The Family Tree for Getsu Yama Ryu

A rare picture of both Professor Cerio and Sifu Man Biu Lo, taken at the Imperial Tea House in Boston's Chinatown.  (L-R) unknown Hung Gar sifu, Sensei Alan Klapman, Professor Cerio, Sifu Lo, Sensei Chamberlain

Sifu Man Biu Lo, (Lo Man Biu)

This is an inexact history, since Sifu spoke only a few words in English, and when he said something long and involved, the students that spoke Cantonese usually reported: "Sifu said bend your knees!"
These few words were usually enough though!  They included:

His class during the 1980's met on the second floor above Wedgie's Pub, outside the Chinatown gates.  He had taught inside the gates at one time but had been "asked" to move outside them, since he was teaching white and black students in addition to the Chinese...

Sifu taught 7 Star Praying Mantis, which he learnt from Master Wong Hon Fun, Northern Eagle Claw, which he learnt from Lau Fat Mon, including numerous weapons, Chi Kung, and Northern Lion Dancing.  He was also a doctor of oriental medicine, and you had to watch out if you got hurt or he would bring out a bottle of Dit Da Yune, a black liquid, and rub it into your leg so hard that his thumb would disappear.  Just the thought of this was usually enough to ensure a rapid recovery! 

Class usually consisted of some warm-up sets, followed by arm and leg pounding drills (sometimes with handfuls of old chopsticks from one of the restaurants Sifu worked at) and then forms practice.   If Sifu got going, he would take down the silver whistle and mark a rapid tempo for the forms, and then you were in for a workout!  On Sundays after class we would all go over to the Imperial Tea House (which Albert ended up owning) for lunch, or one of the other restaurants for Dim Sum, tea and Tsing-Tao (arguably a great beer).

Sifu had apparently been his school's enforcer in Hong Kong, and was very highly regarded, both as a fighter and as an instructor.  When Alan Klapman, Roy Hebard, and a group of Sifu's students went to Hong Kong with him, many people came up to them and said they were lucky to have a such a great teacher. 

Sifu died in the late 1980's from complications due to Diabetes.  He is missed.  If you know more history about Sifu Lo or have any pictures you would be willing to share please contact us, we would like to add to this history.

Out of respect for Sifu Lo, we continue to teach a few of his forms as great examples of traditional Kung Fu.  From the 7-Star Mantis we have incorporated Buck Yuen Tow Toe or White Monkey Steals the Peaches, and Pakua Darn Do, a single broadsword set.  From the Eagle Claw we teach Die Myin Jayer Kune or Big Cotton Palm.

Below I have added history on both Northern Eagle Claw and 7-Star Praying Mantis, with credit given to the sources.

History of Praying Mantis Kung Fu

By Jon Funk

Note: the Chinese terms in this article are in expressed in Cantonese.

Three hundred and fifty years ago, Wong Long, the founder of the northern praying mantis style of kung fu , decided after learning the Shaolin fighting system that he needed to make improvements. Wong, who was opposed to the Manchurian takeover of China, had joined the Shaolin temple in Honan province to learn kung fu in order to become a skilled fighter. He felt that mastering the renowned fighting ability of the Shaolin monks would allow him to become an officer in the rebel army fighting the Manchurians. Unknowingly, he was to begin a process for generations of eclectic thought.

In the meantime, due to a traitorous rebel army general, those in opposition to the Manchurians lost their bid to overthrow the Ching, and restore the Ming dynasty. The Shaolin temple became a sanctuary for the remaining rebels. It was the combination of the Shaolin temple's autonomous nature, as well as its reputation as a refuge for rebels that began to cause concern for the new ruling Manchurians.

This concern built to a point where the emperor ordered the Shaolin temple burned and the monks killed. Afterward, Wong Long and the other surviving monks of the temple rescued their teacher and fled to the mountains. There they became nomads traveling from province to province to escape detection. Once they felt that it was safe, Wong and his fellow monks resettled in the Shan Tung province mountains where they continued to pursue their religious studies as well as the development of their kung fu skills. When their teacher passed away, Wong and his senior brother monk Feng, became the leaders of their group.

Over time, Wong Long became adept at the Shaolin fighting skills. However, he could not best his senior brother, monk Feng, in sparring practice. This bothered Wong. He felt that his skills were not good enough and he brooded over his perceived shortcoming. At about this time his senior brother monk decided, as was the custom of Shaolin monks, to travel throughout China for a period of three years. Knowing that Wong felt badly over the fact that Feng was a better kung fu practitioner, he told Wong that when he returned they would spar again and see if Wong had improved.

It was Wong's custom to train and practice his Shaolin kung fu skills in a meadow near the temple. One day after practicing with his sword, he sat down to study his books on Buddhism. He was interrupted by a noise nearby on the ground. Two insects were engaged in a duel, a praying mantis attacking a cicada. Within moments the praying mantis had killed the cicada and, holding it in its strong forearms, began eating. Wong was intrigued by the fierce attributes of the praying mantis insect. He was impressed by the way it had moved in and out and used it's forearms to trap and draw in its prey.

Since his losses in sparring to monk Feng, Wong had been driven by a desire to improve his Shaolin kung fu skills. Wong took what today is viewed as an eclectic step. He saw in the fierce insect's predatory ability a way to improve his own combat adeptness. Wong used a small stick and played with the praying mantis, observing how it used its skills as a predator to escape harm.

Within a few days of examining the praying mantis insect's methods of combat, he began to synthesize them into human terms. He classified the arm movements into twelve character principles: kou (hook), lou (grasp), t'sai (strike), kwa (upward block), tiao (hook), chin (advance), peng (recede), ta (strike first), chan (contact), nien (cling), tieh (tag), and k'ao (lean).

To complete his new approach he needed to add strength to the foot work. He accomplished this by observing the monkeys of China. He adopted their extremely efficient movements into a method of footwork that complemented his praying mantis hand skills. This addition gave his new style a quickness and agility never before available to him. He now felt that he had improved on his Shaolin kung fu skills.

At this point Wong felt that he had a superior system based on solid principles, so he decided to overlay them on a group of techniques from seventeen other styles. They are: 1) chen kuen technique by Tai Jo, 2) ton boi kuen technique by Hon Tong, 3) mein feng technique by Chen Yun, 4) dune kuen technique by Won Yuen, 5) dune da technique by Mah Jaik, 6) hau kuen technique by Shuin Hong, 7) kau sun dune da technique by Wong Chien 8) mien jueng technique by Mien Sai, 9) koi sow tong kuen technique by Gow Soing, 10) sut gung ngang bung technique by Wy Duk, 11) kou lou t'sai technique by Liu Hsing, 12) gwon lau gwoon yee technique by Tam Fong, 13) gim la dit fait technique by Yen Ching, 14) yin yang guet technique by Lum Chong, 15) chut sai lin guen technique by Man Gum, 16) wa lai fou choi technique by Tsai Lein, and 17) gwan choi yup jak technique by Ung Gwon.

This gave Wong seventeen techniques to utilize with his new approach. The amalgamation of skills from outside traditional kung fu systems set the stage for future generations to add their own contributions while staying within the original concepts developed by Wong Long. Other additions to the northern praying mantis style have included the Shaolin law hon gong breathing exercises, iron palm, and northern style weapons. Since the new approach did not rely on brute strength it was considered to have a mutuality of both hard and soft tactics.

When monk Feng returned from his three year journey, he and Wong sparred again. This time Wong won easily. He explained to his surprised elder brother about his discovery. Together they decided to call his new fighting system praying mantis. They practiced together developing and refining the new style's theory and physical movements. When they felt that their new praying mantis style was ready, they taught it to the other Shaolin monks as a higher level of kung fu.

After a few decades Wong Long passed away, and for a few generations the highly prized system of praying mantis kung fu was taught only to the monks of Shaolin. The arrival at the Shaolin temple of a Taoist master, called Sil Tao Yen, marked the beginning of the teaching of the praying mantis style outside the temple. When Sil first arrived at the Shaolin temple he observed a fighting style he had never seen before. At first he felt it looked jerky and without power. What he failed to see was the efficient use of the waist for the generation of skill-based body power. With this effective but hard to fathom skill, the monks exhibited techniques that didn't require the long range and muscular power-oriented tactics of hard style Shaolin kung fu.

He asked the monks practicing if he could have a friendly match with one of them to see how effective their kung fu was. At first they declined; however, after he began to ridicule their art as being ineffectual, they agreed to a friendly session. When he began to spar with one of the lower level monks, he soon found himself on the ground looking up with no idea of how he got there. He jumped up and declared that it must have been an accident. He asked if a more senior monk could spar with him. He met with the same result. At this point Sil was beginning to wonder what this new type of kung fu was that had defeated him so easily. When he inquired he found that it was the praying mantis style and was only taught to the monks of Shaolin as a higher form of kung fu.

This piqued Sil's interest and he spoke to the chief abbot of the temple about this unusual art of praying mantis and the possibility of learning from the monks. After some discussion, the abbot agreed to let Sil learn.

After mastering the northern based praying mantis system and leaving the temple, Sil Tao Yen taught the complete system to only one student, Li San Chen. After completing his studies with Sil, Li established a security service. For a fee he would guard a caravan of valuable goods. Li's security service became well known throughout China for its reliability.

The local bandits dubbed Li the lightning fist as no one was able to defeat him. As Li grew older he became concerned that he had not taught the art of praying mantis to anyone. He felt that the art that had brought him so much prosperity would die out. At age sixty he decided to travel and find a worthy individual to inherit the art of praying mantis.

When Li arrived in Fusham he heard of a local champion called Wong Ywing Sun. Li met with Wong and asked him for a demonstration of the skills Wong had used to become a champion. After watching him perform, Li remarked that the techniques Wong exhibited should not have won him a championship. Wong grew angry at Li's assessment of his kung fu skills. In fact he attacked Li, however, all he met was thin air. Li seemed to just disappear. Wong attacked again and met the same fate. Li could evade Wong at will seemingly without effort. Realizing that he faced a person of considerable skill, Wong bowed down to humble himself and asked to be accepted as Li's student.

Wong spent the next several years learning all that his teacher had to teach him. Having been born to a wealthy family Wong had the opportunity to practice praying mantis as a recreation, developing his art to an advanced level. Wong later accepted a student called Fan Yuk Tung. Nicknamed the giant and the broadsword, Fan was a large man weighing over 300 pounds, and known in the area as Giant Fan.

Fan Yuk Tung became well known as the result of an incident with a farmer's two bulls. One day as Fan was crossing a field the two bulls charged him. In defense he kicked the first bull and used a palm attack to strike the other bull. Both bulls perished and the farmer became angry. Fan pointed out that he had only been defending himself. The farmer reluctantly accepted this, however, word spread about Fan's accomplishment. He became even more famous after winning a challenge match in Russia. With his win he gained a great deal of notoriety.

Fan's student, Lo Kwon Yuk, made a name for himself after being sent by Fan to teach as one of the first instructors of the famous Ching Mo Athletic Association. Lo's reputation was further enhanced when one of his students won a prestigious fighting championship in China. Said to have practiced every form in the praying mantis system daily, Lo's skill level in praying mantis was developed to a high degree.

His favorite fist set was Tong Long Tow Toe (praying mantis steals the peach). This a hand set that is performed with quickness, and is excellent for developing fighting skills. Lo was also known for his ability with iron palm, and would only spar with his student using defensive actions. He feared his iron palm ability might accidentally injure someone.

Lo taught several students to a senior level in the praying mantis system; the most famous, Wong Hon Fun, was known in Hong Kong as the "Mantis King." Wong went on to teach several students to a high level of mastery of praying mantis kung fu. Throughout his long teaching career, Wong published over forty volumes on the northern praying mantis kung fu system. These would serve to be a guide for future generations of the northern praying mantis system

Passing away in 1973, the late Wong Hon Fun left his legacy to a number of senior students. One of them, Al Cheng, a Hong Kong full contact champion, emigrated to Canada and began teaching there in 1979. He taught for a number of years in Vancouver's Chinatown before passing his mantle to his disciple Jon Funk.

http://www.mantiskungfu.com/HistoryofPrayingMantisKungfu.htm     7 Star Praying Mantis

History of Northern Eagle Claw Kung Fu

The Eagle Claw system can be traced back to the end of the Southern Sung dynasty, about 1250 AD, when it was called Ying Kuen. During this time, a Sung general named Ngok Fei was involved in defending against an invasion of Mongolian warriors. Ngok Fei had learned a fighting system known as the "108 fighting techniques" from a Sil Lum (Shaolin) monk named Jow Tong. Ngok Fei taught these techniques to his soldiers who subsequently defeated the Mongolian invaders. The 108 movements taught by Ngok Fei were primarily a system of hand techniques that incorporated grappling techniques and pressure-point strikes. Upon the death of Ngok Fei, his soldiers dispersed, but some continued to practice the 108 techniques during their wanderings throughout China. Eventually the art returned to the Sil Lum monastery, where it remained until the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644).

During the Ming period, the system was expanded by a monk named Lai Chin, who was already a master of the system known as Faan Tzi. Lai Chin worked to combine the two systems into one complete fighting system, and the result was Faan Tzi Ying Jow Pai - now known as Northern Eagle Claw. Today no one can separate the two styles from each other. Late in the Ming dynasty, an educated young nobleman named Toa Gai was taught the Eagle Claw system as part of his education. While Toa Gai was still young, the Ching Dynasty began, and the resulting political upheaval forced Toa Gai to become a monk. It is recorded that Toa Gai passed the system directly to Far Shing, who taught near what is now Peking. Far Shing taught Lau Shu Chun and, after his time, Eagle Claw came to be a family system, taught only to members of the Lau family for many generations. But eventually Chan Tzi Ching was taught the art, and he gained a reputation as an undefeated fighter and began teaching in Southern China.

Chan opened several schools and one of his instructors, Lau Fat Mon, began teaching in a school located in Hong Kong. Among the students there was Ng Wai Nung, who studied for a number of years with Sifu Lau. Eventually, Ng Wai Nung learned the deepest secrets of the system, including the three master forms: Hon Kuen, Lin Kuen and Ngok Fei's Yat Ling Bot Sau Sou. Thus Lau Fat Mon became the inheritor of the Eagle Claw system. After World War II and the coming of Mao Tse Tung, he returned to Hong Kong, spreading the system throughout southern China. Lau Fat Mon died in 1964, but Ng Wai Nung continued to teach the art. One of Ng Wai Nung's advanced students was Shum Leung, who began teaching at the school. Ng Wai Nung died in 1991. In 1972, Shum Leung opened his school in New York City, beginning the circulation of the Ying Jow Pai system on this continent.

History taken from the Northern Eagle Claw Kung Fu website, Sifu Shum Leung, New York City

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