Jyu Chyuhn was born in the Toi-San district of Guangdong province and began his training in martial arts at an early age. He studied a wide variety of martial arts including the Choi Lei Faht style under the direction of Master Chan Goon-Bahk, the son of the style's founder, Chan Heung. This prepared him for what he would learn under both Wong Lam-Hoi and Wong Yan-Lam.

Jyu Chyuhn first learned Lama Pai under the direction of Wong Lam-Hoi and then sought out Wong Yan-Lam when he returned to Guangdong. Eventually, Jyu Chyuhn learned the entire Lama Pai system and became one of the most accomplished martial artists in the area. He was given permission by both Wong Lam-Hoi and Wong Yan-Lam to pass on the Lama Pai system.

However, Jyu Chyuhn became interested in Buddhism later in life and, inspired by the stories his teachers told him about their youth, retired to become a Buddhist monk in the Green Cloud Monastery. He would not teach for many years.

Sifu Chan Tai-San

Chan Tai-San was born into a wealthy and influential family in the Toi San district of Guangdong province. His grandfather had been good friends with the Abbot of the Green Cloud monastery and had contributed a large sum of money to pay for the monastery's restoration. Because of this, Chan Tai-San was adopted by the monk when his father died. Chan Tai-San was about twelve at the time.

At first Chan Tai-San did not learn Lama Pai. Instead he learned basic kung-fu skills and Choi Lei Faht and general monastic practices. He practiced everyday, three times a day for close to seven years before he even heard about Lama Pai. Sifu Chan relates that he had a terrible temper and had gotten into fights with local gangsters. Despite repeated warnings from the monks, Sifu Chan engaged in many duels, including several with western boxers, and was always victorious. For this reason the monks suspended his training and refused to allow him to study their most valued system, Lama Pai.

One day, out of frustration, Chan Tai-San decided to challenge his teacher, the very same monk who taught Lama Pai. The monk easily defeated Chan Tai-San but saw a spark of hope in the young student. After Chan Tai-San swore to change his ways he was finally allowed to learn Lama Pai. That monk was Jyu Chyuhn.

After seven years of intense study, Chan Tai-San completed the Lama Pai system under Jyu Chyuhn's direction. Chan Tai-San had devoted himself to Jyu Chyuhn's version of Lama Pai and had never realized that there were numerous versions of the Lion's Roar tradition in southern China. It wasn't until Chan Tai-San left the monastery and had met teachers of White Crane and Haap Ga that he had an opportunity to see just how complete Jyu Chyuhn's version had been. To further his knowledge of Lama Pai, Chan Tai-San studied with Dang Ho, a student of Wong Lam-Hoi, and with Ma Yi-Po, a student of Wong Yan-Lam. Ma Yi-Po was particularly valuable in helping Chan Tai-San uncover the truth because he had studied another version of Lama Pai in Manchuria.

Chan Tai-San would eventually study many systems under some of China's most famous Sifu including the "White Haired Devil" Baahk Mo Jyu (Hung Faht Pai), Cheung Lai-Chung (White Eyebrow), Mok Jing-Kui (Mok Ga), and Chan Sai-Mo (Choi Lei Faht). Because of this diversity and experience, Chan Tai-San has been recognized by the People's Republic of China as a living national treasure and has appeared in a government sponsored movie dedicated to China's most outstanding teachers. He has held positions as a hand-to-hand combat instructor for the Chinese military, as one of the coaches of the Guangdong province martial arts team, and as a member of the national demonstration team.

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