Wang Lang
王朗
Legendary figureLegendary founder of the Shandong mantis boxing style tanglangquan, whose historical existence many researchers doubt.
Quick Facts
ChinaBiography
Wang Lang (王朗) is, according to folk tradition, the founder of the style tanglangquan, the mantis boxing associated with Shandong province. Legends place his activity either in the Song dynasty (960–1279) or, more often, at the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties around 1650. A Chinese source states that he came from Jimo in Shandong; elsewhere no place is given.
According to one legend, he lost a lei tai tournament in Kaifeng to General Han Tung. He then supposedly saw a praying mantis attacking the wheels of passing carts, or in another version hunting a cicada, and drew inspiration from its movement for a new style. Chinese tradition holds that he combined the foundations of eighteen northern family styles, created twelve basic techniques from them and adopted the monkey steps (yuanhou bu).
The style is typified by the mantis hook of the fingers (tanglang gou), used to block, seize and strike. The main branches are Meihua (plum blossom), Qixing (seven stars), Liuhe (six harmonies), Babu (eight steps) and Taiji tanglangquan; Qixing is the most widespread.
Many researchers doubt Wang Lang's existence and believe the style arose from the merging of local Shandong styles; skeptics see in it a mixture of the styles changquan (long fist), luohanquan, shuikoumen and ground boxing. Some of Wang Lang's alleged contemporaries are characters from the novel Water Margin (Shui Hu Zhuan), and thus fictional. We have not been able to verify any specific students of Wang Lang in the sources.