Dong Haichuan - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Dong Haichuan was born on the 13th of October 1797 (or 1813) in Zhu village, Ju Jia Wu Township, Wen'an County

Wen'an County

Wen'an County is a county of Hebei, China. It is under the administration of Langfang city.-Administrative Divisions:Towns:*Wen'an Town , Xinzhen , Suqiao , Daliuhe , Zuogezhuang , Tanli , Shigezhuang , Zhaogezhuang , Xinglonggong 0, Daliuzhen , Sunshi , Degui The only township is Daweihe Hui...

, Hebei

Hebei

' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...

Province, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

and died on the 25th of October 1882 in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

. He is regarded as a skillful martial artist and is widely credited to be the founder of Baguazhang. Most, if not all, existing schools of Baguazhang

Baguazhang

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

place Dong Haichuan at the beginning of their lineage.

Biography

As a child and young man he intensely trained in the martial arts of his village. The arts were probably Shaolin

Shaolin kung fu

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...

-based and may have included Bafanshan (a possible precursor to Fanziquan

Fanziquán

Fānziquán is a Chinese martial art that emphasizes offense and defense with the hands. Its movements have been described as:Fānziquán routines are usually quite short and very fast...

), 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

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

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

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 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 studies to create a unique art originally called Zhuanzhang (Turning Palms). Zhuanzhang in later years became called Baguazhang

Baguazhang

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

.

Around 1864 Dong arrived in Beijing

Beijing

and was hired as a servant at the residence of the Prince Su. Later Prince Su gave him the job of tax collector. Dong and his top student Yin Fu

Yin Fu

Yin Fu was a Baguazhang disciple of Dong Haichuan responsible for the creation of the Yin Style Baguazhang.Yin Fu was Dong's earliest disciple in Prince Duan's palace...

went to Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

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

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

.

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

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

(Eight tri-gram palm). Baguazhang

Baguazhang

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

became popular in Beijing

Beijing

and surrounding areas .

In his later years he was poor and lived with Yin Fu

Yin Fu

Yin Fu was a Baguazhang disciple of Dong Haichuan responsible for the creation of the Yin Style Baguazhang.Yin Fu was Dong's earliest disciple in Prince Duan's palace...

's student Ma Gui

Ma Gui (martial artist)

Ma Gui was an accomplished master of the internal Chinese martial art of Baguazhang, and considered to be one of the top students of both Yin Fu and Baguazhang’s founder Dong Haichuan...

. Ma owned a lumber yard and Dong lived on the premises. He died in 1882.

By the late 19th century, Baguazhang

Baguazhang

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

had become a well-known fighting style in Beijing

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

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

to several highly regarded martial artists, notably Yin Fu

Yin Fu

Yin Fu was a Baguazhang disciple of Dong Haichuan responsible for the creation of the Yin Style Baguazhang.Yin Fu was Dong's earliest disciple in Prince Duan's palace...

, Ma Gui

Ma Gui (martial artist)

Ma Gui was an accomplished master of the internal Chinese martial art of Baguazhang, and considered to be one of the top students of both Yin Fu and Baguazhang’s founder Dong Haichuan...

and Cheng Tinghua

Cheng Tinghua

Cheng Tinghua was a renowned master of Chinese Neijia martial art Bagua Zhang.-Biography:Born in the Cheng family village, Shen County, Hebei , he was the third of four brothers....

. Their names are recorded at his grave .

External links

The Yin and Yang of Ba Gua Zhang: The Legends of Thin Yin and Spectacles Cheng by Frank Allen & Clarence Lu

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Biography

Students

See also

External links