Former Child Star Shi Xiao Long Was Once Rumoured To Be Illegitimate Son Of Disgraced Head Of Shaolin Temple

Last weekend, news that Shi Yongxin, the abbot of China’s Shaolin Temple, is being investigated for criminal offences including embezzlement and sexual misconduct shocked the Buddhist world.

The temple, known as the birthplace of kungfu, said Shi, 60, was suspected of “embezzling project funds and temple assets”.

He’s also alleged to have had improper relationships with multiple women over the years and fathering 21 illegitimate children.

The Buddhist Association of China said Shi has been stripped of his ordination certificate.

Shi, one of China’s most well-known monks, joined the Shaolin Temple in 1981 and became the head in 1999.

Under his leadership, the Shaolin Temple expanded into a commercial empire spanning culture, tourism, film, and F&B, earning him the nickname “CEO monk”.

Amid the current controversy, public attention has turned to his famous disciple, Chinese actor and former child star Shi Xiao Long, as curious netizens dug more into their relationship.

There were once rumours that Xiao Long, 37, was Shi’s illegitimate son, but these claims were later debunked.

Xiao Long, whose real name is Ashton Chen Xiaolong, joined the Shaolin Temple at the age of two and became Shi’s disciple.

His father, Chen Tongshan, shared a close friendship with Shi. Under both his father and Shi’s tutelage, Xiao Long trained from a young age in traditional Shaolin martial arts.

He later entered the entertainment industry, signing with Taiwan’s Chang Hong Channel Film & Video Co and went on to star in a string of box office successes, including kungfu comedies Shaolin Popeye, Shaolin Popey II: Messy Temple, Chinese Dragon, and Dragon In Shaolin, often alongside fellow child actor Hao Shao Wen.

Xiao Long once posted a photo on Weibo featuring his father, Shi, and his godfather, film producer Wu Dun.

In the caption, he wrote: “Three people I’m deeply grateful to — my father who taught me how to be a good person and taught me martial arts, my master who brought me to the stage, and my godfather Wu Dun who brought me into the entertainment world. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me.”