Baguazhang

By Grandmaster Gasper and Micah Collins, with additional information from Grandmaster Huang, Chien-Liang

Pa Kua Chang (also transcribed as "Baguazhang"), is attributed to Dong, Hai-Ch'uan (1849-1912) of China's Hebei Province. Shrouded in enigma and myth, there remain many questions as to the origins of Pa Kua still today. Some suggest that Pa Kua was developed in the Wu Dang Temple; being unknown to the rest of the world before being made famous by Dong, Hai-Ch'uan during the Ch'ing Dynasty. Nevertheless, there is no clear parallel to it preserved in modern Wu Dang practice.

Dong, Hai-Ch'uan himself rejected the notion that he had originated the art. The story that he relayed was that while wondering around the Jiu Hua Mountains, in the An Hui Province, freezing and starving to death, he was rescued and nurtured back to health by a reclusive Taoist hermit, who then taught him the secrets of Pa Kua to preserve the health he had restored. Documents record the identity of the Taoist as a figure named Dong, Meng-Lin. Dong, Meng-Lin was also known by two other names; Huang Guan Tao Ren (The Yellow Cape Taoist) and Bi Cheng Xia (Blue Clear Chivalry). Dong, Meng-Lin taught his art to three disciples: Dong, Hai-Ch'uan, Li, Zhen-Qing and Bi, Yue-Xia. Among these three disciples, Dong, Hai-Ch'uan easily became the most well known and has passed the art on to the largest number of disciples.

Dong's skill became so high that eventually he was challenged by Kuo Yun Shen, a famous Hsing-I master, nicknamed "The Divine Crushing Fist," due to the many opponents he had defeated with his Hsing-I skill. The legend says that the two fought for a period of three days; with neither able to attain advantage. Subsequently, the two became friends and made a pact that from that day forward all of their students would study both Pa Kua Chang (Baguazhang), and Hsing-I Ch'uan (Xingyiquan), from each teacher's lineage.

Perhaps most interesting in this legend is it's parallel in the history of T'aijiquan. It is said of Yang, Lu-Ch'an as well, that he and Dong, Hai-Ch'uan were both challenged to fight by their Imperial employers. The result was also said to be three days of fighting, with each ending in a draw. In that story as well, it is said that the two acknowledged the effectiveness of the other's style. Within both of these legends we see a foreshadowing of the bond that the three "sister" arts would form. Sun, Lu-T'ang (a master of all three major internal systems), coined the phrase "Nei Jia" (Internal Family), to emphasize that all three of these Taoist arts were complimentary in nature and could be studied together as part of a well rounded approach to Martial Arts.

Though Dong, Hai-Ch'uan taught the art of Pa Kua to hundreds of students, he considered only 72 as his disciples. The art was taught by his disciples with various modifications which total of over 100 styles of Pa Kua Chang based on the Pa Kua National research Institute. This is due, in part to the fact that Dong did not regard Pa Kua as an art practiced in one fixed approach. Instead, teaching only experienced Martial Artists, Dong customized the integration of these principles with the Martial backgrounds of his students. Yin Fu, for instance, was grounded first in Traditional Chinese Kuo Shu (as was Dong, Hai-Ch'uan himself, who had mastered Lohan Ch'uan long before learning Pa Kua). As such, Yin style Pa Kua reflects this, even down to the "Niu-she" (Ox Tongue), shape of the Yin Style Palm. Cheng, Ting-Hua was a master of Shaui Jiao wrestling, and accordingly we see long, expansive postures in Cheng style; to accommodate the throws that Cheng preferred.

Pa Kua combines the applications of with the ancient Taoist "Ching Kung" (Lightness Training) meditation practice know as "Walking the Circle." The limbs and waist are rotated vigorously and circular movements with solid, rapid "Mud-Sliding" stepping are implemented for fighting strategies; in order to attain a martial vantage point behind the opponent. Within the context of Pa Kua, the circle walking condenses and swiftens one's steps, and make the body move in a "lighter" manner.

The circular defensive movements are followed by circular attacks in a attempt to uproot the opponent. Pa Kua is also known for the palm strikes, as the name "Zhang" or "Chang" suggests. Pa Kua, unlike other "Ch'uan" or "Quan" systems, is a "palm" striking art, rather than an art of strikes with the "Fist" (Ch'uan/Quan).