Su Yu Zhang
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.
His name is also romanized as:
Su Yu Chang.
Born in 1940 student of shifu Li Kun Shan (Mei Hua Tang Lang Quan), shifu Zhang De Kui (Mi Men Tang Lang Quan), shifu Wei Xiao Tang (Ba Bu Tang Lang Quan) and shifu Liu Yun Qiao (Liu He Tang Lang Quan).
Shifu Su Yu Zhang was Chinese national gong-fu champion by the age of fourteen and he was dubbed "lightning fist" by the martial arts community. In 1968, as a member of the Taiwanese team, he won the all-around gold medal at the International Martial Arts Championship in Malaysia.
Doctor Su received a Doctorate of Chinese Medicine and taught medicine, philosophy and martial arts at Taiwan's National University, the Pedagogical Institute, Fon Chia University, and Fu Yen University. He acted as director of martial arts for the Chinese Olympic games and served as a combat instructor for the Taiwanese military school.
In 1976 shifu Su Yu Zhang moved to Venezuela, togheter with shifu Dai Shi Zhe, both hired by the businessman Luis Chang Fung (who died in New York in December 1998). In Venezuela shifu Su Yu Zhang taught at the Central University, founded the "Instituto Pachimen" in 1979, and became vice-president of the South American Chinese Martial Arts Federation. Shifu Su Yu Zhang lived in Venezuela until 1989 when he moved to Spain where he trained special security teams for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Doctor Su is the author of five books on Chinese martial arts and philosophy, as well as six instructional videos on Mantis, Pa Chi, Pa Kua and Tai Chi.
Shifu Su Yu Zhang performed a detailed research of the tang lang quan system. Shifu Xu Ji (Adam Hsu) wrote in the forward to shifu Su Yu Zhang's Beng Bu book how impressed he was with shifu Su Yu Zhang's collection of Tang Lang Quan manuscripts. While performing his research shifu Su Yu Zhang corresponded with shifu Huang Han Xun (the famous Qi Xing Tang Lang Quan shifu).
Shifu Su Yu Zhang's school, "Pa Chi Tang Lang Chuan International Association", promotes the styles of Northern Praying Mantis, Ba Ji Quan, Pi Qua Zhang, Xing Yi Quan and Tai Ji Quan, and his school has branches in 16 countries including: USA, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela, Netherlands, Argentina, Colombia, Malaysia, etc.
Currently shifu Su Yu Zhang lives in New York (USA).
Page Updated: 1st September 2006.
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Fernando Blanco Dopazo .