Tài Shī Zǔ (Great Granmaster) Shi Su Yun was a Shaolin Monk that mastered both the scholarly (Wen) And the martial (Wu) aspects of Shaolin. As a Buddhist, Shi Su Yun was very humble. He never fought for authority or had any attachment to material gain. Even in his final years, after Shaolin had regained its prosperity, Shi SU Yun remained in a tiny room in the temple which he kept very simple until his passing in 1999.
As a fighter, Shi Su Yun was renowned for his Xiao Hong Quan and Tongzigong (Child exercises). Shi Su Yun defended the temple on many occasions. One of his most famous matches involved a large group of Japanese challengers. Alone, Shi Su Yun met their challenge, beat down every single challenger, and defended Shaolin’s reputation. Even in his seventies, Shi Su Yun practiced Tongzigong and was most comfortable sitting in full lotus position.
According to Shi De Cheng, Shi Su Yun was a strict master. “Mabu (Horse stance practice) Was not like today,” recalls Shi De Cheng. “It wasn’t three minutes, then five minutes, then ten minutes, progressively adding up. If you were instructed to stand in Mabu, you just had to stand for the full duration. It was very hard.” despite his rigorousness, several dedicated students followed Shi Su Yun. Everyone lived and trained in Shaolin temple together. Times were simpler then.