Lurid allegations against the head of China's Shaolin temple - renowned as the birthplace of kung fu - must be investigated by the government, state media said on Monday, after former monks accused him of philandering and corruption. The abbot, Shi Yongxin, has long been known as the "CEO monk" for transforming the ancient Buddhist temple into a global commercial enterprise.

Former monks have accused Shi of living a luxurious lifestyle complete with a fleet of fancy cars, embezzling money from a temple-run company and fathering children with two women. "A nail sticking up gets hammered, as the saying goes, and what this monk has done has been controversial from the very beginning," the government-published China Daily said in an editorial. Shi has been a controversial figure for more than two decades after he began developing commercial activities affiliated to the temple, but the mounting pressure may indicate he can no longer fend off critics. "An investigation by the relevant central authorities is necessary," the paper added. "How the revenue from the temple's commercial activities has been spent needs to be made public."