Wang Yu Shan
Praying Mantis Shifu
The information presented in this chart was collected from different sources -see Bibliography-, therefore the romanizations in Pinyin according to the Mandarin pronunciation of the characters sometimes is not available. If you find any mistakes or inaccuracies please contact me.
Also known as:
Wang Zhen.
Born in 1892, in the Cui Zhuang village in Laiyang County, Shan Dong Province.
Shifu Wang Yu Shan started learning Di Gong Quan (Ground Boxing) from his father and his grandfather shifu Song Yun Tong in 1900/2 .
Later, in 1910 shifu Wang Yu Shan started learning at the shifu Jiang Hua Long school in Laiyang.
Shifu Wang Yu Shan studied at the Zhao Ge Zhuang Praying Mantis boxing school (wu guan), at this school shifu Jiang Hua Long was sitting in a chair and shifu Song Zi De was the person who was actually teaching.
Eight of the most famous disciples of shifu Jiang Hua Long / shifu Song Zi De are known as the Ba Da Di Zi (Eight Great Disciples), being all of them: shifu Wang Yu Shan, shifu Li Kun Shan, shifu Cui Shou Shan, shifu Jiang Huan Ting, shifu Zhao Shi Ting, shifu Jiu Zhu Yuan, shifu Zang Yun Sheng and shifu Jiang Yu Long.
He was 33 years younger than his actual instructor, shifu Song Zi De, and became is son-in-law by marrying his only daughter.
In 1917 shifu Wang Yu Shan started teaching in Lai Yang with the idea of spreading the art and in 1929 he took the responsibility of teaching in a guan in Qin Dao.
Shifu Wang Yu Shan toghether with shifu Cui Shou Shan and shifu Li Kun Shan, became famous in Shandong and they were known as the "3 Mountains of Lai Yang County." The last Chinese ideogram representing the three masters' names were "Shan", meaning "mountain" in Chinese. Lai Yang County in Shandong Province is where many famous Tang Lang Quan practitioners were from.
In April 1933, shifu Wang Yu Shan won the first place in the fist fighting division of the Shandong province pre-selection tournament for the Nanjing National examination to be held in October that year. At the Nanjing National competition shifu Wang Yu Shan did not lost by disqualification as pubhished in the "Journal Of Martial Arts" Mei Hua Tang Lang Quan article. In fact, he refused to fight against a competitor who had won all his fights by attacking his opponents with his head, making use of the rule that one could not hit the head. Despite that, because everybody acknowledged his skill he was granted a prize. Unfortunately, all shifu Wang Yu Shan trophies disappeared at the cultural revolution. At the same national competition and also representing Shan Dong Province, shifu Wang Yu Shan's gong fu brother (shifu Li Kun Shan) won the first place in weapons and the 3rd place in fist competition.
In 1933 he returned to Lai Yang county, where he started teaching in a guan, but later in 1940 he moved again to Qin Dao, where he set up a school and taugh many students.
Shifu Wang Yu Shan passed away in 15 December 1976. His grave site is located in Lai Yang County and the names of his disciples are carved on the back side of the tomb stone.
Page Updated: 1st January 2005.
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Fernando Blanco Dopazo .