Proof That Brand is Everything: 1,500-Year-Old Shaolin Temple Seeks Media Director

Do you dig social media, kung fu, an ascetic lifestyle, and the color orange? If so, do I have the job for you:

“Help wanted: ancient Buddhist temple famed for its kung fu monks seeks media directors to build brand. English and social media skills required. Not necessary to be a monk, practise martial arts or eat vegetarian.”

Nope, that’s not straight from The Onion. China’s famed Shaolin Temple, birthplace of Chan Buddhism and institutionalized kung fu, needs someone to construct and maintain their social media presence. According to the AP, this is not a terrible unusual move by the temple’s ambitious abbot, Shi Yongxin.

“The temple, its monks and their distinctive form of kung fu have developed into a lucrative business enterprise, raising controversy among some who accuse Shi of over-commercialisation. Shi says he is just defending the temple’s reputation and promoting its values.”

Apparently over 300 applicants had responded to the advertisement by day’s end on Friday, according to the AP’s Chinese sources. Although the monks are all men, women were also encouraged to apply. According to a Shanghai Daily report, the listing was initially posted on Yuji, a Weibo account for reporters in Henan Province. By the sound of it, they’re probably not looking for someone who isn’t Chinese.

Either way, the first step for any newly installed social media guru would be to strengthen Shaolin’s servers. At the time of this posting, both the Chinese and English websites were down. Perhaps there are more than 300 interested applicants by now.

Keep reading at The Guardian

Photo credit: longtaildog / Shutterstock