Taiji Praying Mantis Boxing. Today this style is represented by two distinct lineages. The first one is that of Cui Shoushan and Wang Yushan and is based on Song Zide and Jiang Hualong's Plum Blossom teachings in Laiyang, Shandong Province. It is popular in Laiyang, Yantai, Qingdao, Dalian, North America, Russia, France and Spain. The second lineage can be traced to Sun Yuanchang's Plum Blossom, who was yet another disciple of Liang Xuexiang. Its best known progenitor is Zhao Zhu Xi, who is said to have taught (both directly and indirectly) thousands of students during his lifetime in Vietnam and Hong Kong, who have since spread to all corners of the globe. He was given the Cantonese nickname Chuk Kai, meaning "Bamboo Creek", for a famous battle he fought with bandits at that location. This style has since become prevalent in places such as Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and North America.



Beng Bu is the first form taught, it is also the original form of praying mantis, along with Ba Zhou and Luan Jie. The movements within this set are all aimed at giving the practitioner explosive power and footwork. The form is particularly difficult and so gives a good foundation to build upon. It was said that Cui Shou Shan required students to practice this form for three years before he taught more advanced material. The version taught in Taiji Mantis is considerably longer and more complex than the version practiced in other branches; it was expanded on by Song Zi De.

Lecturer: Sun Zhibin
Format: 2DVDs
Language Speaking: Chinese
Subtitle: Chinese