(FILE)

Li Yang, creator of the Crazy English method of language learning, became a layman disciple of Shi Yongxin, head of the Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province, on August 2.

The 45-year-old celebrity educator said he plans to build the world's biggest kungfu and language training center in Dengfeng City, where the Shaolin Temple is located. He also plans to hold an international English winter camp at the temple in 2015.

Crazy English, created by Li in the early 1990s, is a non-traditional teaching method that uses shouting to help students memorize and practice the language.

Li's claimed conversion to Buddhism has drawn scathing comments from netizens, with some saying that this is likely another marketing gimmick to sell more Crazy English books. A domestic violence scandal several years ago put Li at the center of controversy.

Li was born in Wujin of east China's Jiangsu Province, and graduated from Lanzhou University in 1990. He had worked as an English radio and TV anchor in Guangzhou before starting his own education business.