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Shaolin masters seated with their students inside a temple hall
Masters and teachers

The people you actually train with

Shaolin Worldwide is a network of teachers, not a catalogue of courses. Every master on this page is someone we work with directly: inheritors of the Shaolin lineage, warrior monks and senior disciples teaching online, at intensives, and full time at their own schools in China.

Meet the masters → Ask about training
Verifiable Shaolin lineage Online, in person and in China Beginners welcome We reply to every message
11 masters and teachers 代 Authentic Shaolin lineage 4 partner schools in China 禅 Three continents
Three ways in

How you can train with them

Pick the level of commitment that fits your life right now. Every master below teaches through at least one of these routes.

Online courses

Structured video courses and live sessions you can start today, taught by the master directly. Foundations, jibengong, Qin Na, staff, Qi Gong and Chan practice.

Meet the online teachers →

Retreats and intensives

Days or weeks of full time practice with one teacher, in China, Los Angeles or London. Small groups, deep correction, culture and ceremony alongside the training.

Meet the retreat teachers →

Full time schools in China

Live on campus in Dengfeng and train four or more hours a day under warrior monks and senior disciples, from a single week to a full year.

Meet the school masters →
The lineage

Seventy words, seventy generations

Every master on this page carries a generation. It is not a belt, a rank or a marketing line. It comes from a poem written at the Shaolin Temple more than seven hundred years ago.

Xueting Fuyu (1203 to 1275) was the abbot who revived the Shaolin Monastery in the early Yuan dynasty and established the Caodong Chan transmission there.

He also invited the best martial artists in China to the Temple to compare, practise and test what they knew. He held those gatherings three times, three years each, and what survived the testing was recorded at the Temple as one system. When those martial artists went home they carried Shaolin method with them, which is why so many Asian martial systems trace a root back to Songshan, and why the Temple is often called the birthplace of martial arts. Gathering place is closer to the truth than birthplace.

Fuyu left one more thing: a poem of seventy characters. Each generation of Shaolin disciples takes the next character in the poem as the first word of their name, so a name says exactly where its holder stands in the line. That line has run without a break since Fuyu, which is what a generation number on this page actually means.

The seventy character genealogy poem of the Caodong sect at the Shaolin Temple, composed by Xueting Fuyu
The seventy character genealogy
Composed by Xueting Fuyu for the orthodox Caodong sect of the Shaolin Temple at Mount Song. It opens with 福 fu, the first character of his own name.
Xing 32nd generation Conduct To walk the path, and to act on what you have been taught.
Yong 33rd generation Forever Lasting, perpetual, without end.
Yan 34th generation To extend To prolong and carry forward what came before.
Heng 35th generation Constant Enduring, steady, persevering.

Those four characters sit side by side in a single line of the poem, 德行永延恒, which reads as virtue and conduct extending forever, constant. Read the fuller story of the Temple, from Batuo and Bodhidharma to Fuyu, in our history of the Shaolin Temple.

The roster

Masters and teachers

Tap any master to go straight to the course, retreat or school where you can train with them.

Training at Shaolin Tagou, the largest Kung Fu school in Dengfeng, is led by a faculty of more than 400 coaches rather than a single named master. See the Tagou programme.

Ask a master

Not sure who to train with?

Tell us what you want to learn and how much time you have. We will point you to the right teacher, and pass your question to them where it needs a master's answer.

  • Ask about a specific master, course, retreat or school
  • Get a recommendation if you are starting from zero
  • Check dates, availability and what a week actually looks like
  • Ask about private tuition, group bookings and long stays
WhatsApp us support@shaolinww.com All contact options
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We use your details only to answer your enquiry. No spam, and no sharing with anyone outside the teacher or school you are asking about.

For teachers

Are you a Shaolin master or teacher?

We are always looking for teachers with real lineage and something worth passing on: masters in China, warrior monks abroad, and instructors running serious schools in their own cities.

Tell us who you trained under, what you teach and where you are based. If it fits, we can build a course with you, bring students to your school, or host you on a retreat.

Apply to teach with us → Other ways to partner
A Shaolin master correcting a student during training
Common questions

Before you get in touch

How do you choose the masters you work with?
Every teacher on this page is someone we work with directly. We know where they trained, who they trained under, and what their students actually get. They are inheritors of the Shaolin lineage with a verifiable line back to Songshan, spanning generations from the 32nd onward, and the few who come from outside Shaolin hold recognised lineage in their own tradition. We do not list teachers we have not met.
Can I train with one specific master?
Yes. Every master here teaches through at least one route: an online course, a retreat or intensive, or full time training at their school. Tap their card to go to that course, retreat or school, or name them in the enquiry form and we will tell you the next available way in.
Do the masters teach in English?
The teachers based in the United States and the United Kingdom teach in English. In China, training is led in Chinese by the masters, with bilingual staff on site and translation in cultural classes. Kung Fu is taught mostly by demonstration and correction, so students train well from day one, and picking up training vocabulary happens quickly.
Can I book private or one to one sessions?
Private one to one calls are available with Shi Heng Chuang. For other masters, private tuition depends on where they are and what is happening at their school that month, so ask in the form and we will check availability for your dates.
I am a beginner and have never trained. Is that a problem?
No. Most people who come to us have never trained. Start with a structured beginner course such as The Shaolin Foundations, and if you want to train in China, the schools take complete beginners and adjust the intensity. Tell us about any injuries or medical conditions and we will pass that on before you arrive.
How quickly will I hear back?
We reply to every message. Email goes to support@shaolinww.com and is best for detailed questions, while WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach us if you need an answer today.
I teach Shaolin Kung Fu. Can I join Shaolin Worldwide?
Yes, we work with new teachers every year. Start with the master application form and tell us your lineage, what you teach and where you are based.
Begin

Find your teacher

A tradition is carried by people, not platforms. Choose the master whose path fits yours, and start where you are.

Browse the masters → Ask a question