Photo: 中国新闻社 / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on September 6, 1965, Shi Yongxin is from Yingshang County, People's Republic of China. Public records list Shi Yongxin as a Buddhist monk, politician and Shaolin monk. That works out to 60 years old in 2026.
My Take
Shi Yongxin leaves me genuinely conflicted, which is partly why he interests me so much. As abbot of the Shaolin Temple from 1999 to 2025, he dragged an ancient monastery into the global marketplace, building it into a brand and a spectacle, and that commercial instinct is undeniable. Yet the controversies trailing his personal life complicate any simple admiration. He embodies the uneasy seam between the sacred and the commercial, a figure who modernized a tradition while raising hard questions about what was lost. Whatever one's verdict, he is a rare and consequential character, and I think he deserves to be remembered as exactly that.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Shi Yongxin
- Name (Japanese)
- 釈永信
- Born
- September 6, 1965 (age 60)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Snake
- Origin
- Yingshang County, People's Republic of China
- Occupation
- Buddhist monk / politician / Shaolin monk / monk
2. Links
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi%20Yongxin
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%88%E6%B0%B8%E4%BF%A1
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q354544
3. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-23
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Shi Yongxin born?
Born September 6, 1965 (age 60).
Where is Shi Yongxin from?
Shi Yongxin is from Yingshang County, People's Republic of China.
What does Shi Yongxin do?
Shi Yongxin works as Buddhist monk, politician, Shaolin monk, monk.
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