A Chinese monk widely praised for helping hundreds of unwed pregnant women and abandoned children is now under criminal investigation for fraud, raising public concerns over transparency and oversight in grassroots charitable efforts.

According to a police report issued by a local public security bureau in Shaoxing, in eastern China, on June 26, a monk known as Dao Lu — real name Wu Bing — and three others including his ex-wife, daughter, and alleged girlfriend, have been subject to criminal measures. Authorities found that since 2018, the group had misused a significant portion of donations collected in the name of “supporting pregnant women and raising children” for personal means.

The investigation was launched on May 21 after local police received numerous reports accusing the monk of fraud. Authorities have since frozen, sealed, and confiscated assets linked to the case. The probe remains ongoing, as Dao Lu is also suspected of other criminal offenses, but no further details were disclosed.

A spokesperson for the local public security bureau told domestic media that the case spans multiple regions in China, involves numerous complainants, and requires extensive financial tracing, adding to its complexity and time-consuming nature.

The official added that a review of donation account records confirmed that a significant portion of the funds collected under the guise of charity had been used for high-end personal spending. “Under the law, this constitutes suspected fraud,” the spokesperson said.

Dao Lu, 48, became a monk in 2010 and began aiding unmarried pregnant women and their children two years later, using personal savings from his former handicrafts export business.

As demand for his assistance grew, he launched several small businesses and accepted public donations to sustain his efforts — including running online shops selling food and bracelets and doing livestreams to attract donations.

His work mainly involved offering shelter, food, and medical support to women who wanted to carry pregnancies to term but lacked resources or social support. In cases where the mother could not raise the baby, Dao helped take care of the child until adulthood or found them adoptive families.

Dao’s philanthropic work had been widely reported by domestic media, partly due to the legal challenges of raising children from unwed mothers under his own name.

After being asked to leave the temple where he first began taking in children — an act that violated both the law and temple regulations — Dao in 2014 moved to Wanshan Temple in the eastern Jiangsu province to continue his philanthropic work.

However, Wanshan Temple was not officially recognized as a religious institution, making it illegal to accept abandoned children or orphans. Furthermore, upon inspection, the Nantong government deemed the temple an illegal structure.

Reporting on the case in 2017, a lawyer told Sixth Tone that Dao’s adoptions were illegal, especially since the country’s law stated that in most cases a person could only adopt one child. (The law has since changed to allow individuals with no biological children to adopt two, and those with children to adopt one.)

According to a domestic media report from the same time, Dao said he helped the mothers not only to save the lives of their children but also out of a personal hope that some might one day choose to become monks and carry on his legacy. However, he emphasized that the decision would be entirely up to the children.

In 2022, he relocated from Nantong to Shaoxing in neighboring Zhejiang province and founded a charity called Lianhua Philanthropy Society at a local temple alongside six other trustees. The group similarly focused on helping vulnerable children and struggling single mothers.

According to his video channel on messaging app WeChat, Dao claimed to have helped more than 600 children by 2024, earning him the nickname “father monk” on Chinese social media.

At the time of their investigation, the local civil affairs bureau reported that 31 children — 23 boys and eight girls, including an infant under 1 year old — were under the care of Dao Lu’s organization in Shaoxing.

Dao had also previously sheltered 14 preschool children in his hometown of Rugao County, Nantong, Jiangsu province. Apart from one child who was taken back by their guardian, the remaining 13 children were moved to the Rugao City Juvenile Protection Center, as reported by the Beijing News.

Yin Gaolin, deputy director of Rugao’s Civil Affairs Bureau, told the Beijing News that since the home was not a registered institution, the bureau had no oversight of its operations.

Despite Dao’s organization lacking a public fundraising license, it built a significant online donation network through platforms like Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, and WeChat. According to its 2024 financial report, the organization received over 3.46 million yuan ($476,000) in donations, 86.9% of which it reported spending on charitable undertakings.

However, police have since discovered that a substantial portion of the donations, especially those made in cash or via private transfers, were diverted for personal use. The authorities’ preliminary investigation suggests the amount involved may exceed 10 million yuan.

The revelations have sparked heated discussion on Chinese social media, with a related hashtag drawing over 20 million views on microblogging platform Weibo. Many netizens expressed disappointment in Dao and urged caution when supporting grassroots charities.

“Perhaps he was genuinely trying to help children at first, but eventually couldn’t resist the lure of money and began using his media image to attract donations for personal gain,” read one highly upvoted comment.

Under China’s Charity Law, individuals or organizations are prohibited from posing as a charity to fundraise or misappropriate donated funds. Violators who privately divide, withhold, or embezzle charitable assets may face asset seizures, organizational suspension, and fines of up to 200,000 yuan.

“The Dao Lu case highlights deep-rooted risks in informal charitable operations — particularly around legal status, governance, and financial transparency,” Zhang Lingxiao, director of Beijing Jingsh Law Firm, told domestic media. “To avoid good intentions going astray, grassroots charity efforts must operate within the law, ensure transparency, and maintain accountability.”

Following the detention in May of Dao, his ex-wife, their 24-year-old daughter, and Dao’s alleged girlfriend, the local civil affairs bureau formed a joint response team to help resettle the 31 children in his care in Shaoxing.

Five children have since been reunited with relatives, while the remaining 26 were temporarily placed in a local care facility under the supervision of professional caregivers.

Authorities told domestic media the children all received medical checkups and psychological support, and that they will help arrange more permanent placements via family reunification or alternative care.

Editor: Tom Arnstein.

(Header image: Dao Lu and abandoned children at a temporary shelter in Nantong, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2019. VCG)