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Northern Praying Mantis (螳螂拳 or tánglángquán) is an 350+ year old elite style of Chinese kung fu originallly invented by founder Wang Lang in Shandong province, and is known in China as "the treasure that guards the mountain" as it was taught only to high-level Shaolin monks to protect the Shaolin Temple. Wang Lang, inspired by observations of the fighting behavior of a praying mantis insect, incorporated the mantis' aggressive fighting style and speed into the art as well as elements from 17 other popular kung fu styles.

Seven Star Praying Mantis (七星螳螂拳 or qī xīng tángláng quán) is the original and most widely-practiced style of northern praying mantis kung fu, and is characterized by fast and overwhelming attacking, trapping and seizing, limb attacking, interruptive timing, and the combining of hard and soft elements to produce a balanced and effective fighting style. The style also incorporates chin na ("seize and hold") principles as well as the fast footwork of the monkey style, employed to match the mantis-inspired hand speed.