Degen (1914-1970) was the best known Kungfu master in modern times. He took tonsure at age 6 in Gongyi Ciyun Temple, a sub-temple of Shaolin Temple. Sixteen-year-old Degen returned Shaolin Temple and studied Shaolin Kungfu skills with Master Zhenxu. In 1946 he was appointed as the head of Shaolin Kungfu monks, with the mission to transmit Shaolin Kungfu in critical condition. After the founding of New China in 1949, he was employed as a full-time instructor of Shaolin Kungfu by the education department. Shaolin Kungfu Synopsis (in-house newsletter), narrated and compiled by Degen who was entrusted by culture and education bureau, was the first work that gave a comprehensive account of Shaolin Kungfu. He died of illness at age 56 in 1970.
