Paul Sun (Sun Po-Wen) was born in Tainan, Taiwan in 1966 and emmigrated to the United States at the age of one, as his father, Grandmaster Steve L. Sun, was pursuing graduate study at the University of Pennsylvania. Paul is the youngest of two sons.

Paul began learning traditional Chinese wushu at a very young age from his father who is well known for his expertise in Southern styles and Yang style taijiquan. Due to his uncle, James Wu's exposure, Paul began expanding his studies of the martial arts to include northern style Praying Mantis. Paul's parents encouraged his studies by aiding him in traveling to Taiwan and to various parts of the US to learn praying mantis from a number of distinguished masters. Paul's two principle teachers are Ho Tsong-Yuan (in the US) and Shi Zhengzhong (in Taiwan). Grandmaster Ho became Paul's main mentor and guide in the world of martial arts, training Paul in a number of northern style in addition to praying mantis.

Paul has studied many different styles of northern and southern Chinese traditional wushu, though he specializes in Praying Mantis and weapons. Due to his efforts and those of his teachers, Paul has been able to assemble what he considers to be one of the strongest northern Mantis systems in the United States. Sun Shifu has taught a number of students who have won at National and International tournaments in all divisions from children to seniors.

Sun Shifu attributes his success to his family, teachers and students. Paul's wife Suzanne, along with both their parents, have given him constant support and encouragement, while his brother David Sun has helped him in gaining a competitive edge.

Paul been certified as an instructor by the United States Chinese Kuoshu Federation. Paul has been featured in Many Master's Demonstrations for the WKF and USCKF, as well as other venues, and has been inducted to the UIKF Hall of Fame. Paul has also been awarded the World Top 100 Martial Artists Gold Medal by the IMAF.

Sun Shifu has devoted much of his time to developing his students. He stresses good family values and the importance of education. Paul believes that God has given him the ability to help others become positive so that they may make a difference in this world.

In addition to his involvement in the martial arts, Paul has dedicated himself to helping others through the field of personal finance.