Hai Deng

Who was Hai Deng?

Venerable Hai Deng was a Buddhist monk, martial artist and 32nd abbot of Shaolin Temple during the 20th century. He was born Fan Wubing in Jiangyou County, Sichuan province.

At the age of 19, Fan Wubing was accepted into Sichuan University, but did not attend due to financial difficulties. Instead, he attended Sichuan Police Academy, but later dropped out in pursuit of martial arts training.

Hai Deng was famous for his one-finger Chan, one of the 72 Shaolin Arts where he supposedly supported most of his body weight on one finger. From a visit to the USA in 1985 he was noted for his strict Buddhist lifestyle, literary and qigong talents, and serious training methods.