This past Monday, August 5, at midday at the Lama Temple in Beijing, a row of students knelt with their incense sticks raised to the sky. A young monk, seated against a wall, watched the scene while thumbing through prayer beads − that is, until two laughing young women approached, hoping for a selfie. Behind them stood an ochre-colored “Legal Logistics Office” – in reality, a shop selling religious objects, run by the monks. “We are the only channel for managing Buddhist supplies,” marked a sign at the start of a long line.
Other worshipers waited at the next counter to have their own meditation items blessed; a sign of “friendly advice” reminded visitors that “in accordance with Buddhist rituals, ID cards, driver’s licenses and entrance tickets do not require consecration.”
In Chinese Buddhist temples, the sacred and the commercial have become intertwined in a well-oiled operation, though sometimes, the latter has clearly taken precedence. This was the case at Shaolin Temple, founded in 495 CE and perched in the mountains of Henan. Blending Zen Buddhism with kung fu instruction, the monastery has, over the last 30 years, morphed into a global brand, lending its name to more than 700 companies – from sports shoes to toilet seat covers. It hosted numerous celebrities – from Vladimir Putin in 2006 to Victor Wembanyama in 2025 – and launched academies in the West, while also organizing an annual global kung fu tour and generating annual revenue of 1.2 billion yuan (€143 million).
You have 75.07% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
