Shaolin Temple, the home of China's master kungfu monks, plans to launch its own line of health drinks next year as it further expands its globally recognized "brand."

Led by abbot Shi Yongxin, the temple's so-called "CEO monk," the famed Buddhist temple in Henan Province is embarked on an ambitious business expansion, which also includes a hospital.

Abbot Shi Yongxin, the temple's so-called "CEO monk".

Authorities have approved the first batch of Shaolin's tea treatment drinks, which will be on retail shelves next spring, said Shi Yanlin, head of the temple's medicine bureau.

Established in 1217, the bureau is famous for its homemade medicines, concocted from secret recipes. The Shaolin drinks will be based on the temple's traditional Chinese herbal therapies, the Henan Business News reported yesterday.

The temple is seeking to partner with potential producers, and it also wants to expand its scope by running a hospital, Shi Yanlin told the newspaper.

It has identified a hospital site and reached preliminary agreement with villagers on land acquisition and relocation to a nearby 6.67-hectare parcel, the newspaper reported.

"We are waiting for government approval. The hospital would open to the public in 2010 if all goes smoothly," Shi said.

The facility would feature an outpatient building and a meditation room, in which treatment would be based on a regimen involving Chinese Buddhism.

There will even be a place for modern medicine, Shi said.

The 1,500-year-old temple has already launched a training program for its staff, sending monks to study in medical schools.

So far, more than 20 monks are licensed to practice as doctors or pharmacists.