Li Yau San was a monk from the Southern Shaolin Temple of Putian, Fujian province, who withdrew from the Buddhist clergymen to become a layman again. Li's kung fu background in Putian Shaolin was related to the legendary monk Ji Sin, the brother style of Hung Hei Koon. His famous techniques are the powerful southern fist like the: jong- chui, kup-chui, dot-chui, jit-fu chui, dau-fu-chui, chin-ji, pek-chui, biu-jong and the fu-jau (tiger claw). The forms handed down from Li YauSan Woi San still taught in the Plum Blossom Federation are: Iron Arrow Long Fist Hand Form or Tit Jin Cheong Kuen and Lohan Tames The Tiger Hand Form or Law Hon Fook Fu Kuen.

After Li Yau San left Putian, Fujian province, he came to San Woi (modern day Xin Hui), Guangdong province and opened a dit-da herbal shop for helping the district citizens to set broken bones and to treat injuries.

Chan Heung, founder of Choy Li Fut Kung Fu came to Li Yau San's shop with his first kung fu teacher Chan Yuen Woo to ask him to be his second kung fu teacher. Since Li Yau San and Chan Yuan Woo were good friends, Li accepted Chan Heung as his student. After three years of intensive training, Li Yau San believed Chan Heung had mastered his Li style of kung fu and Chan Heung's uncle Chan Yuan Woo's fut style of kung fu, he thought Chan Heung should continue to learn from Choy Fok, the monk who had returned from the Northern Shaolin . He wrote a letter for Chan Heung to go to Mt. Luo Fu to search for Choy Fok and study the Choy style of kung fu.