Northern Praying Mantis (martial Art) - Origins

Origins

There are many legends surrounding the creation of Northern Praying Mantis boxing. One legend attributes the creation of Mantis fist to the Song Dynasty when Abbot Fu Ju (福居), a legendary persona of the historical Abbot Fu Yu (福裕) (1203–1275), supposedly invited Wang Lang (王朗) and seventeen other masters to come and improve the martial arts of Shaolin. The Abbot recorded all of the techniques in a manual called the Mishou (祕手 – "Secret Hands") and later passed it onto the Taoist priest Shen Xiao. This manual supposedly disappeared until the Qianlong reign era when it was published under the name "Arhat exercising merit short strike illustrated manuscript" (Chinese: 罗汉行功短打; pinyin: Luóhàn Xínggōng Duǎn Dǎ). Some sources place the folk manuscript's publication on the "sixteenth day of the third month of the spring of 1794". The manual records Wang Lang "absorbed and equalized all previous techniques" learned from the 17 other masters.

The 18 Masters Invited to Shaolin
# Name Technique Master
1 Changquan Long-range Boxing Emperor Taizu
2 Tongbeiquan Through the Back Han Tong
3 Chan Feng Wrap Around and Seal Zhang En
4 Duanda Close-range Strikes Ma Ji
5 Keshou Tongquan Blocking Hands and Following Through Fist Jin Xiang
6 Gou Lou Cai Shou Hooking, Scooping and Grabbing Hands Liu Xing
7 Zhanna Diefa Methods of Sticking, Grabbing, and Falling Yan Qing
8 Duan Quan Short Boxing Wen Yuan
9 Hou Quan Monkey Boxing Sun Heng
10 Mien Quan Cotton Fist Mien Shen
11 Shuailue Yingbeng Throwing-Grabbing and Hard Crashing Huai De
12 Gunlou Guaner Ducking, Leaking and Passing through the Ears Tan Fang
13 Chuojiao Mandarin ducks kicking technique Lin Chong
14 Qishi Lianquan Seven Postures of Continuous Fist Strikes Meng Su
15 Kunlu Zhenru Hand Binding and Grabbing Yang Gun
16 Woli Paochui Explosive Strikes into the Hollow Body Parts Cui Lian
17 Kao Shou Close Range Hand Techniques Huang You
18 Tong long Praying Mantis Wong Long


A third of the masters listed all come from fictional novels. Yan Qing (#7) and Lin Chong (#13) come from the Water Margin and Emperor Taizu (#1), Han Tong (#2), Zhang En (#3) and Huai De (#11) come from the Fei Long Quan Zhuan (飞龙全传 – “The Complete Flying Dragon Biography”), which was published prior to the aforementioned manual.

Another legend connected to the Song Dynasty states Wang Lang participated in a Lei tai contest in the capital city of Kaifeng and was defeated by General Han Tong (韩通), the founder of Tongbeiquan. After leaving the fighting arena, he saw a brave praying mantis attacking the wheels of oncoming carts with its "broadsword-like" arms, Mantis fist was born shortly thereafter. However, most legends place Wang Lang living in the late Ming Dynasty.

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