Baguazhang History — Dong Haichuan 
Baguazhang emerges from circles of mysterious fog. The reputed founder, Dong Hai-Chuan appears in the foundation of many (most or all) Eight Trigram Palm Schools.
Behind him, he leaves mists of wonder—histories devoid of clarity, brimming with speculation, mixed with semblances of truth. Dong Hai-Chuan deliberately cultivated the shroud, and, as a result mastered the marketing of Baguazhang. It’s popularity is potent and vast.
Various histories claim Dong Hai-Chuan as the inventor or creator; others report that he inherited it. Most histories weave a plot of an adventurous man wrapping Gung-fu of his local villages into the magic of shaman rituals to create the whole, the circular: Baguazhang!
Whatever happened, each bit of his story lurks in shadow…
Dong Ming Kui—Origins of Dong Hai-Chuan
Born in 1797 (or 1813), he begins with the name Dong Ming Kui, the second son of Dong Bo Xuan. His family relied on farming for a living, and Dong Han-Chuan reputedly despised working in the fields, seeking instead Kung-fu lessons. He trained extensively with teachers of the martial arts in and around the local Zhu village, in Ju Jia Wu Township, Wen An County, Hebei Province, China. In 1853, Dong Ming Kui leaves home, for some reason…
- family financial hardship
- drought and resultant difficulties
- strained relations with his parents
- the quest for fame and fortune from Gung-fu
Whatever the reasons, Dong Ming Kui leaves his home around 1853, seeking fame as a martial artist in Beijing. Despite years of previous training, Dong Ming Kui is easily defeated and, to avoid defaming his family (or to try again), Dong Ming Kui changed his name to Dong Hai-Chuan, a name suggesting an image of a hundred rivers.
And indeed, if you choose to stick to Baguazhang’s main principle—Change!—then a changed name is simply a step around the circle.
Forming Baguazhang
Accounts vary about Dong Hai-Chuan’s years of wandering in the mountains of He Bei, Jiang Su, Zhe Jiang, An Hui, and Jiang Xi Provinces. Some of my favorites include….
- Wandering the mountains near Beijing, he encountered a dwarf who led Dong Hai-Chuan to a monk named Deng Xia Bi—Man Without Shadow Under Lamp.
- Dong Hai-Chuan traveled to Beijing where he became a servant in the Emperor’s kitchen; as a waiter he balanced great dishes on each hand and created evasive, dish-saving maneuvers that influenced Baguazhang.
- By the time he was fifty, he formulated his basic style, called Circling Palms. Some suggest he had developed special, Shamanistic powers (more stories below).
Most accounts seem to agree that Dong Hai-Chuan searched for and practiced varieties of Gung-fu, wandered the mountains in many provinces, and studied Daoism and its related, ancient Shamanistic practices. Most sources agree that he wove his village Gung-fu arts, travel and competition experiences, and Daoist Shaman practices together to create Baguazhang.
One source, Emei Baguazhang claims that
There are a few documents available to us which describe that Master Dong Hai-Chuan actually learned his Baguazhang arts from a Daoist named Dong Meng-Lin in Jiu Hua Mounatain, An Hui Province. Dong Men-Lin was called Huang Guan Dao Ren (The Yellow Cape Daoist) in the Daoist society and called Bi Deng Xia (Blue Lamp Chivalry) or Bi Cheng Xia (Blue Clear Chivalry) in the Chinese martial arts society. He taught Baguazhang to three disciples: Dong Hai-Chuan, Li Zhen-Qing, and Bi Yue-Xia. Among these three, Dong Hai-Chuan has been the most well known and has passed down most of the students. Therefore, we have a more complete historical documentation of Dong Hai-Chuan.
Wherever, from whomever, Dong Hai-Chuan takes his instructions, if you practice Baguazhang in the outdoors, particularly around a fire, it is clear that Baguazhang’s circle walking practice draws from some kind deeper, primal rituals.
Bagua — Fame and Fortune
Vague accounts vary in their suggestions, and detailed accounts vary their specifics. The following is my favorite story of the moment that…
Dong Hai-Chuan Bursts Into Fame
In 1855 Dong Chuan Hai returned to Beijing where he took an official post in the Emperor’s court. He never advertised his Kung Fu ability; he kept it a secret. But suspicious eyes noticed something special about Dong Chuan Hai. Dong Chuan Hai practiced late at night when no one was around, but he was discovered by a Chief Officer of the Court, Quan Kai Ting.
One time, there was a Kung Fu performance organized at the court, and Dong Hai-Chuan was in charge of serving the tea for Prince Su. The large number of people at the event meant that the source of water for making the tea was surrounded and impossible to get to. When Prince Su wanted some tea, Dong Hai Chuan leapt over the heads of spectators to get through with tea. This sent a wave of awe through the crowd, and, following the orders of Prince Su, Dong Chuan Hai demonstrated his style of Kung Fu: The Circling Palms.
The other Kung Fu Masters had never seen anything like it. The Head Kung Fu Coach of Prince Su’s Court, Sha Hui Hui, stepped forward to challenge Dong Chuan Hai, who took little effort in defeating him. Prince Su immediately promoted Dong Chuan Hai to Head Coach and Head of Security. A shockwave that ran through the Kung Fu World of Beijing, and streams of challengers came to test Dong Hai-Chuan’s skills. None of them won.
Yang Lu Chan, nicknamed No Worthy Enemies Yang and creator of Yang Style Tai Ji Quan, said of fighting with Dong Hai Chuan “I can not beat Dong Chuan Hai. The best I can do is draw level with him. Beating him is very difficult.” The two became good friends.
Dong Hai Chuan’s name spread quickly, and soon Cheng Ting Hua, Shi Ji Dong, Quan Kai Ting, Liang Zhen Pu, Liu De Kuan and other high ranking officials were kneeling at his door requesting him to teach them. So the teachings of Ba Gua Zhang started.
[Emphasis, grammatical, and semantical adjustments are mine.]
Other bits about his history point back into the shadows and mists. Dong Hai-Chuan consistently hid the origins of this art. He refused to describe his teachers or his associates in the martial arts. He apparently was illiterate and incapable of reading the I-Ching, the manual studied by his contemporary Daoists, from which the Bagua part of Bagua-Zhang takes its name. And he claimed, at some point, to be a eunuch. Perhaps, it was simply a necessary ruse to gain a position working for Royalty, but it seems unlikely: he’d have been over twenty for the surgical procedure!
Dong Hai-Chuan: Legacies of Baguazhang
His position solidified as a teacher, he selected students from among aristocracy and from competent, capable martial artists. He taught three standard Palm Changes, sculpting the other five (or more) Palm Changes to suit individual students’ unique talents, skills, and experiences.
Dong Hai-Chuan’s tomb, in etchings, reveals 57 students. Among some famous disciples are: Cheng Ting-Hua, Liang Zhen-Pu, Liu Feng-Chun, Ma Wei-Qi, Liu Dekuan, Shi Li-Qing, Song Chang-Rong, Yin Fu, and Zhang Zhao-Dong. Because Dong Hai-Chuan’s teaching methods cultivated different aspects of Baguazhang in each student, he leaves a legacy of changes: various interpretations and numerous styles of Baguazhang.
I liked the idea that he was illiterate, and that, therefore, Baguazhang can not really be the result of I-Ching studies. While true, the ties to the I-Ching are not direct, the feelings of a link may exist. Dong Hai-Chuan clearly learned from Daoists; they knew the I-Ching. And, many Baguazhang-ists, Sun-Luc Tang among others, brings Baguazhang full circle, back to the tapestry of the I-Ching.
Modern styles include, but are not limited to:
- Cheng: Cheng Ting-Hua
- Emei Style
- Fu Style
- Gao Style
- Jiang: Jiang Rong Qiao
- Liang: Liang Zheng-Pu
- Liu: Liu Bao-Zhen
- Shi Style
- Sun from Sun Lu-Tang
- Yin: Yin Fu
- Yin Yang: Tian Style
- Wudang
Not an exhaustive list (even if you’re exhausted from reading it)—there are more.
The articles at UBagua.com will inevitably focus on Jiang Rong Qiao Classical Circular Form, Yen Te-Hwa Fighting Linear Form, and the many training drills and methods associated with Baguazhang.
Whatever Do I Do With The Histories of Baguazhang?
Change! The Big Lesson embedded in Daoism and in the life and adventures of Dong Hai-Chuan is: change. When things don’t feel right: change. When things don’t go right: change. When things don’t look right: change. When attacked: change. Even when things are smoothe and soft, comfort sinks into your shoes: change!
The time is ripe in this World. Never sit on your laurels. The economy, our environment, your community and friends are all in dire need of—change.
So change.
Fight For It: Examine BAH! Fighting Methods
2 responses to “Baguazhang History — Dong Haichuan”
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Hello,
Thank you for your post on some the history of Dong Hai-Chuan.
You make an interesting statement towards the beginning of your post.
“Dong Hai-Chuan deliberately cultivated the shroud, and, as a result mastered the marketing of Baguazhang.”
I think that this is something that adds to the sell ability of the arts, especially Chinese Martial Arts. Adding an air of mystery to the origin of an art makes it much more appealing. This is why Shaolin traces its roots to Tao Mo, and why Bagua is appealing.
Within the branch I study, Gao Style, we also have a an air of mystery surrounding our Houtian Bagua.
It is said that we received our Xian Tien Bagua via the Cheng Ting Hua lineage, but that Gao created the Houtian after meeting a taoist monk in the mountains.
I have heard conflicting information on where Gao’s houtian actually came from. But adding the air of mystery certainly helps to sell it and it keeps from having to reveal your sources. (Personally, I could care less about where Gao got the houtians, they are quite functional).
I have also heard that part of the reason that the name Baguazhang came about was because it was something that everyone could recognize. The I-Ching and Bagua are no stranger to the Chinese culture. Actually the original name for the style that Dong practiced was Cotton Palm. How much easier would it be to sell if he used a name that tied into a subject that the culture has already been familiar with for hundreds of years?
Whatever the name and wherever it came from, I love Baguazhang. I think that the practice of the art not only has it’s health benefits and martial capability, but it’s principles can be carried over into everyday life to make things run just a bit smoother.
Take care, and train well!
Chris Haynes
http://www.gaostylebaguausa.com
That’s a great vision too: that Dong shifted from Cotton Palm to Eight Trigram Palm. It really must have held a different weight in the Chinese mind at the time.
It’s a fun story for me in any case, but my favorite part is the lack of ability to trace roots…the absolute resiliance of mystery…that surrounds Baguazhang. We can only pretend to know real lineages, and, in any event, we must rely more on dreaming power, than on digging through records, to uncover the real Baguazhang.