Seven Star Praying Mantis
WONG LONG (Founder)
(1) SING SIL Master
(2) LEE SAN CHINE Master
(3) WONG WING SANG Master
(4) FANG YUK TOUNG Master
(5) LOW KWANG YU Master
(6) CHIU CHI MAN Master
(7) LEE KAM WING Master
(8) KWOK WING HO (Hong Kong) AU
CHI SHING (Hong Kong) CHAN SIE HUNG (Hong Kong)
DEREK FREARSON (United Kingdom)
The Praying Mantis style of Kung
Fu originated in the Shaolin Monastery about 350 years ago, between
the Ming and Ching dynasties.
History recalls that a Buddhist
priest named Wong Long created the Northern Praying Mantis style,
after watching a fight between a Praying Mantis and a Cicada. He was
so fascinated by the aggressiveness, speed and strength of the
apparently overmatched mantis that he caught it for further study.
He watched its movements and how
it reacted to various situations and then copied the actions. Slowly
the system evolved. This led to the development of the Praying Mantis
style of Kung Fu, with its characteristic strong and rapid movements.
When Wong Long was satisfied
that his studies were complete, he added to it the best movements of
seventeen other styles, and used the footwork of the Monkey to give it
manoeuvrability.
Wong Long passed the art to Sing
Sil who in turn passed the art to his disciple Lee San Chine. Lee San
Chine ran an escort guard service in Shantung Province. His
achievements in the martial arts were outstanding and he had many
followers.
Lee San Chine accepted Wong Wing
Sang as a disciple, Wong was a third degree martial arts graduate
under the imperial system. Wong taught the art to Fang Yuk Toung who
in turn passed the art to Lo Kwang Yu. Lo Kwang Yu practised hard and
became one of the "Four Super Lords" of the Ching Mo Association in
Shanghai. He was later sent to Hong Kong to teach the Seven Star
Praying Mantis style at the Hong Kong branch of the Ching Mo
Association. His disciple Chiu Chi Man joined the Ching Mo Association
in 1924, Grandmaster Chiu studied the Tam Tui, Eagle Claw and Taiji
styles.
On Master Lo Kwang Yu's arrival
in Hong Kong he began the study of Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Under
Master Lo Kwang Yu's personal instruction and through laborious
practise, Chiu Chi Man achieved remarkable results. In 1933 Chiu was
appointed as master Lo's assistant instructor, in the same year he was
also nominated as the department head manager of the Chinese Martial
Arts division of the Ching Mo Association.
In 1938, Master Chiu Chi Man and
his Kung Fu brothers set up the Man Keung Athletic Association in Hong
Kong. Master Chiu was elected as the first chairman while Grandmaster
Lo was appointed Chief Instructor of the executive committee. Some
time later, the Pacific war broke out, the Man Keung Athletic
Association was forced to close down and Grandmaster Lo returned to
his home in Shantung province China where he died shortly after the
war.
After the war the majority of
Grandmaster Lo's students went into the commercial field. Those who
remained were few and scarce, Chiu Chi Man has been the outstanding
promoter of the Seven Star Mantis system.
MASTER LEE KAM WING
Lee Kam Wing was born in Hong
Kong in1947 and began the study of Praying Mantis Kung Fu at the age
of fifteen, he is now the leading practitioner in Hong Kong. Under
Master Chiu's guidance Lee Kam Wing has inherited the complete system
of Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Herbal medicine and Bone
Setting. In 1972 with the encouragement of Master Chiu Master Lee
opened his own martial arts gymnasium. Grandmaster Chiu has presented
Sifu Lee with four hand written books detailing the complete system of
Seven Star Praying Mantis Fist Forms, Weapons, Bone Setting and Chi
Gung. These books were given to Master Chiu by his Master Lo Kwang Yu.
Sifu Lee has also made advanced
studies of osteopathy and acupuncture and is a graduate of the famous
Fatshan Orthopaedics Hospital in China. He has also been a practising
Buddhist since 1981.
AN ARDENT PROMOTER
Master Lee Has taught his art to
many students from around the world, he also regularly travels
overseas to enable the martial arts community and Mantis practitioners
in particular to know and understand the true transmission as handed
down by Grandmaster Lo Kwang Yu.
Master Lee has taught in Hungry,
America, Australia, England, Germany, Italy and France, he is willing
to teach the inside secrets of his art along with the closed-door
weapons forms like the Fong Ting War Gek.
For a more in-depth
history on Seven Star Praying Mantis and Master Lee Kam Wing read Sifu
Derek Frearson's forth-coming book:
"The Fundamentals of
Seven Star Praying Mantis"
Master Lee Kam Wing and Sifu
Derek Frearson with Instructors from the UK.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON
MASTER LEE KAM WING.
This site is dedicated to Master
Lee Kam Wing's Seven Star Praying Mantis
