"I came here with two goals. One is to show people real Shaolin Culture and second to protect the honour of the Shaolin Temple".

The 31-year-old Buddhist monk has been sent to England by the abbot of the Shaolin Temple in the Henan Province of China. His job is to set up a temple in England and once that is established he will move on to the rest of Europe.

The Shaolin Temple takes its name from the Song Shan Mountain under which stands (Shao) and the numerous trees in the area (Lin).

When he first spoke to the resident monks at the age of 16, he was not permitted inside, So he started his training in Shaolin Ch'an (culture and meditation known as "Zen" in Japan) and kung fu in a nearby village.

After just three months he won a competition in Deng Feng City and his name became famous in the area.

"Many monks knew my name and every weekend I went to the temple to pray. The wall had many martial arts pictures on it and I went to study."

"Step by Step I got to know one of the monks. I told him I wanted to stay inside, become a monk and study Buddhism and understand the ways of Ch'an. I said I needed to understand my mind. I didn't want to just practise fighting."

After two years of hard work, sweeping the building and collecting water from a well in the mountain, Yanzi was accepted into the temple. A Shaolin monk must obey five main rules. They must not kill (animals or people), steal, procure a prostitute, lie, or drink alcohol.

Martial arts films have brought the mysteries of the monks into the public eye, but there are those who use the Shaolin name without any real understanding of the its culture.

"Many people are interested in Shaolin culture but nobody can teach. In the temple monks don't come out, so some businessman and clever man say 'it is a good time to make money.' So they use the Shaolin name," said Yanzi.

"They say their grandmaster was a monk but now is dead. They only make up one story and many people believe them. They teach but they do not have good knowledge. How do they teach their students the Shaolin culture?"

Yanzi is living in Camden, and when he is not teaching kung fu and other aspects of Ch'an culture, he studies English at a language centre in Green Park.

He went on to explain how the kung fu, meditation and culture all work together. The monks use kung fu as a fundamental part of their religion.

"Shaolin kung fu is not just for fighting - it is to help yourself and your mind. It gives you confidence and energy and belief in yourself."

"You study Buddhism and become a good person and you can help people. And last of all, it is for self defence - that is not the first goal," he said.

Yanzi teaches all over London and has classes in qi gong (meditative breathing) and sparring kung fu at the Waterfront Leisure Centre, in Woolwich, on Tuesday evenings.

[this article is now out-of-date, please refer to the timetable for correct class locations and times]