Sun Richeng
01 · Lineage & Regional School
A Tanglang Quan boxer, a seventh-duan holder of Chinese wushu and a fifth-generation transmitter of Tanglang Quan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tanglang Boxing in Qingdaoshishinan, Shandong: Mantis Boxing is an important component of traditional Chinese martial arts, and Mandarin Duck Mantis Boxing is one of its schools; it is widely transmitted in the Shandong Peninsula, with the greatest concentration in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Mandarin Duck Mantis Boxing is a branch of Mantis Boxing, marked by a boxing method that is left-right symmetric and combines yin and yang; it takes its name from the image of mandarin ducks paired together, form and shadow following each other. The art was long passed down in secret among the people. According to its lineage records, in the mid-Qing period Ma Guo transmitted it to Li Zhijian, after which it continued in the Shandong Peninsula through master-to-disciple teaching. In the mid-20th century it entered the urban area of Qingdao, where boxing halls, training institutes, and community squares in Shinan District became the main venues of transmission. Within the school, a relatively clear lineage and a complete system of sets and techniques have been preserved.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Male, Han ethnicity, born in May 1967, a native of Qingdao City, Shandong Province. He practised Tanglang Quan with his father from childhood. His movements are archaic and simple, his techniques rich, his structures rigorous and his transitions ingenious. In 2005 he founded the Qingdao Yuanyang Tanglang Quan martial arts hall, where he teaches boxing and devotes attention to external exchange, transmission and dissemination. For many years he has been committed to transmitting Tanglang Quan and has opened many free public teaching classes. Beneficiaries have reached tens of thousands, and about one hundred and fifty disciples have been selected at home and abroad. Within the documented technical tradition of Tanglang Boxing in Qingdaoshishinan, Shandong: Mandarin Duck Mantis Boxing takes the union of yin and yang and the dual cultivation of inner and outer as its philosophical foundation, and is marked by left-right symmetric boxing movements, like mandarin ducks paired together, form and shadow following each other, hence the name Mandarin Duck. What it shares with the mantis lies not in imitating the form, but in capturing the idea of swift, fierce, and exquisitely changeable hand techniques. Mandarin Duck Mantis Boxing displays an artistic beauty through its distinctive body methods. Taking the Mandarin Duck Internal Skill as its foundation, it cultivates body and character, and includes basic skills, boxing methods, internal training, and auxiliary exercises. First are the sets (32 in total), including Zuogang (Sitting Post), Bai Yuan Chu Dong (White Ape Leaves the Cave), Bai Yuan Tou Tao (White Ape Steals the Peach), Bai Yuan Xian Guo (White Ape Offers Fruit), Dan Cha Hua (Single Flower Insert), Shuang Cha Hua (Double Flower Insert), Zhong Cha Hua (Central Flower Insert), Lian Cha Hua (Linked Flower Insert), Bao Cha Hua (Embracing Flower Insert), Shiba Sou (Eighteen Searches, 18 sets), and Yuan Yang Pu (Mandarin Duck Register, 5 sets). Second are the techniques. The basic postures (12) are the horse-riding stance, mountain-climbing stance, tiger-straddling stance, swallowing-collapsing stance, lifting-standing stance, pouncing-leg stance, sitting-coil stance, single-leg stance, collapsing-base stance, sitting-stride stance, contained-base stance, and jade-ring step. Hand techniques include sticking, pinching, assisting, pressing, coming, calling, following, sending, lifting, seizing, sealing, closing, hooking, drawing, gathering, and hanging. Leg techniques include raising, hanging, stumbling, pressing, intercepting, trampling, shoveling, sweeping, whipping, and pouncing-pressing. Third is the internal exercise method, namely the Mandarin Duck Internal Skill. Fourth are the auxiliary exercises, including leading hand, arm-striking springing leg, raised leg, and stone-lock training. Its body methods, footwork, boxing methods, techniques, and combat applications all have detailed oral formulas. Over its long history, Mandarin Duck Mantis Boxing was long transmitted in secret among the people. At the same time, this project places particular emphasis on the way of harmony in training: through balanced training of the left and right hands and feet it activates the potential of the brain, serving to develop intelligence, build physical fitness, and regulate mental state. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The thirty-two routines": Thirty-two routines, among them the white ape sets, the inserting-flower sets, the eighteen searches and the five-part Yuanyang manual. "The twelve basic postures": Twelve base postures from the riding stance to the jade-ring step. "Inner and auxiliary exercises": Inner cultivation forms the root, supported by auxiliary drills, with detailed formulas for body, step, fist and fighting methods. "From Ma Guo to Li Zhijian": By its lineage record the art passed from Ma Guo to Li Zhijian in the mid-Qing and has been taught master to pupil ever since.
The thirty-two routines
Thirty-two routines, among them the white ape sets, the inserting-flower sets, the eighteen searches and the five-part Yuanyang manual.
The twelve basic postures
Twelve base postures from the riding stance to the jade-ring step.
Inner and auxiliary exercises
Inner cultivation forms the root, supported by auxiliary drills, with detailed formulas for body, step, fist and fighting methods.
From Ma Guo to Li Zhijian
By its lineage record the art passed from Ma Guo to Li Zhijian in the mid-Qing and has been taught master to pupil ever since.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
National representative bearer of Tanglang Quan, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. In 2006 he won two gold medals and one silver at the International Hong Kong Tanglang Quan Invitational Tournament. He has lectured to foreign teachers and students in a course entitled Understanding Traditional Chinese Culture and Learning Chinese Kung Fu.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Mandarin Duck Mantis Boxing is a branch of Mantis Boxing, marked by a boxing method that is left-right symmetric and combines yin and yang; it takes its name from the image of mandarin ducks paired together, form and shadow following each other. The art was long passed down in secret among the people. According to its lineage records, in the mid-Qing period Ma Guo transmitted it to Li Zhijian, after which it continued in the Shandong Peninsula through master-to-disciple teaching. In the mid-20th century it entered the urban area of Qingdao, where boxing halls, training institutes, and community squares in Shinan District became the main venues of transmission. Within the school, a relatively clear lineage and a complete system of sets and techniques have been preserved.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Richeng | Qingdaoshishinan, Shandong | 05-2550 | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。