China's high-profile Shaolin Temple has been making efforts at expansion means of opening branches, setting up sub-monasteries and the trusteeship, reports nandu.com Wednesday.

The undated photo shows a monk walks in the Zishou Temple in Lingshi county, Northwest China's Shanxi province [File Photo: nandu.com]

The temple's latest move was enlisting Zishou Temple in Lingshi county, northwest China's Shanxi province, as its sub-monastery after signing a document with the local government in August, 2014. During the trusteeship of 30 years, the Shaolin Temple will invest 2000 million yuan (about 320 million USD) to build Zishou Temple Culture and Industrial Park in three to five years.

There are many well-preserved wall paintings dating back to the Yuan Dynasty and colored sculptures from Ming Dynasty in Zishou Temple, but visitors are rare. The temple's revenue of tickets and donation in the first half of 2014 was 27, 000 yuan (or about 4,300 USD).

With the reputation of Shaolin Temple and influence of Abbot Shi Yongxin, more people and religious believers know about the Zishou Temple, said Pei Chunsheng, head of local religious affairs bureau.

The Shaolin temple has also been provided a trusteeship of 30 years over four ancient temples in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan province since November 2008. During that period, the four temples were called 'Kunming Shaolin Temple'.

The Shaolin Temple has opened branches in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The 1,500-year-old Shaolin temple is arguably China's most famous and controversial Buddhist temple due to its active commercial and cultural activities, like kung fu shows. It is also among the first religious institutions in China to go digital. It built its first website in 1996, and has huge followings on Chinese social networks such as Weibo and WeChat.

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