Dong Hai Chuan

A common myth has it that Dong Hai Chuan founded Ba Gua in the early 1800's, though Ba Gua historians have several conflicting versions. The most popular has Dong learning martial arts as a young boy. Ba Gua master and historian Kang Gewu has it that another art with a similar name Ba Fan Chuan was studied by Dong with his relative Dong Hsien-Chou.

Kang believes Dong then studied with the Daoist Chuan Chen (Complete Truth) Sect that was part of the Long Men Dragon Gate school of Daoism. Many Daoist meditation methods were based on walking the Tai Chi (Ying/Yang) diagram and Wuchi circle. The Daoists used and exercise based on walking the circle called "zhuan tian zan" (rotating the praise of heaven). Ba Gua is classified as an "Internal Martial Art". It is called an internal art, not because of any mystical internal power, but because internal refers to similar systems developed in China and based on Daoist concepts. The concept of internal arts is said to have been popularized by the writings of Sun Lu-Tang in the early 1900's. In 1894, several famous Tai Chi, Ba Gua and Xing Yi Chuan masters formed an Association. Cheng Ting-hua of Ba Gua, Liu De Kuan of Tai Chi and Li Cun Yi and Liu Wei Xiang of Xing Yi called their family of arts "nei jia chuan".

"Walking the Circle" is the foundation of Ba Gua Zhang training and most likely is because of Dong's training with the Daoists in Daoist methods, combined with Tai Chi philosophy and old-folk martial arts. The monks encouraged Dong to take the art and expand the system into what he later taught the public. Regardless of which origin is true, clearly Dong is the first known person to teach Ba Gua to the public.

Li Cun Yi

Li Cun Yi was born in 1847 in Hebei province, Shen county.He was from a poor family, becoming a cart driver as a young boy and later opening his own bodyguard service which protected caravan's from bandits.

Li was one of Liu Qi Lan's four most famous Xingyi students. He was also the first high-level Xingyiquan practitioner to study Baguazhang, learning the art directly from creator Dong Hai Chuan. He is also a friend of Cheng Ting Hua who was also a top student of Dong Hai Chuan. Li, also known as Jeweler Li and Single Saber Li for his expertise with the broadsword, fought in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, killing many American and English foreigners. After the boxers lost the war, Li was forced to flee Beijing because the foreigners put a price on his head. This also caused many corrupt Chinese martial artists to try and hunt him down. He went to Taigu, where famous Xingyi teacher Che Yi Zhai helped hide him and sent his student Li Fu Zhen to act as a bodyguard. Li Fu Zhen killed went and killed them all.

Li Cun Yi believed that up until the time of famous Xingyi master Guo Yun Shen, no practitioners used a double weighted or 50/50 stance in Xingyi - that it was used to make the forms easier to practice. Li died in 1922 at the age of 86.

Huang Bo Nian

The following is by no means complete or justifies the lifetime Master Huang Bo-Nian spent training in Martial Arts. As time goes by more and more information is presenting itself to me, as this happens I become more aware and appreciative of the lineage that I am linked to and what responsibilities that comes with it.

Huang Bo-Nian (1870 - 1954), known as "Huang Fast Hands" famous Baguazhang and Xingyiquan expert, he was a teacher at the Nanjing Central Martial Arts Academy, one of the forms Master Huang learnt was Dragon Form Eight Diagram Palm, which he learnt from his teacher Li Cun Yi. Li Cun Yi inherited another style called Ch'uan Shi Pa Kua Chang, from the creator of Ba Gua Zhang (Dong Hai-Ch'uan).

Master Li had passed this onto Master Huang who continued to pass this knowledge onto his student Master Zhang Tong and thus Master Shao Zhao Ming. After Huang mastered the form he then refined it with the help of three other 1st generation masters from the Nanjing Academy. Together they created a new, extraordinary all-combative-skill called Ch'uan Shi Ba Gua Zhang (Complete System Eight Direction Palm).

Chen Pan Ling

Chen Pan Ling (aka Chen Jun Feng) was a well-known martial artist, educator, hydrolic engineer and national assembly member of the Chinese nationalist government. Born in Henan province in 1892 , Chen began his study of shaolin boxing with his father at age seven. Later, Chen was fortunate to be taught internal martial arts by several of the leading masters of his day. He studied taijiquan with Yang Shaohou, Wu Jianquan, Ji Zixiu and Xu Yusheng, xingyiquan with Li Cunyi and Liu Caichen, and baguazhang with Cheng Haiting and Dong Lianji. In 1938-39 Chen spent more than a year in Chen Family Village researching Chen style taijiquan. Chen also founded the Henan Provincial Martial Arts Academy and was one of the main coaches for the Chinese martial arts demonstration team sent to the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. He was also vice-principal of the Central Martial Arts Academy and in charge of compiling teaching materials on Chinese martial arts.

Zhang Tong

"The foundation training takes at least three years. Routine (as in forms) training is the basis of all techniques. They have to be practiced skillfully and instinctively, then the essence of the art may be grasped. The high level is combat training and this will test your abilities". - Grand Master Zhang Tong

Grand Master Zhang Tong was born in 1917 in Kaifeng in Henan province.He was a renowned martial artist, a senior coach and a national level competition judge. He had held positions of Committee Member of the National Wushu Association, Vice President of the Shaanxi Provincial Wushu Association, Vice President come Secretary General of the Xian Wushu Association, Founding Member of the Shaanxi Provincial Physical Education Organisation. Grand Master Zhang Tong has devoted his entire life to the promotion of martial arts. He is held in high regards by the martial arts community.