Legends of Kung Fu
Dallas, Texas
June 25 - 27

Sifu Henry Poo Yee
Federation Officer: Director
Martial Arts System: 
Website:  www.ckfa.com
School: Chinese Kung Fu Academy of
Southern Praying Mantis
6911 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, Texas 77074
 

Sifu Henry Poo Yee, founded the Chinese Kung Fu Academy (CKFA) of Southern Praying Mantis Federation in 1982. Currently, federation members and branch schools are all over the world.
Grandmaster Yee, is a 3rd generation Chinese-American but was born and raised in his native land of Kwong Tung province, Toi San, in Southern China and was educated in both Hong Kong and the United States. He began his Kung Fu training in 1947 with the southern style of Hung Tau - Choy May (), Bok Hok (), and Bok May () both in China and Hong Kong.
In 1955, at the age of sixteen, Grandmaster Yee came to America to be reunited with his family in New York City. There he met his Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu teacher, the legend of Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai, the Late Grandmaster Sifu Lam Sang (). At that time, Great Grandmaster Lam Sang was teaching at the New York Chinatown "Hap Sang Tong" (). Hence, Grandmaster Yee's lifelong study and training as a Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu practitioner had begun. In the 1960s, while learning and practicing, Grandmaster Yee had already begun teaching this style of Kung Fu at some of the New York Chinatown youth athletic clubs.
For the past forty-five years, Grandmaster Yee has devoted most of his time and energy to the development of sports and Kung Fu in the Chinese communities of New York and the rest of North America. In 1958, Grandmaster Yee and a few of his Kung Fu brothers began to recruit a group of Chinese youth to form the New York Chinatown Viking's Athletic Club (). Within two years, membership had grown to one hundred. Activities included Kung Fu, volleyball, basketball, and academics. By the early 1960s, a majority of the club's members had enrollments in almost every major university in the eastern part of the United States. The volleyball team dominated the North American Chinese communities for about ten years from 1959. Volleyball tournaments are now the largest annual sports events in North America's major Chinatowns. Kung fu activities included the yearly Chinese New Year lion dancing celebrations and Kung Fu exhibitions in New York Chinatown.
In 1966, Great Grandmaster Lam Sang retired from teaching at New York Hap Sang Tong and moved to Taiwan in 1969. With this, Grandmaster Yee turned to one of Sifu Lam Sang's mutual Kung Fu brothers, Sifu Chang Peng, for additional mutual inspiration and knowledge sharing of this style of Kung Fu - Southern Praying Mantis.
In 1980, Grandmaster Yee was involved in a devastating automobile collision and sustained massive injuries, including partial paralysis. Seeking help with Chinese "Dit Da" medicine treatment, Grandmaster Yee was to be reunited with Great Grandmaster Lam Sang. Through a Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai "Ting Sing Kung" rehabilitation process, Grandmaster Yee was again to retrain this style of Kung Fu. After Grandmaster Yee regained most of his health, Great Grandmaster Lam Sang encouraged him to openly teach this style of Kung Fu to the general public. Hence, the organization known as the Chinese Kung Fu Academy (CKFA) of Southern Praying Mantis Federation was born.
In 1984, Grandmaster Yee was appointed "Yee-Fong" () to the lineage of Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai by Great Grandmaster Lam Sang See and presented him with a shrine (alter) of Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai, and the complete instructions concerning the care of the alter, and two Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai Dit Da treatment and prescriptions.
Since 1981, Grandmaster Yee has devoted all of his time and energy to the development of Chi Kung, Chinese Dit Da medicine and healing, and promotion of Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu and its Federation worldwide. He has given many exciting demonstrations and exhibitions and has appeared in many different newspapers, martial arts magazines, and videos throughout the world. Grandmaster Yee has many appointments and honors such as:

* Advisor of the East Coast Chan Tai San Lama Pai
* Advisor to the United States Wushu Kung Fu Federation
* Member of the Hong Kong Kowloon Herbalists Medical Assocation
* Honorary Board director of United Kung Fu Federation of North America
* Honorary Advisor of Kwong Tung Taishan, China Wushu Association
* Member of American Traditional Chinese Medical Traumatology Association
* Honorary Chairman of National American Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Federation
* VIP and Judge for many international tournaments and events.