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Chen Xiang
Cai Li Fo (Choy-Li-Fat) was created by Chen Xiang (1806-1875) of Xin Hui, Guangdong. He first learned Shaolin kung fu with Cai Fu and his great-uncle Chen Yuan, and Li Jia Quan (Li Family Fist) with Li You Shan. After observing the postures of monkeys leaping and birds flying, he discovered the reasons of advance and retreat, attack and defense. After returning home, he studied martial arts with several of his students, and, during the sixteenth year of Emperor Dao Guang (1836), he opened a martial arts school with the title "Cai Li Fo Quan" (Cai Li Fo Fist). The name is given in honor of his teachers Cai Fu and Li You Shan. "Fo" means Buddha and shows that the style originated from the Buddhist Shaolin Temple.