According to oral tradition Tanglang Quan or Mantis fist was created by a Shaolin disciple known as Wang Lang in the woods of Mount Lao (Shandong province, China), after a period of time of observing the mantis he have pick up and brought home, he was able to link together the different offensive and defensive movements of the mantis, this new style of boxing was called Tang Lang Quan, this system was later improved by monk Fu Ju with the inclusion of techniques from seventeen other martial arts style into Tanglang Quan boxing system. A traveling Taoist priest named Sheng Xiao was able to learn this system from the monks and introduced it to the masses. Due to the influence of other martial art style that existed, Tanglang Quan later developed many sub-style like Qixing (seven star), Meihua (plum blossom), Taiji , Liuhe (six harmony) ,and others.

The first known disciple of Qixing Tanglang Quan or Seven Star Praying Mantis fist was Li Zhijian (Li San Jian). Li who operated a security escort service was known as "Fast Hand Li" because of his lightning fast fighting hand technique, he taught Qixing Tanglang Quan to Wang Yunsheng (1854-1926). Wang a martial art national champion would later pass on this boxing system to a big man known as Fan Xu Dong. Fan weighing more than 300 pounds , was famous for winning a boxing championship in Siberia and killing two bulls with his bare hands. He have a boxing school in his hometown Yantai, Shandong where he taught several disciples, his only known disciples were Guo Jialu, Yang Weixin, Lin Jingshan, Luo Guangyu, Wang Zhuanyi and Chi Zhuen.

Guo Jialu of Laiyang , is the most senior of Fan Xudong's disciples, he died young so there was no record of his disciple.

Yang Weixin of Penglai, Yang Weixin was a man with a short temper who had a bad reputation for being heavy handed. He done heavy injury to many of his opponents and was eventually prosecuted in 1910 for the killings of two boxers from the Meihua Tanglang style. He was later sent by Fan Xudong to Shanghai to teach at Jing Wu Hui , but later came back to Yantai because he hate the weather there. He have taught some great Tanglang masters like Liu Yunchang, Dong Shixun and Xiao Shubin.

Lin Jingshan of Laiyang ,is the third disciple of Fan Xudong . He have taught many students, among the notables were Hu Yongfu, Yu Tiancheng, Yu Tiantang (Yu Hai), Yu Tianlu, Zhong Lianbao, Ling Huatang, Lin Chunsheng, Wang Zhuanlan and others.

Luo Guangyu of Penglai ,was responsible in introducing Qixing Tanglang Quan to Southern China. He was initially sent to Jing Wu Hui in Shanghai to teach Qixing Tanglang and he was later invited to teach at other Jing Wu branches in Guangdong and Hong Kong. Among his famous students were Huang Hanxun, Zhao Zhimin, Huang Jinhong, Chen Zhenyi, Ma Chenxin and others.

Wang Zhuanyi of Foshan, the grandson of Wang Yunsheng. Wang Zhuanyi initially studied under Fan Xudong but later continued studying Qixing Tanglang Quan with fellow classmates Ling Jingshan. Some of his students were Ma Guangyou, Wang Wenzhang, Chi Xueyuan, and Wang Maosheng.

螳螂拳鼻祖王郎在少林寺傳,后即隐居茅山不出江湖,螳螂拳法秘不外傳,后有升霄道人雲游至此,幸得此不傳之秘,從而開始螳螂拳術在民間廣爲流傳.道光年間,平度县崔家集李家庄的李之箭遇得异人傳授此螳螂拳術,武藝學成后設鏢跼於濟南,盛名遠播,有"閃電手"和"快手李"之美譽,以後又在閩侯府台任护卫,毕生英名不减.光绪十三年告老還鄉,由南至北訪友歸藉,李之箭因晚年無嗣,遍觅賢者以繼承其技,至福山聞聽王雲生善拳法,登門訪之,了解王何門戶,開叫演習,觀之不赞一語,王不服,與之交技,難于招架数敗,乃師事求之,数年練得其技,李公亦游訪友北去,傳聞之奉天,以后有進关天津卫等地訪友,不知其踪.王公雲生住山東福山县烟台西关王家胡同,光绪十一年時二十三嵗在家設武舘教武.光绪十四年得遇恩師李公箭,尽得其傳,恩師走後,王公將此拳法傳于大弟子“古育黎”.范旭東.范公旭東烟台大海陽村人，體格雄壯魁伟,人稱范大力,精鉄沙掌,羅漢功.光绪末年，有俄人約范公往西伯利亚霍地市較技，范公到達霍地市后,現擊敗俄人台主,然后取而代之,經多場比賽均非范公對手,范公得錦標而歸,威名遠振.范公傳給郭公嘉禄,楊公维新,林公景山,羅公光玉,王公傳義,迟公祖恩等弟子.郭公嘉禄早卒,楊公维新在上海精武會和山東會館任教,后來回烟台因為楊公不喜環上海的天氣.林公景山繼承范旭東武館在烟台任教.羅公光玉民國八年受聘于上海精武會任總教練,后來在廣州,佛山,香港等地精武會任教.王公傳義乃王公雲生之孫,曾在上海精武會和山東會館任教八年, 1952年 開始在大連設舘任教.