Xu, 1905, a native of Xinxian County, now lives in Dabie Mountain area at the junction of Henan and Hubei. It seems that the specific reason why he went to Shaolin Temple is hard to understand. One theory is that Xu comes from a poor family with seven brothers and sisters. His parents really can't afford it. On the way to escape, he sent Xu to Shaolin Temple. Another way of saying it is that Xu's grandmother was seriously ill, but after a long period of treatment, his parents asked the Bodhisattva for blessing and vowed to send their grandson to become a Buddhist if the old man recovered. Later, when the old man recovered, You was sent to Shaolin Temple. The third statement is the most popular, saying that Xu was bullied by the son of the local landlord and they fought. Xu You killed him by mistake and fled to Shaolin Temple to avoid disaster.
Xu was only 8 years old when he entered Shaolin Temple, but children from poor families have developed a good habit of being diligent and able to bear hardships since childhood, so they are very popular with the masters. Xu's legal name is Yongxiang. His main job at ordinary times is to bring tea and water to his master, make the bed and quilt, sweep the floor and clean the table. Although he is sometimes accused by the masters for his poor work, he is still very happy because the masters teach him martial arts every day.
What kind of kung fu does Xu You practice? Usually, as long as he is busy with housework, he will stand piles, throw sticks, run bricks, insert sand, play plum blossom piles and so on according to the arrangement of the master. Xu practiced very hard and was not afraid of sweating and bleeding. Because he is doing small exercises, he has made rapid progress and a solid foundation. It is said that he has great arm strength and is proficient in knives, guns, swords, clubs and other weapons 18. He is quite outstanding among the people who practice martial arts together. As long as he doesn't take sandbags for practicing martial arts, he can jump off the fence several meters high in the temple. With luck, a big brick more than three inches thick can be broken with one palm. At the same time, the masters often tell him stories such as "Thirteen Stick Monks Save the Tang King" and Shaolin Monks' Anti-Japanese War, so that he has developed a loyal and generous character and a sense of justice in helping others since he was a child.
Eight years later, Xu felt that he had learned kung fu well enough and wanted to go home and reunite with his relatives, so he bid farewell to Master and other disciples and left this mountain. Many people came to see him off when he left. Xu was very sad and decided to change his name to "You Shi", which means to be a good friend for life. Probably later, because there were too many strokes of the word "yes", it was changed to Xu.
Xu joined the Red Army in 1926, and joined the China Army in 1929, fighting in the south and fighting in the north, and repeatedly made outstanding achievements. At the age of 29, he became a military commander After liberation, he became the commander of the Nanjing Military Region. Shaolin kungfu played a great role in his military career. During his career in the Red Army, he joined the death squads five times and fought many tough battles. Every time he takes the lead, he rushes to the front with a big knife. No one dares to do it without real kung fu. Even if he does, he may not be able to break through the blood shed, so he may get the reputation of "Shaolin General".
After liberation, although Xu's kung fu was not working well, he still persisted in practicing hard and never forgot it. It is said that his home in Nanjing is full of knives, guns, swords, sticks and other cold weapons, and sandbags are hung on the trees in the yard. He often smells chickens dancing and shakes his fists, just like in wartime. Throughout his life, Xu was physically strong, like a black tower. He died in the autumn of 1985 at the age of 80.