About Our Teachers
Grandmaster Kongjie Gou
Grandmaster Kongjie Gou, born in 1947, He Nan province, China, started practicing Chinese Martial Arts in 1960. Five years later, in 1965, he began learning Chen Style Tai Chi as the last indoor senior student of Grandmaster Chen Zhaokui (the Head and Heir of the 18th generation of the Chen Family) making him an 11th generation lineage holder of the style and one of Grandmaster Chen Zhaokui's best students. Master Gou has now been practicing and teaching Chen style Tai Chi for over 45 years worldwide. Residing in Oxford, England, he continues to promote Chinese culture and Tai Chi philosophy in the hope of extending these ideals and skills to a new generation.
At the International Festival of Tai Chi in China in 2002 Grandmaster Kongjie Gou was awarded the Certificate of Excellence; this award is very rarely given and is reserved for Tai Chi masters of exceptional skill and ability. He is also certified as a senior Chen Style Tai Chi coach by the Chen Style Tai Chi Association in Wen county, the birthplace and home of Tai Chi, and holds a first class degree of Tai Chi master from the Henan Provincial Martial Arts Association. He is co-author of the Tai Chi Push Hands standard and competition rules published by the Chinese State Sports Council and more recently has created the Chen Style Tai Chi Fan Form and the Chen Style Short Stick Form. Within the Chinese Tai Chi community Grandmaster Kongjie Gou is the most senior and highly respected teacher of Tai Chi in the UK.
"If you want to watch Chen Style Tai Chi performance, see Chen Zheng Lei. If you want to know who is the best practitioner see Chen Xiao Wang. If you want to learn Chen Style Tai Chi follow Gou Kongjie."
[Master Liming Yue]
Master Shi Yan Ming
Yanmin Chen, born in 1979, is a 34th Generation Shaolin Temple Monk. Shi Yan Ming is Yanmin's 'Shaolin Temple' name. The Shaolin Temple gives a temple name to anyone who becomes a Shaolin monk.
Yanmin started training in Gong fu (Kung fu) when he was very young; he began in a local Gong fu school. Later he become one of the shaolin kung fu monks of the Shaolin Temple, China. He trained hard and became very disciplined whilst studying there. He spent lots of time training in Shaolin Gong fu and studying Ch'an Buddhist culture and Philosophy. Specialising in San Shou, forms, weapons and Qi Gong.
Yanmin came to the UK in 1998 whilst on the first-ever "Wheel of Life" tour starring the Shaolin Temple Monks. Later he founded the UK Shaolin Temple in 2003 in the beautiful town of Bournemouth in Dorset. The UK Shaolin Temple currently teaches authentic Shaolin Gong fu, San Shou, Qi Gong, meditation, and shaolin culture across the UK. Yanmin is currently the head coach of the UK Shaolin Temple's in England, and Chairman of the British Shaolin Temple Association.
