I don’t know the exact figures, I am sure it is a lot. I see the bus loads of tourists that come here. Now that the Temple has subsidiary Temples elsewhere in China, I am sure a lot of that money goes to maintenance, upkeep, restoration, and food for the monks stationed at those Temples. You have been here LFJ, you know that cleanliness is just not something Chinese hold dear to themselves.
Well, last time I went there, the restroom for tourists was a whole heck of a lot nicer than what those orphans are provided with. 3 or 4 different kinds of toilets to choose from. Automatic everything; all-in-one water, handsoap, blow-dry. I have seen much worse than the orphanage, but the tourists are sure taken care of.
The last time I used a public toilet at Shaolin was the last time I used a public toilet at Shaolin. I have not been to the orphanage so I can’t speak to that, I am sure it is much nicer but it is still nasty. You should have seen the ones we had to use at Chen village, a trench in the ground separated by a wall for the ladies room. Pure nasty.
The one I’m talking about is a little building between the Pagoda Forest and the monastery. It was still newly built when I used it, and it was NICE!
[QUOTE=sha0lin1;1236763]You should have seen the ones we had to use at Chen village, a trench in the ground separated by a wall for the ladies room. Pure nasty.[/QUOTE]
Oh yeah, shooing the flies away while adding to the previous piles! I had a NDE in one of those. I had to straddle the trough because I had eaten something that was coming out both ends, meanwhile watching maggots swim around in the puddles of urine at my feet where people had missed. Holding that short of mabu when you’re puking in such an environment is difficult! The blood stops flowing in your legs and you get really weak. Luckily I didn’t fall over or have to touch a hand down. Pepto Bismol saved my life that night.
Another thread gone to the toilet
[QUOTE=LFJ;1236761]Automatic everything; all-in-one water, handsoap, blow-dry. [/QUOTE] That’s hard for me to imagine. Alas, it’s been way too long since I’ve been to Shaolin. I don’t know if I’d like the place as much now. Sure, the toilets were challenging, but I addressed that in my book. It’s all part of training. 
Chinese toilets - yeah, been there, done that. We actually have a thread here dedicated to Chinese toilets. We even have one dedicated specifically to Shaolin Toilets.
Speaking of which, that would be a good comparison. They spent 3 million yuan on the toilets for tourists. Do we know how much they put into the orphanage?
Ask local government official Zhang Zhongqiang
The rub lies in who you define as ‘they’. We often make generalities on Shaolin Temple as a unified body that has complete control over its profits, but the truth is that the Abbot is beholden to several others: the chicoms, the local government, the tourist board, the religious governing body and the sports bureau. Each gets their say and their cut. Where profits get allocated is a very intriguing question. With those Shaolin toilets, the lack of mention of the Abbot is very telling. The Abbot will get his name on any improvement even remotely related to Shaolin. Instead, we get a local government official, which implies either Dengfeng/Henan government, or more likely, the tourist board.
Outside shanmen (the temple walls) = Dengfeng or Henan responsibility.
Inside shanmen = Shaolin responsibility.
Which of the toilets inside shanmen are worth 3 Million Yuan? The ones west of Daxiongbaodian? The ones at Huangxidi-restaurant? Surely not! Are there any others open to the public?
The question, if toilets in or outside the temple-walls are better or worse than this or that here and there, does it help the orphans? The question of how rich the temple is, will it soon meet enough concrete numbers to be cleared?
In addition to the orphenage with 300 children the temple spends about 582 000 Yuan per year for the support of 1036 orphans in Henan (http://bodhi.takungpao.com/ptls/gongyi/2013-01/1411658_2.html). Sure, it would be better if it was more. Pointing at the Shaolin-temple and saying “You should!” doesn’t move anything, i think it makes sense to try other ways, like the “Guardians of the Universe” do with their book. Many books about Shaolin have been sold and the profit went just the usual ways. If this “side-effect” (30 to 50% !) of buying a book, that you might want to buy anyway for its interesting pictures , can move something, isn’t that good?.
The orphans once received some computers as donations, why not a healthy orphanage (a minimum standard of hygiene is very favourable for health). Of course, as Bogdan, the initiator of “Guardians of the Universe” said, it would be even better, if it would be possible to connect this project with education in environmental consciousness (??? sorry my English is so poor …), and not only the orphans might profit from that …
It can be a very interesting project, if it meets enough support. Any kind of support.
[QUOTE=breeze;1237083]Outside shanmen (the temple walls) = Dengfeng or Henan responsibility.
Inside shanmen = Shaolin responsibility.[/QUOTE]
That has not really been the case throughout history, and it’s even less differentiated nowadays, I’d say. If that were true, Shaolin would surely be in a much different state today.
[QUOTE=GeneChing;1236885]We often make generalities on Shaolin Temple as a unified body that has complete control over its profits, but the truth is that the Abbot is beholden to several others: the chicoms, the local government, the tourist board, the religious governing body and the sports bureau.[/QUOTE]
Chicoms? You mean the Abbot plays Call of Duty?? He better be using a mod so that the gun fires qi and dharma and not bullets :mad:
Really though, Gene..
That’s a lot of chopsticks in his rice bowl! If he wasn’t a monk… I’d expect him to go postal! :eek:
Being beholden to so many other organizations, especially in the PRC, I can only imagine that being a nightmare. I can only assume that there is much more pressure to comply with whatever the government wants, in this case (and I’m sure there’s a lot more government involvement here than there would be in a different country). 
[QUOTE=LFJ;1237099]That has not really been the case throughout history, and it’s even less differentiated nowadays, I’d say. If that were true, Shaolin would surely be in a much different state today.[/QUOTE]
No i don’t mean throughout history, but about the last 10 to 15 years. And concerning organisatorical and functional questions, not in regard to the political control that you find in at least all the big temples of China.
Shaolin chicoms
[QUOTE=Kymus;1237102]Chicoms? You mean the Abbot plays Call of Duty?? [/QUOTE] The term ‘Chicom’ predates Call of Duty
[QUOTE=GeneChing;1237425]The term ‘Chicom’ predates Call of Duty[/QUOTE]
I was being sarcastic, Gene. Way to make me look like a dummy :(:(:p;)
It’s all about making other forum members look like dummies.
Just what do you think we’re doing here exactly? If it’s too much, you can always tap out.
[QUOTE=GeneChing;1237429]Just what do you think we’re doing here exactly? If it’s too much, you can always tap out.
;)[/QUOTE]
lmao, Gene. I’m gonna remember that! 
In a previous post i have given a wrong number. According to the article linked in the same post, Shaolin orphenage in its 8-9 years of existence has raised alltogether 300 orphans, by now it should be about 50 orphans.
Some days ago Shaolin-temple was again active in a social way: http://www.shaolin.org.cn/templates/T_newS_list/index.aspx?nodeid=23&page=ContentPage&contentid=10076. Looks strange with people carrying those big signs naming the amount of the donated money and that the people seem to get the money straight into their hand, no “hongbao”.