A concept drawing of the proposed Shaolin Temple complex at Shoalhaven in New South Wales, Australia.

Patrick Pang, a Shaolin Foundation representative who has worked on the project since 2006, said the abbot had considered withdrawing many times during the past nine years of negotiations.

"It is the Shoalhaven mayor, the council and local residents that have made this project go ahead," Pang said.

Sun Ruqi, a senior official at the Henan Provincial Commission of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, said Shaolin Temple has increased its influence at home and abroad by setting up many overseas centers in the past decade.

Since 2010, Shaolin Temple has had a presence on Sina Weibo, and it now boasts more than 77,000 followers. A gaming app is also being developed to teach users kung fu on their mobile phones.

"We have entered a commercialized society. ... People tend to evaluate things from the angle of commercialization," said the abbot, one of the first Chinese monks to gain an MBA.

"But you need to look at what is behind the business practice," he added. "Some people do business so they can survive, and some do it to seek their fortunes. Shaolin Temple just wants to survive, to practice Buddhism."

Zheng Caixiong contributed to this story.