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BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese Buddhist monk has been awarded a luxury sports car for his services to the local tourism industry, stirring up heated debate on the Internet.
Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin Temple in central Dengfeng, received the $125,000 car at a tourism promotion conference in the city at the beginning of last week, Xinhua news agency said.
"I will try my best to promote martial arts to the world in an attempt to boost local tourism," the abbot, in charge of the temple, the training ground for Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s "Kung Fu" television series, was quoted as saying.
"I dream of getting a bigger prize next year."
Following the award ceremony, tens of thousands of Chinese posted their opinions on Internet forums or surveys conducted by China's major Web portals.
"Shaolin monks are renowned for their austerity, transcriptions of religious classics and marvellous martial arts, but now, luxury goods have entered their lives, proving that the religious world has been violated by worldly concepts," an anonymous netizen wrote.
Xinhua said about three-quarters of the respondents to the polls considered giving a luxury car to a monk inappropriate.
Those who supported the gift said there was no conflict between driving and praying.
"There aren't any laws to stipulate that monks can't drive a car," said another post, adding that the temple did a lot for local tourism.
Shi announced last year the temple was entering the age of reality TV with a show of its own, "Chinese Kung Fu Star Search".
It was all part of efforts to promote the temple, which has inspired countless movies in China and Hong Kong but is best known in the West for "Grasshopper" Caine.
Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin Temple in central Dengfeng, received the $125,000 car at a tourism promotion conference in the city at the beginning of last week, Xinhua news agency said.
"I will try my best to promote martial arts to the world in an attempt to boost local tourism," the abbot, in charge of the temple, the training ground for Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s "Kung Fu" television series, was quoted as saying.
"I dream of getting a bigger prize next year."
Following the award ceremony, tens of thousands of Chinese posted their opinions on Internet forums or surveys conducted by China's major Web portals.
"Shaolin monks are renowned for their austerity, transcriptions of religious classics and marvellous martial arts, but now, luxury goods have entered their lives, proving that the religious world has been violated by worldly concepts," an anonymous netizen wrote.
Xinhua said about three-quarters of the respondents to the polls considered giving a luxury car to a monk inappropriate.
Those who supported the gift said there was no conflict between driving and praying.
"There aren't any laws to stipulate that monks can't drive a car," said another post, adding that the temple did a lot for local tourism.
Shi announced last year the temple was entering the age of reality TV with a show of its own, "Chinese Kung Fu Star Search".
It was all part of efforts to promote the temple, which has inspired countless movies in China and Hong Kong but is best known in the West for "Grasshopper" Caine.
Wax on, wax off.
Looks like a Volkswagen Taureg to me...
(Thanks to Uwe for pointing this out).
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