A martial arts student performs during a kung fu competition, part of the Shaolin Temple Cultural Festival in Los Angeles in 2013. [Photo/IC]

Shi was also in the spotlight in February after foreign media disclosed plans by Shaolin Temple to spend $326 million building a cultural center, featuring a luxury hotel, in Australia.

The investment plan met with fierce criticism from some netizens, and many people said the Shaolin culture had been overly commercialized by the abbot's string of business activities.

"Even though setting up a Shaolin Temple branch abroad is good for cultural exchanges, there is no need to establish a luxury hotel," a netizen commented on China Daily's website. "We seldom hear about Shaolin's contribution in poverty reduction or disaster alleviation."