Shaolin Kung Fu Styles
Tang
Lang Quan (Praying Mantis Boxing) (05 - Legends)
...
The
Legend Described by the Grand Master of Eight Steps Praying Mantis
Boxing Wei
Xiaotang (1901-1984)
in his unpublished book entitled "The Secret Bookcase of
Practical Praying Mantis Boxing" (First English translation
by Ilya Profatilov)
The
founder of Praying Mantis Boxing was Wang Lang from Ji Mo county
of Shan Dong province. However, Wang Lang also had a taoist
sobriquet Ye You Shan Ren. Wang Lang was the smartest and the most
talented child in the family and from an early age he had started
to have a great interest in martial arts, but could not find a
good teacher.
Once
Wang Lang heard about a certain taoist master called Yu Hua Zhen
Ren, well known as an outstanding expert in martial arts. Wang
Lang went to Lao Shan mountains were the venerable taoist master
lived in the Temple
of the Supreme Purity (Shang Qing Gong).
Wang Lang became a disciple of the taoist master and during
several years under the guidance of the taoist master, Wang Lang
learned the technique of the taoist boxing style Tai Gong Quan.
After the completion of his studies, Wang Lang, following his
teacher's advice, went around China to visit other great masters
of martial arts in order to perfect his own skills. During his
travels Wang Lang reached Shaolin
monastery
were he was defeated in fights with the monks. In sorrow, Wang
Lang left the monastery. He was walking through the woods when he
decided to take a short rest under a willow tree. Suddenly, Wang
Lang heard a strange noise, lifted his head and saw a praying
mantis catching a cicada. Astonished by the skills of the insect,
Wang Lang caught the praying mantis and returned back to Lao Shan
mountains where over a period of a few years he watched praying
mantis movements-- fighting and teasing it with a ...
small branch.
Soon
Wang Lang reached enlightment and developed Praying Mantis Boxing,
its theory about twelve character guiding principles, theory of
eight hard and twelve soft techniques. Also Wang Lang borrowed the
best techniques from seventeen styles of boxing and incorporated
them into Praying Mantis Boxing along with the monkey steps or
legs movements. When the new style was fully developed in all
aspects, Wang Lang transmitted its techniques and theories to his
best disciples, Yu Zhou Dao Ren and Shen Xiao Dao Ren. It is said
that later Wang Lang took part in the rebellion of secret
societies against the Manchurian invasion. However, all Wang
Lang's troops were killed and only he escaped. When Wang Lang
returned to the Lao Shan mountains, Manchurian soldiers had
already been there. Wang Lang and his taoist teacher Yu Hua Zhen
Ren left Lao Shan and went to Kun Lun shan mountain were Wang Lang
continued self-cultivation and lived as a hermit until the end of
his days".
The
Legend told by the Grandmaster of Plum Blossom Praying Mantis
Boxing Li
Kunshan (1894-1976)
and recorded by his disciple Li
Hongjie.
(First English translation by Ilya Profatilov)
"The
founder of Praying Mantis Boxing was Wang Lang. Wang Lang was born
and grew up in the Long Bao village in Ji Mo county of Shan Dong
province. The village's richest landlord, Wang Man Tang, was
famous for his compassion and love for all villagers and Wang Lang
was his the only son. Therefore, all the parental love and care of
Wang Man Tang was directed towards his son's education in the best
Confucian tradition. And it was easy to do primarily because of
the outstanding talents of Wang Lang. When Wang Lang completed a
course of Confucian classics and reached a high level of
proficiency in the art of poetry, his father, in order to develop
a well-rounded personality in his son, invited a master of martial
arts to teach Wang Lang. However, the process of his son's
education was interrupted by the invasion of Manchurian troops.
All Wang Lang's relatives died in the just fight against the
Manchurians and he being mortally wounded was thrown into the
river. But Wang Lang was lucky, because soon he was rescued by a
wondering buddhist monk of the Shao Lin monastery, Tong Chan Shang
Ren. Tong Chan Shang Ren carried Wang Lang all the way to Shao Lin
monastery, where he was taken care of by the monks skillful in
herbal medicine. In a short period of time, Wang Lang was cured
and become a part of the buddhist sangha ( buddhist monks
religious community and brotherhood).
After
seven years of living in the monastery, Wang Lang learned the art
of Shao Lin Boxing and defeated all the monks except the head monk
who was the best warrior-monk of the monastery. Once, feeling
disappointed in himself, Wang Lang wondered into a nearby forest
when suddenly he heard the sharp, loud sounds made by cicada
somewhere on the tree. Wang Lang came closer and saw a praying
mantis which caught the cicada with its front legs. At this exact
moment Wang Lang reached enlightment, caught the praying mantis
and returned to the monastery. Then he found a quiet place in one
of the side yards, took a stick and started to attack the insect.
As soon as the praying mantis saw a new enemy it grabbed the stick
and gnawed through it. Over many days Wang Lang studied the front
leg movements of the praying mantis, its attack and defence
techniques and started to develop his own style of boxing based on
the praying mantis. However, Wang Lang was not satisfied by the
way the insect walked and decided to adopt the walking techniques
of the big ape. Moreover, Wang Lang decided to incorporate
seventeen different fighting techniques of the seventeen styles he
learned in the monastery. After a few years Wang Lang completed
the creation of a new style and called it Praying Mantis Boxing.
Then he defeated the head monk and the head monk called the abbot.
The abbot was surprised to see such a great and promising new
style of boxing and sent Wang Lang to travel around China to visit
famous masters of martial arts and to further develop Praying
Mantis Boxing. Wang Lang visited many masters but nobody could
defeat him in a just fight. Wang Lang spent the rest of his days
in Lao Shan mountains in Shan Dong province,where he passed his
Praying Mantis style to the taoist master Shen Xiao Dao Ren."
There
are also a few other legends which basicly describe the same story
and the most common of them is a story especially popular among
the practitioners of theLuo
Guangyu's (1888-1944)
branch of Seven Star Praying Mantis Boxing, which is widely spread
in Hong Kong and in the US. It can be found in any book, article
or web page about Seven Star Praying Mantis. This story has been
told by Grand Master Luo Guangyu and later recorded by his famous
disciples Zhao Zhimin and Huang Hanxun and its contents is close
to the legend told by Grand Master Li Kun Shan...
