Chinese Shaolin Temple goes global

A monk rehearses for the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival in Moscow's Red Square, Aug 29, 2013. [Photo/IC]

"As a lawmaker, I would rather have my proposals heard than be treated like a celebrity," he said.

Shi, 50, abbot of Shaolin Temple, China's most famous Buddhist monastery, is also a deputy to the National People's Congress.

Unlike other monks, who have always led a reclusive life, Shi has kept a high profile since he became abbot of Shaolin Temple in 1999, and he has often courted controversy. He has been criticized for attending a TV show hosted by a female anchor, using an iPhone, and for the temple's commercialization.

"If a monk often appears on the entertainment page of newspapers, he is not a monk, but just a bald man," a netizen said in a micro blog posted on March 11. The post received 2,600 likes within three days.