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Ma HantsingMaster of the Praying Mantis Style
Date of Birth: 19.09.1920
Country:  China |
Content:
- Early Life and Training
- Mastery of Three Combat Systems
- Expansion of Martial Arts Knowledge
- Return to Beijing and Martial Arts Renaissance
- Discovery and Mastery of Tanglangquan
- Cultural Revolution
- Exile to Daqing
- Return to Beijing and Further Teaching
- Misrepresentation of Tanglangquan in Film
- Later Years and Legacy
Early Life and Training
Master Ma Hanqing was born on September 19th, 1920 into a prominent family in Beijing. His father passed away when Ma was young, and he was adopted by his uncle, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who served the last emperor, Puyi, in the Forbidden City.
Growing up in the affluent Chaoyangmennei area within the city walls, Ma received a classical education. However, his passion lay in martial arts. At the age of eight, he began studying the "Wu" style of Taijiquan with Master Yang Yuting (1887-1982), a renowned disciple of Master Wang Mao Zhai (1862-1940).
At fourteen, Ma Hanqing was introduced to the eighty-year-old Ma Yunlong, a renowned expert in Zha Quan, a Muslim martial art, Shaolin boxing, and Tangtui. Residing within the city walls near the Chongwenmen Gate, Ma Yunlong supported himself by making drums and teaching martial arts.
Mastery of Three Combat Systems
Ma Hanqing trained under Ma Yunlong until the master's passing at the age of ninety. He mastered all three extensive combat systems taught by Ma Yunlong—eighteen varieties of classical weapons and the art of throwing darts. Simultaneously, Ma Hanqing continued to refine his Taijiquan skills with Master Yang Yuting.
Later, Yang Yuting, who had numerous students, enlisted Ma Hanqing's help in teaching. As a result, Ma Hanqing assisted in teaching Taijiquan for the remaining half of Yang's life. During the Republican period (1912-1948), they taught within the city walls near the Chongwenmen Gate, in the Buddhist temples Zhihuasi and Tai Miao—now known as the Workers' Culture Palace (Laodong Renmin Wenhuagong)—and later after 1949, at the Shizi Ting pavilion located in Sun Yat-sen Park within the Forbidden City, which was open to the public.
During this time, Master Ma also taught Zha Quan, Shaolinquan, and Tangtui.
Expansion of Martial Arts Knowledge
Master Ma's search for the most effective martial art also led him to study Xingyi Quan, Baguazhang, Tongbei Quan, and the 72 grappling techniques of Qinna.
In the later years of the Sino-Japanese War, Master Ma served in the People's Liberation Army of China, participating in battles in the south of the country. After 1949, he remained in the army in Anhui province to assist in rebuilding the war-torn region.
Return to Beijing and Martial Arts Renaissance
In the early 1950s, Master Ma Hanqing returned to Beijing and resumed teaching and assisting his teacher, Master Yang. In 1958, he achieved national championship titles in the all-China martial arts competition, performing the eighty-three-movement long form of Taijiquan. That same year, he became national champion in "pushing hands" (Tuishou) and ranked first in forms competitions for "paired hooks" and "long spear" during the Beijing Municipal Martial Arts Tournament.
He was elected to the post of secretary in the Beijing Martial Arts Association. During this time, he encountered Grandmaster Chen Yuntao.
Discovery and Mastery of Tanglangquan
Tanglangquan (Praying Mantis Fist) was not popular in Beijing. However, due to his extensive experience, Ma recognized Master Chen as a grandmaster and became his exclusive closed-door disciple.
Over the next twenty years, Ma Hanqing trained and received guidance from Grandmaster Chen Yuntao, studying two schools of Tanglangquan—Liuhe Mantis and Plum Blossom Mantis. Ma dedicated eight years to the development of Gou Shou—sparring—with Grandmaster Chen, practicing three times per week.
Simultaneously, Grandmaster Chen introduced Master Ma to his "sworn brother," Shan Xianglin, a master of the Liuhe Tanglangquan school. During frequent visits by Shan, who lived in Huang County, Shandong province, Master Chen, Master Shan, and Master Ma would spend weeks together, practicing, studying, and analyzing the methods and forms of Tanglangquan. It was a unique time that enabled the three masters to profoundly penetrate the essence of the art.
Cultural Revolution
In 1966, dark times ensued with the onset of the Cultural Revolution. The Beijing Martial Arts Association was disbanded as part of the eradication of feudal remnants. Its leadership was purged and literally thrown into the streets. However, the "good news" was yet to come.
After the "successful" development of the Cultural Revolution, Master Ma Hanqing became the focus of mass hysteria. For days, hordes of misguided Red Guards subjected Master Ma to public humiliation—an experience no one would desire to endure. The inflicted trauma was too severe. The Red Guards raided Master Ma's home to search for "criminal literature" such as ancient classical manuscripts and manuals on Tanglangquan. Fortunately, Ma's wife had hidden them between the rafters in the attic. Despite the abuse and torment of the Cultural Revolution, Ma Hanqing continued to secretly teach Tanglangquan.
Exile to Daqing
In the latter years of the Cultural Revolution, Master Ma was exiled to the remote northern city of Daqing, Heilongjiang province. He resided there for approximately seven years, teaching Tanglangquan at a martial arts school he established. Due to Daqing's distance from the capital, the impact of the Cultural Revolution was less severe. In contrast to the atmosphere in Beijing, the people in the north were more rugged and genuinely appreciated the practice of martial arts. There were many masters of different styles in the city at the time, and Master Ma faced numerous challenges as the newcomer to the local martial arts community. He emerged victorious in all combat encounters—some almost friendly, others not so.
Utilizing the close-combat techniques of Liuhe and Meihua Tanglang, Master Ma Hanqing defeated four well-known masters of Baji Quan, Shaolin Quan, Xingyi Quan, and Tongbei Quan from different provinces in China. His mastery was profound and superior, and his expertise in various methods of unarmed and weapons combat remained at a high level until his final days. Masters in Daqing still remember him fondly. Ma also produced several proficient students who currently teach Tanglangquan in the city.
Return to Beijing and Further Teaching
Upon his return to Beijing, Master Ma Hanqing was invited to teach Wushu at the Beijing Sports University as the head coach. During this period, he trained many talented Wushu athletes, including Wang Bin, head coach of the Beijing Wushu Team, and the movie star Li Lianjie (Jet Li).
In the late 1970s, while invited to teach Wushu in Henan province, he visited the Shaolin Monastery before its reconstruction. There, he met an old monk (who passed away in the early 1980s) who was a master of the Shaolin Monastery's Tanglangquan style. They exchanged their experiences in the style and had extended discussions regarding the theory and practice of Mantis Fist. However, the Shandong origin of Tanglangquan proved superior to the monastery version, a fact which the monk acknowledged.
Misrepresentation of Tanglangquan in Film
During the filming of a movie about the Shaolin Monastery, one of the main actors and martial arts experts sent a student to Beijing to learn the Mantis staff from Master Ma. Unfortunately, Master Ma was out of town at the time, and one of his students instructed the visitor on the staff form. Ironically, this student—out of respect for Master Ma—chose not to demonstrate the genuine techniques and instead showed another form he knew. As a result, one of the movies featuring "Shaolin Monastery" incorrectly depicts Tanglang staff techniques as something entirely different.
Later Years and Legacy
Throughout his life, Master Ma Hanqing defeated numerous renowned Wushu masters. However, due to martial arts ethics and the fact that some of them still teach, the author prefers not to publicly name them.
Once, when Master Ma was seventy years old, he was walking home after teaching Mantis Fist in Ditan Park (Temple of Earth) when he encountered two hefty men on his doorstep preparing to fight. Several women and children were on the street, and a scuffle between these two would have been highly inappropriate. Master Ma stepped between them to prevent a fight.
One of the men attempted to strike Ma, but as soon as Master Ma looked into his eyes, the bully immediately backed away and, a moment later, ran off. The other reason for his flight, besides the strong spirit in Ma's eyes, was the sensation of a hand pressing against his chest. Master Ma Hanqing had spent years training his "iron palm" technique, and even at seventy, his hands were hard as iron bars.
In 1993, Master Ma Hanqing founded the Beijing Traditional Tanglangquan Research Association, which continues to grow and aims to unite all practitioners of the style worldwide. In 1996, at the request of Master Sun Xuepo (1923 - ), a student of Hao Bin, Ma Hanqing organized a reunion between the two masters and their students in Qingdao and Beijing.
Grandmaster Ma Hanqing passed away on December 9th, 1997 in Beijing. He was a living treasure of martial arts and the Tanglangquan style in particular. Master Ma taught martial arts until the end of his days, and eight years before his passing, the author of this account was honored to become Master Ma's closed-door disciple and adopted son.
