pope John Paul II directly influenced Poland’s move toward democracy and freedom, and was a key trigger in the fall of the Soviet Union. The Pope has also acted as a mediator in disputes such as the U.S.–Cuba conflict and Argentina–Chile tensions, and even plays a role in UNESCO, the UNHCR, and ILO affairs.
Shi Yongxin’s Vatican visit was not only about expanding his international influence—it also subtly signalled his ambitions to become the top religious leader under the CCP regime.
IV. Possibility of Shi Yongxin Founding a Nation
According to the Montevideo Convention, four elements are required to establish a state: a defined territory; a Permanent population; A functioning government; and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
Shi Yongxin already possesses: A governing team. Armed forces. A loyal population of students and followers. Foreign diplomatic engagement. In essence, he already controls the embryonic structure of a nation. Given the mysterious and unstable state of the CCP, and with Shi firmly entrenched on Mount Song and operating global Shaolin Cultural Centres, he has the potential to launch an armed uprising.
V. From "One Belt, One Road" to "One Belt, One Nation"
Like Shi Yongxin, others who wield armed power and vast wealth overseas include scam zone bosses Xie Zhijiang and Guo Huaping. The international stage has become a lawless zone and money-making playground for individuals like them. While the Belt and Road Initiative has little connection to the average Chinese citizen, it has empowered figures like Shi to expand and consolidate power.
In August 2022, Xie Zhijiang was arrested in Thailand. He claimed that in 2016, he was recruited by someone with the codename “Ma Dongli” and assigned to carry out state security operations for the Belt and Road Initiative. Under this guise, he ran the “Shuigou Valley” scam zone in Myanmar. His earnings: 2.1 billion RMB in 2016; 210 million RMB in 2018; 2.1 billion RMB confiscated at the time of arrest.
In September 2024, Guo Huaping was arrested in the Philippines. Xie accused her of being a state security agent as well. Investigations revealed her connections to large-scale "pig-butchering" scam zones and POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) gambling businesses. Upon arrest, 7 billion RMB was seized.
Born in 1990, Guo entered the Philippines in 2003. By 2022, at the age of 32, she had become the Mayor of Bamban City in Tarlac Province. Backed by China’s state security apparatus, she rose from a rural girl in Fujian to a government official. In another 20 years, she could potentially control the political landscape of the Philippines.
In contrast, Shi Yongxin, with 40 billion RMB, 300,000 trained Shaolin disciples, and deep ties to the military and international religious circles, is clearly not content with merely serving as the CCP’s tool.
(First published by People News)
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