Zhou Bao Fu
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.
He was born in Chekiang, China in 1953.
According to the information in his web page Zhou Bao Fu started to learn nothern Chinese martial arts at the age of 6 and he formally received at 16, the master-in-chief seat of Nothern Tang Lang Quan, being shifu Wang Song Ting's last disciple.
Zhou Bao Fu has told his students about his lineage that shifu Wang Song Ting chose him as his successor so late in life because he intended to train him as the inheritor of his system. Zhou Bao Fu also mentioned that since shifu Wang Song Ting died before transmitting him the entire system, the responsibility for this fell primarily to his shi jie, who had learned the complete system from shifu Wang Song Ting but was deemed unnaceptable as a inheritor of the system because of being a woman.
Therefore Zhou Bao Fu learned the rest of the system from this woman nicknamed "Yu-mian Guanyin" (Jade-faced Guanyin). His shi jie finally moved to Phillipines were she specialized Cai Li Fo, that still teaches over there.
Zhou Bao Fu has told his students that he did not learn all of his Praying Mantis from shifu Wang Song Ting or his Shi jie, but he has continually exchanged arts with other practitioners in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, America and elsewhere.
There has been some controversy related to authenticity of Zhou Bao Fu credentials and his claims about being shifu Wang Song Ting's last disciple. It is not the purpose of this document to discuss that subject, therefore I will just not give any opinion. I'll write some facts and I hope the reader will make his own research:
* Shifu Wang Song Ting passed away in 1964, being Zhou Bao Fu 11 years old at the time.
* Zhou Bao Fu flavor of boxing tang lang quan has differences with other shifu Wang Song Ting's students, while most of other disciples movements are pretty similar.
* The list of forms that presents in his web page is strange, because it includes not only the mantis forms from the Chang Quan Tang Lang / Mei Hua Tang Lang but also forms from the Lio He Tang Lang Quan and Ba Bu Tang Lang Quan systems that he could not learn from shifu Wang Song Ting.
Zhou Bao Fu used to work in the Hong Kong film industry as a fighting choreographer and had some chances to visit shifu Huang Han Xun's school in Hong Kong.
Zhou Bao Fu has published a book about "Yi Jin Ching" (The book of changing tendon), Shaolin breathing exercises.
Zhou Bao Fu has students in the USA, Canada and Australia. Some of his students did well in forms competitions in Taiwan.
Page Updated: 1st August 2006.
If you have comments please contact me !!
Fernando Blanco Dopazo .