Chinese passengers arrested for fighting on plane
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
Shaolin abbot disrobed for 'extremely bad behaviour'
Shaolin abbot disrobed for 'extremely bad behaviour' Shi Yongxin is said to have 'seriously violated Buddhist precepts', including allegedly engaging in 'improper relationships' with women. File photo: Reuters The head of the Chinese temple known as the birthplace of kung fu will be disrobed for "extremely" bad behaviour, Beijing's top Buddhist authority said on Monday, after allegations of embezzlement saw him placed under investigation. The Shaolin Temple said on Sunday that Abbot Shi Yongxin, known as the "CEO monk" for establishing dozens of companies abroad, was suspected of "embezzling project funds and temple assets". It said Shi had "seriously violated Buddhist precepts", including by allegedly engaging in "improper relationships" with multiple women. "Multiple departments" are conducting a joint investigation, it said in a statement on WeChat. The Buddhist Association of China, overseen by the Communist Party, said on Monday it would cancel Shi's certificate of ordination. "Shi Yongxin's actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks," the association said in an online statement. Shi had previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with multiple women. China's government exercises authority over the appointment of religious leaders, and "improper" conduct is often grounds for removal from office. A hashtag related to the temple scandal had been viewed more than 560 million times on social media platform Weibo as of Monday morning. The last post to the abbot's personal account on Weibo declared: "when one's own nature is pure, the pure land is here in the present". Shi faced similar allegations in 2015 which the temple called "vicious libel". Shi, 59, took office as abbot in 1999 and in the following decades expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas. He helped the temple establish dozens of companies – but received backlash for commercialising Buddhism. The temple, established in AD 495, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu. Shi was first elected vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002 and has served as a representative to the National People's Congress. (AFP)
HKFP
3 hours ago
- HKFP
China's Shaolin Temple head removed over embezzlement claims
The head of the Chinese temple known as the birthplace of kung fu will be disrobed for 'extremely' bad behaviour, Beijing's top Buddhist authority said Monday, after allegations of embezzlement saw him placed under investigation. The Shaolin Temple said on Sunday that Abbot Shi Yongxin, known as the 'CEO monk' for establishing dozens of companies abroad, was suspected of 'embezzling project funds and temple assets'. The monastery said Shi had 'seriously violated Buddhist precepts', including by allegedly engaging in 'improper relationships' with multiple women. 'Multiple departments' were conducting a joint investigation, it said in a statement on WeChat. In response, the Buddhist Association of China, overseen by the ruling Communist Party, said Monday it would cancel Shi's certificate of ordination. 'Shi Yongxin's actions are of an extremely bad nature, seriously undermining the reputation of the Buddhist community, hurting the image of monks,' the association said in an online statement. The association 'firmly supports the decision to deal with Shi Yongxin in accordance with the law'. Shi had previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with multiple women. China's government exercises authority over the appointment of religious leaders, and 'improper' conduct is often grounds for removal from office. A hashtag related to the temple scandal had been viewed more than 560 million times on social media platform Weibo as of Monday morning. The last post to the abbot's personal account on Weibo declared: 'when one's own nature is pure, the pure land is here in the present'. Shi faced similar allegations in 2015 which the temple called 'vicious libel'. Shi, 59, took office as abbot in 1999 and in the following decades expanded Shaolin studies and cultural knowledge overseas. He helped the temple establish dozens of companies — but received backlash for commercialising Buddhism. The temple, established in AD 495, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu. Shi was first elected vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China in 2002 and has served as a representative to the National People's Congress, the country's top lawmaking body.
HKFP
2 days ago
- HKFP
Thousands of men shared non-consensual intimate photos on Telegram: Chinese media
Thousands of men allegedly shared intimate photos and videos of their girlfriends without consent on the Telegram messaging app, Chinese media reported, sparking widespread outcry against secret filming and calls to better protect women. Pornography in China is illegal, and conservative social attitudes towards women remain the norm, often reinforced by state media and popular culture. It comes after a Chinese university expelled a female student this month for 'damaging national dignity' over videos posted by a Ukrainian esports player on Telegram suggesting they had been intimate. The Chinese state-owned Southern Daily reported this week a woman had discovered that photos of her taken unknowingly had been shared in a Telegram forum with over 100,000 users, mostly Chinese men. Members of the forum also shared photos of their girlfriends, ex-girlfriends and wives, according to a commentary in the Guangming Daily, an outlet backed by China's ruling communist party. Revelations of the group have sparked widespread outcry online. 'We are not…'content' that can be randomly uploaded, viewed and fantasised about,' read one comment on Instagram-like Red Note. 'We can no longer remain silent. Because next could be me, or it could be you.' A related hashtag has been viewed more than 230 million times on social media platform Weibo since Thursday. The largest group, called 'Mask Park', has since been taken down, but smaller spinoffs remain active, according to women contacted by Southern Daily. Telegram encrypts its users' messages and is banned in China, but it is accessible using a virtual private network. AFP has contacted Telegram for comment. 'Nightmares for life' The incident has drawn comparisons to a case in South Korea dubbed 'Nth Room', in which a man blackmailed dozens of women into taking sexually explicit videos and sold them on Telegram. Chinese women have taken to social media to detail their own experiences being filmed and photographed by men in public. 'What criminals consider 'regular' for them may be nightmares that countless women can't escape for the rest of their lives,' one woman said, sharing an encounter on Douyin. Chinese police have cracked down on illegal filming, arresting hundreds of people in 2022 over clandestine surveillance activities. But women's rights are sensitive territory in China — over the last decade, authorities have suppressed almost every form of independent feminist activism. #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power' after she became a symbol of the country's stalled feminist movement. Chinese authorities have yet to publicly announce any action against the Telegram group. But the Guangming Daily commentary urged 'accountability' for the organisers of the Telegram group, and empathy for the people filmed. Improving law enforcement would 'enhance the overall sense of security, free women from the fear of being spied on and make privacy boundaries a truly untouchable red line', it said.
