According to the oral and written tradition Tang Lang Quan or Mantis fist was created by a Shaolin disciple known as Wang Lang in the woods of Mount Lao, in Shandong province of China.

After a period of time of observing the mantis he have pick up and brought home, he was able to link together the different offensive and defensive movements of the mantis. This new style of boxing was called Tang Lang Quan, this system was later improved by monk Fu Chi with the inclusion of techniques from seventeen other martial arts style into Tang Lang Quan boxing system.

The Wang family was rich and held influence with the Han government. Unfortunately, when the Manchu invaded China, this connection cost them dearly. The ruling Manchu destroyed the house of Wang, and killed all family members found within. Wang escaped capture and execution, and during the Qing dynasty he led several insurrections against the ruling Manchu government.

Wang quickly became a wanted man by the Qing government. While Qing soldiers were pursuing him, he sought refuge in the Hua Yi Temple at Lao Shan Mountain. The abbot of the temple helped him by throwing hot water on his face, making his pursuers believe he was a virally ill patient of the temple, and not the man they were hunting.

According to another story, at one battle he was badly beaten, falling or thrown off a mountain cliff, and was presumed dead. He was rescued by a Shaolin monk named Tung Chang, who took him to Shaolinsi and helped him recover. While there, he was taught the Shaolin martial systems.

When the Shaolin temple was invaded and burned by Manchu invaders, many in the temple died, but several monks and refugees escaped. Wang Le Wu was among the escapees, and continued to fight the Manchu. He took refugeagain at the Hua Yi temple at Lao Shan mountain, but this time he would enter as a monk. There, Wang took the name Sang Sao Xia Hi.

Even after the Manchu government had squelched most of the insurrection it had encountered, many rebels still existed in places like Yantai, Xixia, Chao Yuan, Pintu, and Nayian. These rebel stragglers gathered at the Hua Yi temple to conspire against the Manchu government.

Wang was always a strong leader of the rebels. He considered many of them to be his sons, which is why he was known as Wang or the surname De Yi Shi, which means “having a son.” That is why he was called Wang Lang. Wang was his surname and Lang means ?son?. Also during a time he was called ?Qian Si San?, a fake name used while spying on the enemy.

Wang?s rebel headquarters was at the Xia Gou temple, located on top of the mountain protecting Yantai. Eventhough Wang Lang is credited for inventing Tang Lang Quan at the Hua Yi temple, it is also said that he developed the style while in his mountain headquarters.

Wang Lang was 70 years old and taught the new method to a travelling Taoist monk Li Ping Hiao, also known as Sheng Xiao, who in turn showed it to other masters. The original Tang Lang Quan gave birth to other mantis styles such as Mimen Tang Lang Quan, Qi Xing Tang Lang Quan, Liu He Tang Lang Quan, Mei Hua Tang Lang Quan, and Ba Bu Tang Lang Quan.

The first known disciple of Qi Xing Tang Lang Quan or Seven Star Praying Mantis fist was Li San Jian. Li who operated a security escort service was known as “Fast Hand Li” because of his lightning fast fighting hand technique, he taught Qi Xing Tang Lang Quan to Wang Yun Sheng (1854-1926). Wang a martial art national champion would later pass on this boxing system to a big man known as Fan Xu Dong. Fan weighing more than 300 pounds, was famous for winning a boxing championship in Siberia and killing two bulls with his bare hands.

He have a boxing school in his hometown Yantai, Shandong where he taught several disciples, his only known disciples were Guo Jia Lu, Yang Wei Xin, Lin Jing Shan, Luo Guang Yu, Wang Zhuan Yi and Chi Zhu En.

Guo Jia Lu of Laiyang, is the most senior of Fan Xu Dong’s disciples, he died young so there was no record of his disciple.

Yang Wei Xin of Penglai, Yang Weixin was a man with a short temper who had a bad reputation for being heavy handed. He done heavy injury to many of his opponents and was eventually prosecuted in 1910 for the killings of two boxers from the Meihua Tanglang style. He was later sent by Fan Xu Dong to Shanghai to teach at Jing Wu Hui , but later came back to Yantai because he hate the weather there. He has taught some great Tang Lang masters like Liu Yun Chang, Dong Shi Xun and Xiao Shu Bin.

Lin Jing Shan of Laiyang, is the third disciple of Fan Xu Dong. He have taught many students, among the notables were Hu Yong Fu, Yu Tian Cheng, Zhong Lian Bao, Yu Tian Tang, Yu Tian Lu, Ling Hua Tang, Lin Chun Sheng, Wang Zhuan Lan and others.

Luo Guang Yu of Penglai was responsible in introducing Qi Xing Tang Lang Quan to Southern China. He was initially sent to Jing Wu Hui in Shanghai to teach Qi Xing Tang Lang and he was later invited to teach at other Jing Wu branches in Guangdong and Hong Kong. Among his famous students were Huang Han Xun, Zhao Zhi Min, Huang Jin Hong, Chen Zhen Yi, Ma Chen Xin and others. 

Tag: Tang Lang Quan