Why did Xi meet PLA generals?

My article Why did Xi meet PLA generals? appeared in Rediff.com

Here is the link...

Important for India was Xi's meeting with representatives of PLA officers and soldiers stationed in Tibet.
The video of the encounter was interesting to watch, especially the large number of lieutenant generals and major generals, observes Claude Arpi.

On June 22 and 23, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) visited Lhasa after a gap of ten years. A day before, the Chinese president went to Nyingchi City (previously called Prefecture), near the Indian border of Arunachal Pradesh.
The China Daily reported: “he was warmly welcomed by local people and officials of various ethnic groups. …He then visited the Nyang River Bridge, to inspect the ecological preservation in the basin of the Yarlung Tsangpo River [Brahmaputra] and its tributary Nyang River.”
This is an important part of the two-day visit (June 21 to 23) as far as India is concerned.
For China, it has to be seen in the context of the CPC’s 100th anniversary and the 70 anniversary of the so-called Liberation of Tibet (read ‘invasion’). The ‘Op Bakhor’, as we shall see, was certainly part of the ‘celebrations’, even if fully stage-managed.
Later The People’s Daily stated the objectives of the visit: “to implement the party's strategy for governing Tibet in the new era and write a new chapter in long-term stability and high-quality development of the snow-covered plateau.” This refers to the 7th Work Forum held in August 2020 which defined the development policies for Tibet for the five next years, particularly the sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism.

Visit of Comrade Hu Yaobang to Tibet
When I heard about Xi’s tour of Tibet, the ‘best’ visit of a Secretary General in Tibet immediately comes to mind.
From May 22 to May 31, 1980; Hu Yaobang went on an in-depth and honest inspection tour of Central Tibet. A Chinese report later explained: “it can be said that this event marked the beginning of a new era for the CPC’s Tibet policy. In the ten years that followed that visit history marched on with its strong steps, leaving behind impressive footprints: amongst them, indisputably, the open door, a revitalised economy, changes in the social structure and an improvement in people's lives.”
Unfortunately, it did not to last.
Wan Li, member of the Central Committee and Vice-Premier of the State Council, thus described Hu’s tour: “The choice of date pointed out that the Central Government was willing to settle matters through consultation with the local people. …it aimed to show the Central Government's wish to restore the harmonious atmosphere of cooperation which had prevailed in the early 1950s.”
On May 29, Hu Yaobang made a ‘passionate’ political speech at a gathering of 5,000 cadres in Lhasa; the slogan put forward in the speech was 'Strive to build a united, prosperous and civilised new Tibet.”
In the speech Hu listed six tasks facing Tibet, the first point was that Tibet should “exercise nationality autonomy in the region fully - that is to say, to let Tibetans really be the masters of their own lives.”
Unfortunately, this would never be followed, as the hard-liners soon prevailed.
Post-Tiananmen massacre, Jiang Zemin became the General Secretary and towards the end of July 1990, Jiang, accompanied by the PLA Chief of General Staff, Gen Chi Haotian, paid the ‘highest-level visit to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in a decade’ (incidentally, Gen Chi was responsible for the repression on the Tiananmen Square in June 1989).
They promised new economic incentives for Tibetans and urged continued vigilance against pro-independence activities. However, Jiang Zemin did not echo Hu Yaobang’s views in 1990: “It is necessary to strengthen education in patriotism and socialism in the light of conditions in China and Tibet, so as to make the students know from childhood that Tibet is an inalienable sacred part of the big family of the motherland, and that there will be no socialist new Tibet if there is no CCP.”
It appears that during Jiang Zemin's visit to Tibet, a close relationship was established between the general secretary and his future protégé, Hu Jintao.
From the end of the 1980s, Hu Jintao, the future General Secretary has been serving as Party boss in Lhasa, though he did not like Tibet at all.
There was a well known anecdote about Hu amongst Tibetan cadres: 'Where is Hu?' The answer was: 'Hu is in Beijing Hospital.' ‘Why?’ Because, Hu would report sick each time he had to go to Lhasa!
When he became General Secretary, Hu never visited Tibet.
Xi Jinping, who succeeded Hu (Junior) in 2012, had visited Tibet as Vice-President in 2011; the present tour was therefore his first in Central Tibet in nearly a decade.
However less than two months ago, the Chinese President went to Gangcha County in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. The area is mainly inhabited by Tibetans and Mongols.
According to Xinhua: “Xi was briefed about the environmental protection efforts in the Qilian Mountains and Qinghai (Kokonor) Lake. At the lake, he inspected achievements made in comprehensively addressing environmental problems and protecting biodiversity.”
Later, Xi visited a Tibetan settlement in Shaliuhe Township “to learn about the lives of local Tibetan residents.” It was mainly a promotion tour for him; one could even hear Xi saying ‘Tashi Delek’ (‘namaste’ in Tibetan).

The Visit in Central Tibet
The present visit is therefore the second tour of Tibetan-inhabited area in the last two months. I list below some important implications of the Lhasa-Nyingchi visit:

1. It comes at the end of July when routinely a member of the all-powerful Standing Committee of the politburo pays a visit to Tibet. The purpose of the ‘inspection tour’ is mainly to report to the informal conclave held yearly in Beidaihe, the sea resort where the top leadership (past and present) of the Communist Party meets and discusses threadbare the issues facing the Middle Kingdom.
   Usually, Wang Yang, the no 4 in the Communist hierarchy (in charge of ‘minorities’) goes to the Tibetan plateau. This year the New Great Helmsman himself went; this shows the importance that the Party attaches to Tibet …and the border with India.
2. Though the visit was kept a State secret, videos started circulating on social media on July 22 in the evening. They had been shot during Xi’s tour of the Bakhor (the ‘shopping’ parikrama around the Jokhang Cathedral in Central Lhasa). The General Secretary was seen coming out of a shop and then walking between two ranges of people. Several hundred people must have been there, giving a tough time to the security personnel. Though it was certainly stage-managed and well-orchestrated to show the popularity of the Core Leader, the videos are quite impressive.
   We had to wait one more day to get the gist of the rest of the visit (which had taken place earlier), but the purpose to leak the videos of the visit which was still ‘secret’ was undoubtedly to show that the situation in Tibet is well under control. It was an indirect response to the Western attacks on China about Human Rights’ violations, particularly in Xinjiang and Tibet.
   The fact that no accident took place (the participants must have been carefully selected and screened before the event), added a feather to the Emperor’s cap (at least as far as the Party is concerned, certainly not for the Tibetans).
3. It has to be noted that the Jokhang Cathedral was a few meters away. Xi Jinping did not go there; he probably wanted to re-state that Communist China is atheist (though later Xi visited Drepung monastery). The Jokhang Cathedral is too much historically linked with Independent Tibet (particular a stone stele which records the Treaty of 821 AD, between Tibet and China).
   The Treaty says: “Between the two countries [Tibet and China] no smoke, nor dust shall be seen. There shall be no sudden alarms and the very word 'enemy' shall not be spoken. Even the frontier guards shall have no anxiety, nor fear and shall enjoy land and bed at their ease. All shall live in peace and share the blessing of happiness for ten thousand years. …This solemn agreement has established a great epoch when Tibetans shall be happy in the land of Tibet, and Chinese in the land of China.”
4. During the visit to the Bakhor, Xi was accompanied by Wu Yingjie, the Party Secretary of Tibet and Che Dralha, the No 3 and Governor. Lobsang Gyaltse, the senior most Tibetan was missing-in-action. Liu He, Xi’s faithful lieutenant (and member of the Politburo) was there, with Gen Zhang Youxia, one of the two vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC), Yang Xiaodu, a regular of Xi’s visits also in attendance (both are members of the Politburo) and a couple of other politburo members.
5. According to a report issued by Xinhua, Xi arrived July 21 morning at Linzhi (Nyingchi) airport. He drove to the Niyang River Bridge to learn about the ecological environment protection; the Nyang is a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo, which becomes the Siang in Arunachal and later the Brahmaputra. Xi wanted to learn about the river basins: “In the afternoon of the 21st, Xi Jinping came to Nyingchi City Planning Museum, Gagla (or Gala) Village and visited Gongpo Park in Bayi District, to inspect urban development planning, rural revitalization, urban park construction and other work.”
6. ‘Other work’ certainly refers to ‘Bayi’ which means ‘8-1 or August 1’ a term usually reserved to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) which was founded on August 1. Bayi is the Headquarter of the forces facing India in Arunachal Pradesh. The presence of Gen Zhang Youxia was possibly necessary at this stage, though no details have filtrated. Xi later met the PLA top brass in Lhasa.
   The Xinhua report continues: “On the morning of the 22nd, Xi Jinping came to Nyingchi Railway Station to learn about the overall planning of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the construction and operation of the Lhasa-Nyingchi section, and then Xi had a ride in the train to Lhasa; he is said to have inspected the construction along the Lalin (Lhasa-Linzhi) Railway.
7. Weibo resumed the visit in short sentences: “Xi Jinping went to Tibet for investigation, this is the first time since taking office. Xi Jinping communicated with local officials. Xi Jinping inspected Tibet. Xi Jinping interacted with the people in Tibet. Xi Jinping went to Tibet for investigation, this is the first time since taking office. Xi Jinping went to Tibet for research.”
8. A worrying aspect of Xi Jinping’s tour was the visit to Nyingchi. On November 30, 2020, The Global Times had announced China's plan to build a large hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo; the Communist tabloid admitted that it could raise concerns in India “over potential political and ecological threats as the river passes through Southwest China, India and Bangladesh. [But] Chinese experts refuted the claim that Chinese hydropower project have political aims, and said the project could help alleviate power shortage problem in northern India and boost regional economy." It is obviously a non-sense. Did the President come to give his green light to the project?
   It is difficult to answer. A series of hydropower plants (thrice the capacity of the Three-Gorges Dam) could be catastrophic for India.
9. Also important for India was Xi Jinping’s meeting with the representatives of the officers and soldiers of the PLA stationed in Tibet. According to Xinhua: “Xi Jinping extended sincere greetings to all commanders and fighters of the troops stationed in Tibet and fully affirmed the outstanding contributions made by the troops stationed in Tibet.”
   In a speech Xi stated: “Over the past 70 years, the troops of Tibet Military District have resolutely implemented the decision-making and deployment instructions of the CMC. They have successfully completed a series of heavy tasks in the snowy plateau and have withstood the test of the arduous environment and the complexity of the country, towards maintaining national security, towards unifying and promoting and development of Tibet, have made outstanding contributions to the stability and development of the People's Republic of China. Thank you all!”
   Apart from the usual jargon, the video of the encounter was interesting to watch, especially the large number of lieutenant and major generals associated with Tibet; the presence of the CMC’s Vice-Chairman has already been mentioned.
10. Lastly, someone was missing.
    Gyaltsen Norbu, the Panchen Lama selected by Beijing (and rejected by Dharamsala) was not to be seen, though he is the Chairman of the Buddhist Association of Tibet and a member of China’s top political advisory body, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Where was he? It appears that he was preaching in Gansu province. Why was he not invited? Why did he not take the Chinese President to Drepung or other religious places in Lhasa? It appears that he may not be in the good papers of the Beijing leadership. It is worth watching. 

It was certainly an important visit, and the policies/decisions taken in August during the 7th Work Forum will be implemented with more vigor after Xi’s visit. It does not augur well for the Tibetans …and India.

Some photos of the visit...

China's Secret Story

My article China's Secret Story appeared in Mail Today and DailyO

Every year during the first week of June, the thoughts of millions turn towards China and more particularly the Tiananmen Square, where 29 years ago thousands of young students lost their lives …while China lost a chance to become a ‘normal’ State.
Today the Middle Kingdom, under an ‘Emperor for life’, has become so powerful that very few dare to officially talk about ‘human rights’ and even less about the massacre of youngsters dreaming of freedom and democracy.
A publication dealing with China, Global Voice recently explained: “At the time, the Chinese Red Cross estimated that 2,700 civilians were killed, but other sources point to a much higher toll. A confidential US government document, revealed in 2014, reported that a Chinese internal assessment estimated that 10,454 civilians had died. Recently, a different report written by the then-British ambassador to China was declassified; it quotes a source from China's State Council who said that the minimum estimation of civilians killed is 10,000.”
What is amazing is that we still know very little about what really happened during those fateful weeks of 1989. Nearly 30 years later, the Chinese State pretends to have no knowledge of the events which changed the face of China which took a radical turn towards authoritarism.

Right to Kill
Even less known is the fact that a ‘rehearsal’ took place in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital three months earlier.
More than a year after the events, The Observer in London mentioned the massacre on the Bakhor, the circumambulation road around the Jokhang Cathedral in Lhasa: “On 5 March [1989], the People's Armed Police [PAP] had been given the right to kill. China's paramilitary force was marching into the centre of Tibet's capital, Lhasa, to begin a massacre that continued for days, leaving more than 450 monks, nuns and civilians dead.”
Tang Daxian, then a Chinese reporter working for a Mainland organization, told the British paper: “They knew the Tibetans were not armed and they knew they were free to kill them;” Tang had in his possession secret reports, proving that a massacre took place in Lhasa
According to Tang, the tragic events were provoked by members of the PAP dressed as Tibetans: “The disguised police - whose purpose is to crush civil disorder - attacked and burned shops, offices, and stores, providing the authorities with the excuse.” ‘Hooligans’ had threatened the civil order; martial law would subsequently be declared. At that time, a young cadre had recently taken over as Tibet's Communist Party Secretary; his name was Hu Jintao. The carnage would greatly benefit his career.
Qiao Shi, then China's security boss and one of the five-member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, had in 1988 warned Tibetan dissidents of ‘merciless repression’.
It was probably the death of the Panchen Lama under mysterious circumstances in his Tashilhunpo monastery in January which triggered the March events: “the atmosphere in Tibet had become extremely tense; with disturbance throughout the region,” observed Tang.
The events leading to the massacre began early on February 7, when “the people of Lhasa woke up to see fluttering above the Jokhang the flag of the snow lions and the snow mountains, the forbidden symbol of Tibetan nationalism.”
Apparently, this act of defiance was brought to the attention of supreme leader Deng Xiaoping, the Party boss Zhao Ziyang and other leaders in Beijing; the same persons would play the leading roles three months later in Beijing.

Temple Siege
During the next two days, the PAP occupied the Jokhang temple, where the flag had already disappeared; 20 monks were arrested.
The situation worsened on March 2 when a crowd began to circumambulate the Jokhang, chanting slogans, ‘Dalai Lama back to Tibet’ or ‘Power back to the Tibetans’; the number of the protesters rapidly increased. Soon, a scuffle broke out between the crowd and 200 plainclothes police; but it ended up without violence.
Tang’s documents said that from dawn on March 3 to midnight the next day, party cadres and military leaders discussed the deteriorating situation. For many, the worsening was due to the PPA’s ‘lack of discipline’ while no officials “had heeded to the complaints of the people.”
The PAP sat quietly throughout the meeting; it had received instructions from Qiao Shi to “avoid discussions and debate over details...your function in Tibet cannot be performed by others.”
On March 5 in the morning, the PAP commander, General Li Lianxiu ordered to create the excuse: "The Special Task force should immediately produce 300 people dressed as ordinary citizens and monks. They are to co-operate with the plainclothes police to complete the task of creating a provocative atmosphere along the Bakhor.”
The orders were to be “kept secret from other co-operating units involved. Anyone violating these orders is to be severely punished.”

Grisly Episode
On March 6, with most of the foreigners parked in the Holiday Inn and with no witness around, the PAP struck: “The trap was sprung. Police appeared on the roofs overlooking the narrow Xuanjing alley with automatic weapons and blazed away. Within 10 minutes, 300 people had been shot," said Tang. During the next hours 450 people were killed and more than 3,000 arrested.
The next evening, Hu Jintao proclaimed that “the Armed Police, following the instructions of the Central Committee had maintained the unity of the motherland.” Hu warned that the majority of Tibetans who had joined the disturbance...must be made to feel guilt and promise they would never do so again. As a result of his strong action, Hu Jintao would soon be promoted to the Politburo.
One can only hope that Beijing will one day have to explain the Tiananmen and Bakhor episodes. It would be good for China too, if it wants exorcise its past.

Chinese tourists in Tibet ...and elsewhere

The official figures of Chinese tourists who visited Lhasa are out.
Tourism authorities in Tibet announced that the Tibet Autonomous Region witnessed a record numbers of tourists in 2013: 12.91 million Chinese tourists visited the Land of Snows.
Wang Songping, an official of the Regional Tourism Bureau told Xinhua that the total number of tourists who visited the region increased by 22 % compared to the previous year.
Even the number of overseas tourists increased by 14.5 % to reach 223,000  in 2013. Wang did not say from where these 'foreign' tourists came from.
Tourism in Tibet is a great business for China. Tibet's revenues from tourism have increased by 30.6 % compared to 2012. It reached 2.72 billion U.S. dollars. That is a lot money. The Chinese authorities in Tibet seem to have found the solution to solve the 'Tibet issue' once and for all.
Mr. Wang attributed the big rise "to nationwide promotional efforts, improved transportation access and an increasing number of individual trips."
It is true that that Tibet looks good (in the promotions); certainly better than foggy Beijing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main attractions, according to Wang are Tibetan Buddhism heritage sites, such as the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Catherdral or the Tashilhunpo monastery in Shigatse.
The Chinese press agency quotes one Ablikim, a dried fruit vendor from the Xinjiang saying that he has done sightseeing in Lhasa while doing business. Two birds with one stone: Ablikim explained that he walked along the [controversial] 'newly-renovated' Bakhor Street around the Jokhang Temple.
The article praises the reconstruction (without mentioning the destruction) of the heritage Bakhor area: "Vendors of various ethnic groups used to crowd the street, blocking the way to the temple. More than 3,000 stalls were relocated by November 2013 to the Bakhor Commercial Building, making the temple more accessible by tourists."
The Bakhor Commercial Building is a huge looking kitschy mall.

Interestingly, it seems than 330,000 Tibetans (11 % of the population of Lhasa), work in the tourism industry.
In a few years time, the majority of the Tibetan population will be either tourist guides, waiters or doorkeepers.
In the meantime, the regional tourism bureau expects to receive 15 million tourists in 2015.
The waves of Chinese tourists are not restricted to Tibet, Macau and Hong Kong are witnessing the same phenomena.
The South China Morning Post today writes; "A sense of frustration prevailed among Macau residents over the Lunar New Year as hundreds of thousands of mainland tourists swamped the city."
Can you believe it, according to the Hong Kong newspaper: "About 2.7 million people, mostly mainlanders and a smaller portion of Macanese, are expected to have crossed in and out of Macau at the main Gongbei Port checkpoint at Zhuhai by the end of the week-long holiday - more than five times the SAR's population of just over 550,000."
On Sunday alone, some 200,000 mainlanders crossed the border into Macau.
People; those who had tickets for the 11 am Hong Kong to Macau Turbojet ferry had to wait till 2 pm to cross over: "In Macau it was worse, with tickets sold at 11 am for ferries after 11 pm", says the report.
Every passing year, the situation is said to be getting worse.

The Shaolinification of Tibet

Yesterday, I wrote about the “Measures to Determine Qualification and Employment of Religious Instructors in Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries”, published in December 2012 by the Chinese government.
One of the reasons why Beijing has promulgated these 'Regulations' is because the Communist regime plans to make of the Tibetan Autonomus Region a mega tourist park.
A recent report from Radio Free Asia speaks the ‘Disneyfication’ of Lhasa.
It mentions the 'rebuilding' of the Bakhor in Central Lhasa: 

Meanwhile, despite similar online campaigns by overseas rights groups against the U.S.$244 million renovation of Lhasa’s Barkhor district, the U.S.$2.44 million renovation project has been completed, China’s state media reported Monday.
More than 100,000 people had signed a petition by New York-based Students for a Free Tibet calling for a halt to the renovation, and a blog post by Beijing-based Tibetan writer Woeser titled “Please Save Lhasa” went viral on China’s microblogs before being removed. 
“Lhasa is being destroyed by excessive commercial development,” Woeser said in the May post, which reported that plans for the city also include the development of a 150,000 square meter (1.6 million square feet) shopping mall in the Barkhor, with residents and shopkeepers being relocated.
Last month more than 100 Tibet experts sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping and UNESCO saying renovation and new projects in the city were destroying traditional architecture and transforming the Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor into a “superficial tourist spot.”
State media have said the Barkhor renovation project is aimed at modernizing outdated infrastructure by upgrading the sewage system, water supply, and electric lines.
UNESCO has included the Jokhang Temple—considered the most important temple in Tibet—as well as other parts of Lhasa including the Potala Palace—home of Tibetan exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama—on its list of World Heritage Sites.
The temple has been a symbolic center of Tibetan protests against Chinese rule in Tibet and the Barkhor was a center of Tibetan unrest in 2008 that left at least a dozen people dead.

The story of Shaolin Temple is telling. Ticket sales alone brings US $ 24.4 million a year in the coffers (the dispute mentioned below is about which coffer should the god-send hard cash benefit).
Party's officials lecture the monks "What's the use of so much money for you monks that should do no more than reciting your sutras?"
The monks would obviously like to have the major piece of the cake as they are the ones who are photographed by the tourists.
Rumors say that the temple was going to be listed on the stock market.
Tibet is witnessing a 'shaolinification' on a much larger scale. 
China Tibet Online reported yesterday that the Tibet Autonomous Region witnessed a new tourist boom in the first half of 2013, 'before the approaching peak season'.
According to the statistics provide by the Tibet Tourism Bureau, tourist arrivals reached a record high of 3.43 million bringing some US $ 500 millions in revenues. Can you imagine, and this during the lean season?
In the first half of 2013, the number of tourists visiting the region increases 21.8 % compared to last year and the revenue showed a 32.1 % growth.
Xinhua explains: "In recent years, Tibet tourists increased year by year thanks to improved transportation and tourism infrastructure. To attract more tourists to Tibet and ensure their health and safety, the regional government has launched its first 'altitude sickness insurance' against Tibet’s special geographic environment."
More than 15 millions Chinese tourists are expected in Tibet by 2015, and this for a local population of hardly 3 millions.
Here again, China is 'far in advance' on India and Uttarakhand in particular. But it would perhaps be wise for the Chinese leadership to study what has recently happened in the Indian Himalayas.

Another issue is the attitude of the Chinese tourists who are said to be very rude. South China Morning Post carried an article on how Chinese tourists are misbehaving. It remained for weeks on the top of the most read features. 
In the meanwhile, France, one of the world's major tourist destinations for Chinese tourists, has issued advisory information on how to deal with Chinese tourists: "A simple smile and a greeting in their language satisfies them completely," the guide issued by the Regional Tourism Council of the Paris Chamber of Commerce says. 
Just say 'Rouanne ing gouang linne' to the Chinese visitors, they will melt.
The notes explains the habits of the one million Chinese visiting Paris every year: "They are avid shoppers of luxury brands. They are picky about food and wine. They appreciate ingenious shopping suggestions".
'Do You Speak Touriste?', the guide (for 10 different nationalities) in helps particular the poor Parisian hoteliers and taxi drivers to deal with the Chinese tourists.
Of course, this problem does not occur in Tibet where the local population has no choice by to speak Chinese.

Hidden cameras found in abbot's bedroom
Shanghai Daily, July 15, 2013
Surveillance cameras have been found in the abbot's room at Shaolin Temple, with one pointed at the abbot's bed.
An employee told yesterday's Economic Observer they were discovered during renovation work.
It's not known who installed the cameras but the employee believed there could be a link with disputes over the temple's growing popularity as a tourist attraction.
The temple in Dengfeng City in central China's Henan Province is renowned as the birthplace of kung fu.
Whenever there are disputes between the temple and other parties, rumors fly, the report said.
In 2011, it was said that Abbot Shi Yongxin had a mistress who was a student at Peking University and that he had US$3 billion deposited overseas. The mistress and an illegitimate son were said to be living in Germany.
A temple spokesman said later the rumor was not worth responding to.
It had spread after a city government bid to demolish a temple courtyard to build a hotel was foiled shortly before demolition started.
The lion's share of profits evolving from Shaolin Temple go to the local government, the report said.

Monks protested
Ticket sales alone amount to about 150 million yuan (US$24.4 million) a year, with the government taking 70 percent.
Sometimes the government delayed giving the temple its share, and Shaolin monks protested about that at the government offices. However, the temple was accused of being "too commercialized." Officials were reported to have said: "What's the use of so much money for you monks that should do no more than reciting your sutras?"
There was also a rumor that the temple was going to list on the stock market, something Shi has denied many times.
Shi is also said to have displeased the city government by taking center stage in group photographs with important visitors. Upset officials are said to have complained that Shi "didn't have the sense of ceremonial rules."
When gifts were presented to visiting officials, Shi waited for them to come forward. But some officials believe Shi should come forward to present the gifts in a respectful way, the report said.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the temple in March 2006, a provincial government official tried to put his seat at the same level with Shi, who was receiving Putin, but was stopped by one of Putin's bodyguards.
There are many people keen to cash in on the fame of the temple, the report said. Some companies registered trademarks including the word "Shaolin," for example, and various competitions such as a "Kung Fu Star" contest and a beauty contest were held near the temple. Kung fu training schools named after the temple were also being established.
The report said there had been many disputes since the Dengfeng government got together with China National Travel Service (HK) three years ago to develop the temple into a tourist destination.
To attract more investment, the local government gave up its controlling stake in the scenic area of the temple to the travel service at a low price. In return, the travel service was to invest in construction projects while expanding tourism.
However, over the past three years it had made huge profits from the temple's tourism industry but hadn't invested in any projects, the report said.