Wan Laisheng

Wan Laisheng (; 1903–1992) was a Chinese martial artist and author.

Early life Wan was born into an affluent scholar's family in Hubei in 1903. He studied at the China Agricultural University and after graduation became a member of the faculty there. It was at the University that he met Liu Xinzhou, who taught him the Liu He Man (Six Harmonies Style) of Shaolin boxing. Wan also sought out the martial arts master Du Xinwu, who was working at the Ministry of Agriculture, and learned Zi Ran Men boxing from him.

Writing career Whilst working at the University, Wan wrote a series of articles on the martial arts for the Chen Bao Morning News. In 1928, these articles were republished as a book, A Collection of Reviews on Martial Arts. Over the course of his career Wan authored sixteen books on a variety of topics. The most well-known is The Common Basis of Martial Arts (1927), a treatise on many different aspects of the martial arts, with a distinct emphasis on the propagation of martial arts for public health. In The Common Basis..., Wan recommends the investigation and modernisation of traditional Chinese martial arts, a demand that was to be echoed by Bruce Lee and other revivalists some fifty years later.

Wan was one of the "Five Tigers" (the others being Gu Ruzhang, Li Xianwu, Wang Xiao and Fu Zhensong) who were dispatched to Guangzhou to teach their martial arts methods.

Wan held a number of posts during his teaching career. Among other appointments, he was in charge of the Ling Guang Wushu Gymnasium, and was a chief instructor at the Wushu Military Training Centre. He also ran the Hunan Wushu Institute and taught at Guangxi University. In 1939, he established the Yong'an Teachers School of Physical Education. In 1944, Wan became Professor of Sports at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, which was to be his last teaching position. He retired from teaching martial arts in 1951, but remained an active practitioner until his death.