Grand Master Shi Yan Xu is an accomplished Zen master and teacher of traditional Shaolin Temple Kung Fu. He is the founder of the Shaolin Temple Cultural Center USA, and the former Head Coach of Warrior Monks for the Shaolin Temple of China.

 

From an early age, Master Yan Xu began his study of Kung Fu in his hometown with a family who descended from a Qing Dynasty General. As he grew older, Yan Xu saw that there wasn’t much to offer a fledging Kung Fu master in his hometown, so in 1994, the quest for knowledge led him to pack his bags and travel to a place he only heard about in stories. The Shaolin Temple of China.

 

Once arriving in Shaolin, Master Shi Yan Xu studied extensively with grand master Shi Yong Zhi, and later, became a disciple of Abbott Shi Yong Xin concentrating on the study of Chan (Zen) and traditional Kung Fu inside the temple. Over the next twenty years, Shi Yan Xu deeply researched the classical health preservation methods of Shaolin Tendon Changing and Bone Marrow cleansing. He studied Kung Fu with elder warrior monks Fu Zhi Qian and Gao Dejiang, while in the field of Chan (Zen), he advanced to studying with Master Hui Tong, a renowned master in the Chinese Chan (Zen) society. In addition to Shaolin Temple Arts, Master Yan Xu expanded his knowledge by studying number of classical systems of Kung Fu including Tong Bei with Master Zhu Sheng An and the arts of Bagua, Tai Chi and Five element theory to name a few. 

 

Today, Master Shi Yan Xu is widely regarded as a top representative of Chinese Martial Arts. He serves as the headmaster of the Shaolin Temple Cultural Center USA, an officially recognized branch of the Shaolin Temple of China which has trained dozens of teachers from China and abroad to represent the Shaolin Culture worldwide. Master Shi Yan Xu also travels extensively to share the Shaolin Arts with students from around the world and continues to study Chan Buddhism as part of his personal journey.

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- Philip Sahagun (Kung Fu Heroes)