Monastery's robot monk helping to spread the word

Buddhist monasteries are often associated with tradition and the ancient past but one located 30 kilometers northwest of Beijing's Zhongguancun - China's innovation hub - has become famous for looking to the future with its use of cutting-edge technology and for its latest recruit, a robot.

Longquan Monastery is led by Master Xuecheng, who started to share his religious insights and ideas on Sina Weibo in 2009 and who has been using technology extensively ever since.

The abbot now has a technological support team of monks and volunteers that maintain an electronic management system inside the complex.