Famous for its invincible monks Shaolin Monastery, it seems, is ready to indulge in all serious. The local authorities who manage the 1,500-year-old shrine intend to put some of the assets up for sale.
There is no talk of selling the monastery itself. Together with the state China Travel Service it is planned to create an enterprise in which tourism assets will be involved Shaolin. The shares will be listed in mainland China or Hong Kong - it is planned to raise up to 1 billion yuan ($146.4 million) of investment, - reports Associated Press citing anonymous sources.
Official comments from the Chinese authorities have not yet been received. Recall that in recent decades Shaolin and everything connected with it has become part of an extensive business. This has led to controversy between supporters of the non-commercial development of the monastery and those who intend to extract more funds from tourists.
For example, local abbot Shi Yongxin has been aggressively promoting monastery-related products and services since the 1990s, threatening legal action against companies that use the brand, and often acting as an executive producer on themed films.
In addition, he owned the idea of modernizing the sanitary facilities for the guests of the monastery and, which caused particular criticism, the installation of televisions on its territory.
The new joint venture, due to raise funds, will organize ticket sales, operate cinemas, hotels, tourist transportation, etc. - in the nearby city of Dengfeng and on the territory of the monastery itself.
