Monk-ey business
By Globaltimes.cn, Published: 2015-04-29 15:16:13
Two monks from Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, go online with a computer on December 22, 2009. Nowadays many monks own cell phones, computers and other electronic gadgets. Photo: CFP
Editor's Note:
Over the last half-century technology has become an integral part of many people's lives – and for Buddhist monks things are no different. While many people's perception of monks is that they live apart from society in more traditional environments, some are now revealing a more modern side of their lives.
The Guangxuan Art Troupe of the Tiantai Temple in Hong’an county, Hubei Province, performs on March 23, 2013. The troupe, founded in 2010, was the first such group composed of monks and nuns; they play Chinese Buddhist music with Western instruments. Photo: CFP 
Two members of the Guangxuan Art Troupe of the Tiantai Temple perform on March 23, 2013. Photo: CFP 
Two monks take pictures of cherry blossoms at Nanjing Forestry University in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on March 29, 2015. Photo: CFP 
Master Yancan talks with journalists and readers about his book This Monk is a Bit Cute in Hubei Province on November 18, 2012. Master Yancan entered the spotlight in early June 2012 when a video of him speaking on Ermei Mountain was widely circulated on the Internet. In the video, the monk serenely praises the beauty of nature in a strong Hebei dialect, while naughty monkeys jump up and down on him and finally climb on top of his head. Photo: CFP 
The monk Shi Daoxin (center), who was born in the 1980s, attends the TV program Workplace Model in Shanghai as one of the judges on July 12, 2011. The young monk became popular in 2008 after a photo of him taken at the Fragrant Hills in Beijing went viral when people noted his cool sunglasses, Bluetooth earpiece and resemblance to Hong Kong singer Nicholas Tse. His album Merciful Ferry Travels Far was released in 2008, making him the first monk to enter show business in China. Photo: CFP 
The photograph of Shi Daoxin that propelled him to stardom. Photo: Xinhua