Shifu Shi Yan Ming was the first to bring Shaolin kung fu to the United States. Trained as a Shaolin Temple Warrior Monk in China, he was on a tour of the U. S. in 1992 when he defected.
By 1994 he had moved to New York City – where he opened USA Shaolin Temple and began training students in kung fu and other martial arts, including Wu-Tang Clan. The rest is history.