‘Father’ to Over 400 Children: Monk in China Urges Single Mothers Against Abortion, Helps Them Raise Their Babies

Newborn babies lie on a hospital bed in Beijing, China on Dec. 1, 2008. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

He is a monk, but he routinely interacts with women. He is not allowed to marry or have children, but is a “father” to more than 400 children. He has saved many lives, but has been given a hard time by the authorities.

The 47-year-old monk grew up in the city of Nantong, in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province. Before becoming a monk, his secular name was Wu Bing, and he was a successful small-business owner who also used to engage in international trade. Divorced in 2007, he became a monk in 2011 and was given the Buddhist name Dao Lu.