First student of Yan Shangwu. Inheritor and Standard Bearer of Bei Shaolin Quanmen.

Grandmaster Chan Kowk Wai was born in the city of Taishan, China, on 3 April 1936. Not many children demonstrated his immense interest in Wu Shu. At that age, children were not as dedicated to training as Chan Kowk Wai was at the tender age of 4. The young Chan used to hide and watch the teacher of the village and later trained what he had seen from memory. Not much time went by before a student of the master discovered him and recognized his forms. Chan was placed before the master, far from being reprimanded, Chan was asked if he could recall what he had stolen through his many days of spying. The master was truly impressed by the natural ability of the child, and for that reason, he decided to accept him as a disciple. So began Chan Kowk Wai on the path of Wu Shu learning Cailifopai. Chan Kowk Wai trained a very pure version of Cailifopai for 10 years.

In the final days of the Republic of China) and the beginning Peoples Republic of China, there were many political problems. At this time, Chan Kowk Wai's family decided to immigrate to Hong Kong. There, the young Chan continued his training with master Ma Jianfeng of the Luohan style. Chan practiced this important school of martial arts diligently. Chan was already a skilled practitioner of Xiongsheng Cailifopai when Yan Shangwu arrived in Hong Kong in 1952. Ma Jianfeng introduced Yan Shangwu to Chan Kowk Wei the very day that Yang arrived in Hong Kong. Yan was a master of Hongjia, who challenged and was defeated by Grandmaster Gu Ruzhang, one of the 5 Tigers who went south. Such impression did this make on Yan that he decided to change paths and follow this new style and forsake Hongjia completely. Yan Shangwu arrived in Hong Kong, the number one student of Gu Ruzhang, and stayed in Chan Kowk Wai's family house. Without delay, Yang accepted Chan as his disciple under rigourous rules of training and living together. Chan was the first student and considered the best student of Yan Shangwu. The classes consisted of Chan, brothers, and uncles for a few years. Yan Shangwu taught Yangshi Taijiquan and Beisheng Cailifopai before accepting students to learn his Bei Shaolin. For 10 years, Chan Kowk Wai, sacrificed his social life, friendships, and loves in order to dedicate himself exclusively to continuing the steps of his master in learning Bei Shaolin.

Other masters with whom Chan Kowk Wai learned: Huang Hanxun (7 star Praying Mantis King of Hong Kong), Zhang Zhanwen (Eagle Claw), and Zhen Yaochao (inheritor of a line of Xiongsheng Cailifopai).

Chan Kowk Wai's arrival in South America: Chan Kowk Wai arrived in Brazil in 1960, representing a date of the introduction of Kung Fu to South America. Chan participated in the formation of the Chinese Social Centre, in which he gave classes for 12 years. He also gave Wu Shu classes at the University of São Paulo for 7 years. Chan is considered in Sao Paulo and in all of Brazil as the Father of Brazilian Wu Shu and is respected by all his colleagues. In 1972, he founded the Academia Sino Brasileira de Kung Fu. An entity which stands today as the nucleus of thousands of practitioners throughout Brasil and abroad.

(Author of this article is Master Dou Wanchun)