Born in the Henan Province of China, Shi Yan Feng is a 34th Generation warrior monk from the Songshan Shaolin Temple in China. Having come from a family of martial artists, his future in kung fu began at age 3. Master Shi Yan Feng trained under his uncle in kung fu for a short time until he was introduced to Master Shi Wan Hen. After watching Shi Yan Feng demonstrate various moves of kung fu, Master Shi Wan Hen recognized immense talent and invited him to train full-time in the Songshan Shaolin Temple.
Despite being very young, Shi Yan Feng was very passionate about pursing a life in kung fu and, with the support of his family, left home at the age of 4 and began his tenure at the Shaolin Temple which would lead him to become a highly distinguished kung fu Master and a humble follower of Buddhism.
Upon his acceptance into the Shaolin Temple, Master Shi Yan Feng was given his Buddhist name and had his head shaved as part of the initiation to become a disciple of Shaolin. Life for him at the Shaolin Temple was very different from what he was used to. His nights were slept on a hard cot and he was awakened early every morning by a bell his Master would ring.
Shi Yan Feng would start the day by jogging for half an hour followed by six hours of kung fu training and other studies. His day consisted of 3 practice sessions, each 2 hours long with an hour between to eat and rest. This routine was done six days a week with Sunday to rest and finish chores. Every year he received a 2 week break to return home and visit family.
By the age of 6, his training escalated him to one of the most talented amongst his fellow brothers. With his wonderful display of strength, flexibility, and grace, he was the first Shaolin youth invited to join a team comprised of monks with exceptional martial arts abilities to travel the world to spread the awareness of Shaolin Kung Fu. Performing in more than 40 countries with the Shaolin Temple Performance Team, Master Shi Yan Feng amazed his audiences worldwide.
During his world tour, he met and taught people in every country he visited. He was interviewed on different occasions and aired on television in many countries. While in America, he made guest appearances on "Good Morning America", "The David Letterman Show", and "The Jay Leno Show". He also encountered and taught celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and the Wu-Tang Clan.
By the age of 12, he began teaching Kung Fu at the Shaolin Wushu Guan in China making him the youngest instructor at that time. After his last world tour in 2002, he received an invitation to teach in Houston, TX. During that time, he also received a movie offer in China but, because of his passion for teaching, he chose to come to Houston to continue to spread Shaolin Kung Fu and it's philosophy.
Master Shi Yan Feng began teaching kung fu in Houston, Texas in 2002. His first school was located at a Vietnamese Temple on Post Oak. In 2008 he then relocated to his current location in Sugar Land, Texas. It was here where American Shaolin Kung Fu was founded. Six years later, in 2014, he and his brother opened up their second location in Houston, Texas.
2014 has been a very successful year for Master Shi Yan Feng. In April of 2014, producers from America's Got Talent invited him and his demo team to audition for the show. Not long after, he was asked to do a radio interview on his expertise in Shaolin Kung Fu on the 25th Hour Talk Show with radio personalities Rob Fairless and Randy Ashby. The 25th Hour Talk Show has interviewed some well known people such as Shannon Lee (Bruce Lee's daughter).
Over the years, the number of his students have increased dramatically. Currently, Master Shi Yan Feng has well over 500 students all over the US. To date, his students have won many 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medals in All-Texas, All-American, and International Wushu Competitions held in the United States.
His expertise includes: