The name SEVEN STARS of Seven Stars Mantis Boxing

The seven stars (Qi = Seven, Xing = Star), of the name Qixing Tanglang are another defining quality of the system. The name is taken from the Northern Hemisphere constellation known in China simply as Qixing or Seven Stars.


The constellation plays many roles in Chinese mythology and religion and is a theme commonly found throughout Chinese martial tradition, both as a name of boxing systems and as a symbol in the emblem of various sects. The Qixing mark is often found impressed upon the blades and handles of Chinese weapons and is prominent in both Buddhist and Daoist iconography.

In Chinese Boxing, the Seven Stars are generally a symbolic representation of seven principles, seven methods, seven techniques or seven components. In the case of Qixing Tanglang Quan, the Qixing represents the harmony and cohesion of the seven major body components: Head, Shoulder, Elbow, Fist, Hip, Knee and Foot, during the execution of Seven Star Mantis Boxing techniques.

The basic idea is that the components of the body and all that lies in between must be correctly linked or coordinated to effectively transmit Qixing Tanglang's characteristic power. A good Qixing boxer must strive to harmonise the Qixing. This Seven Star theory was originally inherited from Qixing Quan, a Shaolin family boxing system, and is absent from the theory of the other major schools of Tanglang.

In general Qixing Tanglang appears more athletic and therefore perhaps in layman's terms more 'external' in nature with its deep stances, distant stepping, sudden long-range leaps and charges and wide, smashing blows. This is not to say that the sister sects of Qixing are lacking in power or combat effectiveness, they are merely different in some aspects and in fact, identical in others. Overall, the similarities between the various branches of the Mantis Boxing family greatly outweigh the differences; it is common knowledge in martial circles that all forms of Tanglang Quan are superior. The unique characteristics and subtle differences distinguishing the various branches are not enough to divorce them from one another but are certainly valuable enough to preserve as treasures of the art.