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The Shaolin Temple Opens Online Store
Techtree News Staff, Jun 25, 2008 1416 hrs ISTIf that's not exactly what you'd expect from someone the stature of the Shaolin, there's also the Kung Fu instruction manuals going for 9,999 yuan ($1,456) each.
Remember the "36th Chamber of Shaolin"; the star of umpteen such martial arts films, and importantly, the birthplace of Kung Fu -- China's Shaolin Temple -- has now set up an online store to flog its wares.
A Web page named "Shaolin The Stage of Joy" has been set up by a unit of the temple on the popular Chinese e-commerce Web site, www.taobao.com, and it flogs merchandise such as tea, T-shirts, shoes, and slippers. If that's not exactly what you'd expect from someone the stature of the Shaolin, there's also the Kung Fu instruction manuals going for 9,999 yuan ($1,456) each or the 'environmentally friendly' chopsticks selling for 29 yuan per pair -- waiting to be picked up.
That the Shaolin temple is foraying into a business venture can be compared somewhat to the famed Tirupati temple in India, which is known not only as the abode of Hinduism's richest God but also as an organization that has set a global example in sound business practices.
In any case, this isn't the Shaolin's first business venture; in the past, the temple has delved into Kung Fu shows, film production, and even a reality search for the next star of Kung Fu. The monastery's monks too are known to be quite jet-setting, traveling the world over, performing feats of agility and balance.
Meanwhile, Chinese Internet users seem unimpressed by the Shaolin's antics. One Internet user even said that the giant laughing Buddha in the temple would no longer be laughing if it saw what the temple is up to these days. Back in 2006 too, the temple had come under fire when a senior monk was awarded a luxury car for his services to the local tourism industry.
A Web page named "Shaolin The Stage of Joy" has been set up by a unit of the temple on the popular Chinese e-commerce Web site, www.taobao.com, and it flogs merchandise such as tea, T-shirts, shoes, and slippers. If that's not exactly what you'd expect from someone the stature of the Shaolin, there's also the Kung Fu instruction manuals going for 9,999 yuan ($1,456) each or the 'environmentally friendly' chopsticks selling for 29 yuan per pair -- waiting to be picked up.
That the Shaolin temple is foraying into a business venture can be compared somewhat to the famed Tirupati temple in India, which is known not only as the abode of Hinduism's richest God but also as an organization that has set a global example in sound business practices.
In any case, this isn't the Shaolin's first business venture; in the past, the temple has delved into Kung Fu shows, film production, and even a reality search for the next star of Kung Fu. The monastery's monks too are known to be quite jet-setting, traveling the world over, performing feats of agility and balance.
Meanwhile, Chinese Internet users seem unimpressed by the Shaolin's antics. One Internet user even said that the giant laughing Buddha in the temple would no longer be laughing if it saw what the temple is up to these days. Back in 2006 too, the temple had come under fire when a senior monk was awarded a luxury car for his services to the local tourism industry.
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Waseem
,Pune, on Jun 25, 2008 04:39 PM
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