Dong Haichuan (13 October 1797 or 1813 – 25 October 1882) is regarded as a skillful martial artist and is widely credited to be the founder of
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
. Most, if not all, existing schools of Baguazhang place Dong Haichuan at the beginning of their lineage. Some traditional teachers in China do not regard Dong as the founder, though, but merely as the first identified transmitter of Baguazhang knowledge to the wider public. In their opinion, prior to Dong, Baguazhang teaching was conducted behind closed doors from one Taoist to another within the Taoist sect. There are no historical evidence of practicing Baguazhang among the Taoists prior to the modern era, however.
Biography
He was born on 13 October 1797 or 1813 in Zhu village, Ju Jia Wu Township,
Wen'an County
Wen'an () is a county in the central part of Hebei province, China, on the upper reaches of the Daqing River (), a tributary of the Hai River, and bordering Tianjin to the east. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of La ...
, Hebei Province, China. As a child and young man he intensely trained in the martial arts of his village. The arts were probably
Shaolin-based and may have included
Bafanshan (a possible precursor to
Fanziquan),
Hongquan,
Xingmenquan, and
Jingangquan. These were the arts being taught in and around Dong's village at this time. Alternatively, Dong is sometimes said to have learned and practiced
Erlangquan,
Luohanquan, or other arts.
His family is thought to have been so poor, at some point around 1853, Dong left
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
Province to seek work elsewhere. By many accounts he is described as spending his youth travelling, penniless, and often getting in trouble. But he, even by his own claims, continued to study martial arts intensely during his travels. Where, by whom, and what he was taught, varies depending on the source. But it is generally accepted that, during this time, Dong studied
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
training methods that included some kind of circle walking practice. He synthesized his previous experience with his village arts, what he had learned in his travels, and his
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
studies to create a unique art originally called Zhuanzhang (Turning Palms). Zhuanzhang in later years became called
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
.
Around 1864 Dong arrived in Beijing and was hired as a servant at the residence of the
Prince Su
Prince Su of the First Rank ( Manchu: ; ''hošoi fafungga cin wang''; ), or simply Prince Su (), was the title of a princely peerage of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China (1636–1912). It was also one of the 12 "iron-cap" princely peerages i ...
. Later Prince Su gave him the job of tax collector. Dong and his top student
Yin Fu
Yin Fu () ( Chanhuaicun (), Jixian (), China, 1840 – China, June, 1909) was a Baguazhang (a martial art) disciple of Dong Haichuan responsible for the creation of the Yin Style Baguazhang.
Yin Fu was Dong's earliest disciple in Prince ...
went to
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
to collect taxes, where he spent ten years. Upon his return he left the prince's employ and began to teach publicly, giving up all other occupations to fully devote himself to developing and teaching
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
.
The nature of what he taught is generally disputed. Some believe that he consistently taught only the first three of eight palms (
Single Change Palm,
Double Change Palm and
Smooth Body Palm) and that he would vary the last five depending on the individuals' previous martial arts experience. Others believe that he taught considerably more material. It was also in his public teaching period that the art was given the name
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
(Eight tri-gram palm).
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
became popular in Beijing and surrounding areas.
In his later years he was poor and lived with
Yin Fu
Yin Fu () ( Chanhuaicun (), Jixian (), China, 1840 – China, June, 1909) was a Baguazhang (a martial art) disciple of Dong Haichuan responsible for the creation of the Yin Style Baguazhang.
Yin Fu was Dong's earliest disciple in Prince ...
's student
Ma Gui. Ma owned a lumber yard and Dong lived on the premises. He died on 25 October 1882 in Beijing.
By the late 19th century,
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
had become a well-known fighting style in Beijing and northern China, and Dong Haichuan and his students became famous. This gave rise to many fictitious stories and written pulp novels which were adopted as fact.
Students
Dong taught
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
to several highly regarded martial artists, notably
Fu Zhensong
Fu Zhensong (; 1872–1953), also known by his courtesy name Fu Qiankun, was a grandmaster of Wudangquan martial arts. He was best known as one of the famed "Five Northern Tigers," and a third-generation master of Baguazhang who founded Fu St ...
,
Yin Fu
Yin Fu () ( Chanhuaicun (), Jixian (), China, 1840 – China, June, 1909) was a Baguazhang (a martial art) disciple of Dong Haichuan responsible for the creation of the Yin Style Baguazhang.
Yin Fu was Dong's earliest disciple in Prince ...
,
Ma Gui,
Cheng Tinghua
Cheng Tinghua (also known as Cheng Yingfang) () (1848–1900) was a renowned master of Chinese Neijia (internal) martial art Bagua Zhang.
Biography
Born in the Cheng family village, Shen County, Hebei (now in Shandong), he was the third of fou ...
and
Liang Zhenpu
Liang Zhenpu (梁振蒲) (1863–1932) was a Chinese martial artist.
Biography
Liang Zhenpu was born in Beihaojia Village in Ji County in Hebei province on May 20, 1863 during the Qing dynasty under the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor. He trained ...
. Some of these students' names are recorded on his grave.
Bibliography
*
Smith, Robert W. "Chinese Boxing",
* Liang, Shou-Yu; Yang, Jwing-Ming; Wu, Wen-Ching "Baguazhang : Emei Baguazhang Theory and Applications", pp 36–38,
*
Smith, Robert W.; Pittman, Allen "Pa-Kua – Eight Trigram Boxing" pp 19–22,
See also
*
Baguazhang
Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...
*
Neijia
*
Neigong
*
Neijin
''Neijia'' ( 內家) is a term in Chinese martial arts, grouping those styles that practice ''neijing'', usually translated as internal martial arts, occupied with spiritual, mental or qi-related aspects, as opposed to an " external" approach ...
*
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
*
Liang Zhenpu
Liang Zhenpu (梁振蒲) (1863–1932) was a Chinese martial artist.
Biography
Liang Zhenpu was born in Beihaojia Village in Ji County in Hebei province on May 20, 1863 during the Qing dynasty under the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor. He trained ...
*
Li Ziming
Li Ziming (李子鳴) (June 25, 1902 – January 23, 1993) was a martial arts expert and third generation descendant of the creator of Baguazhang, Dong Haichuan, under the lineage of Liang Zhenpu - progenitor of Liang Style Baguazhang.
Life an ...
*
Sui Yunjiang
References
External links
The Yin and Yang of Ba Gua Zhang: The Legends of Thin Yin and Spectacles Chengby Frank Allen & Clarence Lu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dong Haichuan
1797 births
1882 deaths
Chinese baguazhang practitioners
Martial arts school founders
People from Langfang
Qing dynasty Taoists
Sportspeople from Hebei