The Academy of Eastern Arts is an official Sha Guozheng Wushu (Kung Fu) training centre dedicated to teaching the Internal Arts as directly passed down in an unbroken lineage from Master to Disciple by the great grandmaster Sha Guozheng.
All systems: Tai-Chi; Xing Yi; Bagua Zhang; Tong Bei and Qigong are taught with an in-depth knowledge of the martial applications as well as integrating the health aspects and ‘internal knowledge’ intrinsic to Chinese Medical Philosophy.
The Academy was initially authorised by Grandmaster Wen Linjun in 1995, a direct student of the late GM Sha Guozheng as well as a principal student of his own grandfather – Shaolin GM Peng Qing.
The Sha Kung Fu school in Kunming led by Sha Guozhengs son, GM Sha Junjie invited the Academy Of Eastern Arts in 2010 to become an official Sha Kung Fu training centre led by Master Birinder Tember – the Chief Instructor of the school and a disciple and 3rd Generation lineage holder of Sha’s Kung Fu.
In developing the arts, GM Sha Guozheng not only preserved the authentic teachings passed down to him, but additionally developed each art further.
Shifu Birinder Tember was born in Chiswick, London in 1966 and began training in Martial arts and vedic prana practices at the age of 5.
He received a deep grounding in Shotokan Karate before he commenced training in Chinese Martial arts in the late 80’s, initially with Wing Chun training and then later in Northern Shaolin Boxing and the full spectrum of Internal Arts under GrandMaster (GM) Wen Linjun as an indoor student.
GM Wen was a student of his late Grandfather, Shaolin GM Peng Qing and also a student of the internal arts under GM’s Sha Guozheng and He Fu Sheng.
After GM Wen’s retirement from teaching Martial Arts, Birinder was invited to become a disciple of GM Sha Junjie (the son of the late Great GM Sha Guozheng).
Birinder has trained with many famous Masters from across the world and is a certified teacher of Traditional Chinese Kung Fu and Qigong and also a fully qualified practitioner of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.
He teaches the internal arts with a deep understanding of the martial principles and the flow of healing energy. He has taught hundreds of students of all ages as well as patients with specific health problems such as Cancer, Arthritis, Diabetes and many more.
Birinder was awarded the 6th Duan Wei grade in Chinese Wushu by the Chinese Wushu Association, Beijing in 2012; he is a 3rd Generation Lineage holder of ‘Sha’s Wushu’ and a registered senior instructor with the Tai Chi Union Of Great Britain.
Grandmaster Sha Guozheng was was born in Beihou Village Rongcheng City in Shangdong Province and began learning traditional Chinese Kung Fu at the age of 7, training in the Daoist Internal Arts of Xing Yi, Bagua Zhang, Taiji Quan, Tong Bei Quan and Qigong with several Masters.
Sha Guozheng had exceptional ability and developed his skills to an extremely high level. After his last teacher Jiang Rong Qiao passed away, Sha Guozheng was appointed by the Chinese Government to promote the arts and became the provincial coach of Yunan Province.
Practitioners and Masters from across China travelled to train at Sha’s academy in Kunming, China. Most Masters of the internal arts in China from the 70’s and 80’s will either have studied with Sha or will be very familiar with his name.
Sha Guozhengs motto for wushu – I am an old tree, giving nutrition to flowers and fruits as I stand deeply rooted to the earth. Morality is higher than Wushu itself, One must be upright first before he teaches others.
Learning Wushu is endless, the more you learn, the better. Without enough training, there is little understanding. Wushu should cast away prejudice from different factions; work together to learn from each other and jointly make progress.
Resources of Wushu come from inheriting tradition – Life of Wushu comes from innovation. Sha passed away in 1992 at the age of 88.
Sha Junjie was born in Kunming City, Yunan Province in 1962. He started learning martial arts from his father at an early age as well as Western Boxing from Master Shu Zheng, a famous boxer also from Yunan Province and Chen Taiji from Chen style GrandMaster Chen ZhengLei.
After his father, GM Sha Guozheng passed away in 1992, Sha Junjie took over as director of Wushu at his fathers academy in Kunming. With his wife GM Li Bin (also a disciple of Junjie’s father) they continued to develop and promote the work of the late Grandmaster.
An 8th Duan in Chinese Wushu, Sha Junjie is the Vice Secretary General of the Yunan Wushu Association; The Vice Chairman of the Kunming Wushu Association and Research advisor to Wudang in China to mention but a few titles.
He is recognised as one of the highest authorities in Xing Yi, Bagua and Tong Bei in China and his school in Kunming is the largest and most famous for internal arts training in Yunan Province and is recognised as part of the Yunan cultural heritage. Sha Junjie and his wife Li Bin travel all over the world promoting the internal arts.
Mrs Li Bin was born in Kunming City, Yunan Province in 1967. She started Bagua Zhang training with the late Grandmaster Sha Guozheng when she was 8 years old and was amongst the grandmasters most talented students.
As with all of the Grandmasters disciples, and in addition to Bagua Zhang, Li Bin went onto master the skills of Xing Yi Quan, Tong Bei Quan and Taiji Quan.
She later married her teachers son, Sha Junjie and together with the Sha family continues to develop Sha’s Wushu.
Her exceptional knowledge of the arts along with her graceful and aesthetic movements and unique teaching style led her to train the provincial Wushu teams achieving national and international awards.
Li Bin is the Co Director of the Sha Guozheng Wushu Training Centre in Kunming. She holds a 7th Duan Wei Grade in Chinese Wushu and is recognised across China as a leading authority on Bagua Zhang and a first class martial arts umpire.
She travels extensively in China as well as internationally teaching the internal arts.
Wen LinJun was born in Zhaotong, Yunan Province in 1960. His Grandfather Peng Qing was famous throughout China as a Grandmaster of Shaolin Boxing and also as a war hero.
Wen Linjun began practice of Martial Arts with his Grandfather from the age of 8 and by age 14 his skills had developed to such a high degree that he became one of the senior instructors within his home town.
At age 18, he moved to Kunming to study Chinese Medicine and continued his practice of martial arts with Grandmaster Sha GuoZheng who was also a friend of Wen’s grandfather.
Wen Linjun studied with Sha Guozheng and He Fu Sheng (an exceptional Xing Yi Grandmaster) as well as several other teachers learning the standardised international routines.
In 1981 he became the youngest 1st class national umpire and holds a 7th Duan Wei grade in Chinese Wushu. Wen Linjun married Isabel who he met during her Chinese Medical training in China.
They moved to London in 1991 where he set up wushu schools and Chinese Medical clinics. He taught his grandfathers Shaolin Boxing and the Internal Arts that he learnt from Sha Guozheng and He Fu Sheng until he retired from teaching for personal reasons.