Ma Weiqi was also a disciple of Dong Haichuan in the martial art of Baguazhang.
He owned a shop in Beijing selling coal and briquettes and he was therefore nicknamed "Mei Ma" or Coal Ma".
When Dong Haiquan became famous, Ma visited him in order to compare skills. Ma was easily defeated by Dong. Ma then threw himself down in front of Dong's school and begged to be taught. Among the students of the Bagua Zhang school, Ma was known as a person of outstanding talent. However, he had a fiery temper, was arrogant and liked to challenge people to test his skills. He had no respect for others except for his teacher and thus he was little liked in martial arts circles.
Ma was an expert in Baguazhang, Baguadao, and Bagua Turning Spear. He was famous for his spear technique. Many stories exist describe the adventures of Ma. In one story, the coal-heap-walking caught the attention of an itinerant acrobatic entertainer called Hu San who wondered if Ma was in his right mind. When Ma told him he was practicing kung fu, Hu San laughed with scorn and decided to teach Ma the real meaning of kung fu. They decided to have a trial of strength. Hu tried to come to grips with Ma but couldn't even touch him. Ma simply walked in circles around his opponent, and Hu began to feel dizzy and gradually lost control. Before Hu knew what was happening, Ma had caught hold of Hu's hands and threw him to the ground some three meters away. Hu San got up, acknowledged defeat and expressed his admiration for Baguazhang. According to another story, the Su Wang Palace advertised for martial arts teachers. Ma applied and was ordered him to demonstrate his martial skills. Ma picked up a Big Spear and moved into the prince's practice hall to begin. In the hall were many antiques and precious wall hangings. Ma took his spear in hand and performed flawlessly and did not break anything. Su Wang wanted to give him the appointment but he felt that if this man were to get angry and violent, he couldn't be controlled. He awarded Ma 1000 double silvers, and ordered him to return home. In another story, a famous caravan escort named Zhao Keli from the North East played tribute to Ma. During the meeting, Ma only heaped insults on Zhao. This angered Zhao and he challenged Ma. Ma used a heavy hand to wound Zhao but did not kill him. Those stories illustrates some of the character of the man.
Ma died when he was only 29 years old. One story suggest that he died from complications due to injuries inquired while he was training a jumping technique and hurt his back. In other story, Ma died because of injuries suffered after a competition. He went to Dong for healing, but the poison from the wounds had entered his bones. He couldn't be cured with acupuncture or herbs. Xie Peiqi consider Ma to be one of Dong's best students.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Luo Dexiu
Luo Dexiu , or Lo Te-Hsiu is a Taiwanese martial artist who specializes in the of Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Taijiquan.
He was born in 1956 in Taipei, Taiwan. Wife: Beth Snowberger; one son.
Luo Dexiu entered the of Hong Yixiang in 1971, where he began his study of the Internal Martial Arts, devoting himself in the beginning to the use of these arts for fighting, with particular emphasis on Xingyiquan. He became one of Hong Yixiang's best fighters.
He later became deeply interested in Baguazhang, which was at the core of the skills taught by Hong Yixiang, having been passed directly from Zhang Junfeng, who trained under Gao Yisheng, a master in the Cheng Tinghua branch of Baguazhang who had brought the to Taiwan. This lineage and school is called Yizong. Luo Dexiu studied Gao style Baguazhang with Hong Yixiang, and with many of Zhang's other students as well, including Hong Yixiang's brothers Hong Yiwen and Hong Yimian. He later continued his intensive studies of Baguazhang with Liu Qian, an early student of .
Luo Dexiu currently teaches Gao style Baguazhang and Hebei Xingyiquan, carrying on the Yizong tradition through his classes in Taipei, Taiwan, and holds seminar tours annually throughout Europe, America, and the Middle East.
He was born in 1956 in Taipei, Taiwan. Wife: Beth Snowberger; one son.
Luo Dexiu entered the of Hong Yixiang in 1971, where he began his study of the Internal Martial Arts, devoting himself in the beginning to the use of these arts for fighting, with particular emphasis on Xingyiquan. He became one of Hong Yixiang's best fighters.
He later became deeply interested in Baguazhang, which was at the core of the skills taught by Hong Yixiang, having been passed directly from Zhang Junfeng, who trained under Gao Yisheng, a master in the Cheng Tinghua branch of Baguazhang who had brought the to Taiwan. This lineage and school is called Yizong. Luo Dexiu studied Gao style Baguazhang with Hong Yixiang, and with many of Zhang's other students as well, including Hong Yixiang's brothers Hong Yiwen and Hong Yimian. He later continued his intensive studies of Baguazhang with Liu Qian, an early student of .
Luo Dexiu currently teaches Gao style Baguazhang and Hebei Xingyiquan, carrying on the Yizong tradition through his classes in Taipei, Taiwan, and holds seminar tours annually throughout Europe, America, and the Middle East.
Hung I-Hsiang
Hung I-Hsiang , or Hong Yixiang was a Taiwanese who specialized in the of xingyiquan, baguazhang and taijiquan.
Hung I-Hsiang was born in 1925 in Taiwan. He studied with Chang Chun-Feng a master of internal Chinese martial arts from Northern China. Chang introduced these arts to Taiwan in 1948 when he moved there following the Communist take-over of Mainland China. Initially, Chang met with resistance from mainlanders on Taiwan who objected to his teaching the secrets of internal martial arts to native Taiwanese such as Hung.
When Chang began teaching in the northern part of Taibei, his first group of core students included the three Hung brothers: Hung I-Hsiang, Hung I-Wen and Hong I-Mien . It is said that Hung I-Hsiang was the xingyiquan specialist, Hung I-Mien was the baguazhang specialist, and Hung I-Wen specialized in taijiquan .
After he had studied with Chang for several years, Hung often led classes for Chang. Because the internal martial arts were still very new in Taiwan, many curious people would come to test Chang's skill. Hung said that Chang would often send him out to show the visitors what the internal styles were all about. Many martial artists in Taiwan remember Hung as being someone who was involved in many fights, both in and out of the martial arts studio.
In the mid-1960's Hung I-Hsiang opened up his own school under the name Tang Shou Tao .
Hung I-Hsiang internal arts training program included xingyiquan, baguazhang and Wu style Taijiquan, Shaolin kung fu and qigong. He suggests that students learn Shaolin kung fu when they are very young, progress to xingyiquan to learn how to develop internal power and then progress to baguazhang and taijiquan to learn how to refine the power. This is also the teaching sequence used by Hung's teacher, Chang Chun-Feng. Hung believed that, in practicing the xingyiquan five elements as an introduction to the internal martial arts, the student can clearly understand the way the body should be trained to move in the internal styles. If the student starts out in taijiquan it is very difficult to develop and understand internal power.
Many of Hung's students dominated the full-contact tournaments in Taiwan. One student, Weng Hsien-ming won the Taiwan full contact championships three years in a row. Another, Huang Hsi-I also usually won his all-Taiwan full contact tournaments with knock-outs. Other famous students of Hung I-Hsiang inclunded Hsu Hung-Chi , , and Su Dong Chen. p
Hung I-Hsiang was born in 1925 in Taiwan. He studied with Chang Chun-Feng a master of internal Chinese martial arts from Northern China. Chang introduced these arts to Taiwan in 1948 when he moved there following the Communist take-over of Mainland China. Initially, Chang met with resistance from mainlanders on Taiwan who objected to his teaching the secrets of internal martial arts to native Taiwanese such as Hung.
When Chang began teaching in the northern part of Taibei, his first group of core students included the three Hung brothers: Hung I-Hsiang, Hung I-Wen and Hong I-Mien . It is said that Hung I-Hsiang was the xingyiquan specialist, Hung I-Mien was the baguazhang specialist, and Hung I-Wen specialized in taijiquan .
After he had studied with Chang for several years, Hung often led classes for Chang. Because the internal martial arts were still very new in Taiwan, many curious people would come to test Chang's skill. Hung said that Chang would often send him out to show the visitors what the internal styles were all about. Many martial artists in Taiwan remember Hung as being someone who was involved in many fights, both in and out of the martial arts studio.
In the mid-1960's Hung I-Hsiang opened up his own school under the name Tang Shou Tao .
Hung I-Hsiang internal arts training program included xingyiquan, baguazhang and Wu style Taijiquan, Shaolin kung fu and qigong. He suggests that students learn Shaolin kung fu when they are very young, progress to xingyiquan to learn how to develop internal power and then progress to baguazhang and taijiquan to learn how to refine the power. This is also the teaching sequence used by Hung's teacher, Chang Chun-Feng. Hung believed that, in practicing the xingyiquan five elements as an introduction to the internal martial arts, the student can clearly understand the way the body should be trained to move in the internal styles. If the student starts out in taijiquan it is very difficult to develop and understand internal power.
Many of Hung's students dominated the full-contact tournaments in Taiwan. One student, Weng Hsien-ming won the Taiwan full contact championships three years in a row. Another, Huang Hsi-I also usually won his all-Taiwan full contact tournaments with knock-outs. Other famous students of Hung I-Hsiang inclunded Hsu Hung-Chi , , and Su Dong Chen. p
He Jinbao
He Jinbao, originally from China, is the grand disciple and sole lineage carrier of the Xie Peiqi branch of Yin Style Baguazhang, which was passed down to him by Dr. Xie Peiqi, who died in 2003.
When asked why the complete art of Yin Style Bagua is not widely known, He Jinbao replied "Few have practiced it, and few are left to teach it." After the loss of his first student Liu Fang, Dr. Xie became worried that the art might be lost forever because it has never been taught publicly. Towards the end of his days, Dr. Xie and He worked hard to accelerate He's training and attempt to document the complete style in a series of instructional videos.
At the age of 15, having never met Xie Peiqi and knowing nothing about Baguazhang, He traveled to the home of Xie Peiqi and asked the master to instruct him while he was drinking tea.
Xie inquired, "What kind of strength do you have?" and he rose from his seat to get a closer look at the boy, feeling his arms and legs and examining him. Xie took him to the courtyard and demonstrated to him several moves from the Lion system of Yin Style Baguazhang in full speed and asked He to repeat them. When He was unable to emulate them properly, Xie replied, "Why are you so stupid?" Xie then struck the boy several times and returned inside to finish his tea.
He remained outside attempting to practice the moves. Finally, Xie called out to him, "How are the moves coming?" Jinbao said "OK," to which Xie replied "So go home and practice." Determined to be better prepared for his next lesson, He spent the next week attempting to learn from Baguazhang practitioners in the park, not knowing that it was a different style of Baguazhang. When he returned, Xie almost sent him away for it.
In 1976, after practicing with Xie for 5 years, he met Xie's best student, Liu Fang, from whom he began to receive additional training. Liu Fang eventually died, and He Jinbao was taken on as Dr. Xie's primary student.
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State of the Lineage
When asked why the complete art of Yin Style Bagua is not widely known, He Jinbao replied "Few have practiced it, and few are left to teach it." After the loss of his first student Liu Fang, Dr. Xie became worried that the art might be lost forever because it has never been taught publicly. Towards the end of his days, Dr. Xie and He worked hard to accelerate He's training and attempt to document the complete style in a series of instructional videos.
He Jinbao's Introduction to Baguazhang
At the age of 15, having never met Xie Peiqi and knowing nothing about Baguazhang, He traveled to the home of Xie Peiqi and asked the master to instruct him while he was drinking tea.
Xie inquired, "What kind of strength do you have?" and he rose from his seat to get a closer look at the boy, feeling his arms and legs and examining him. Xie took him to the courtyard and demonstrated to him several moves from the Lion system of Yin Style Baguazhang in full speed and asked He to repeat them. When He was unable to emulate them properly, Xie replied, "Why are you so stupid?" Xie then struck the boy several times and returned inside to finish his tea.
He remained outside attempting to practice the moves. Finally, Xie called out to him, "How are the moves coming?" Jinbao said "OK," to which Xie replied "So go home and practice." Determined to be better prepared for his next lesson, He spent the next week attempting to learn from Baguazhang practitioners in the park, not knowing that it was a different style of Baguazhang. When he returned, Xie almost sent him away for it.
In 1976, after practicing with Xie for 5 years, he met Xie's best student, Liu Fang, from whom he began to receive additional training. Liu Fang eventually died, and He Jinbao was taken on as Dr. Xie's primary student.
Web resources
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Gong Bao Tian
Gong Bao Tian was a martial artist who started training with Yin Fu while he was still an adolescent while working as a waiter in a restaurant. Gong Bao Tian’s older brother, Gong Baoshan, introduced Gong Baotian to Yin Fu. He was hired as a royal bodyguard under Yin Fu and became his successor at the palace when Yin Fu retired. When the Qing government was overthrown, Gong Baotian served as the head bodyguard of General Zhang Zuolin. Soon after that he retired to his home in Qingshan District in the province of Shandong. He published a book on his training methods.
Gong Bao Tian was from Qing Shan, Mou Ping County, Shandong Province. He practiced .
Gong BaoTian, who was a formal disciple of Yin Fu, went into the bodyguard service in the Royal Palace. Dong HaiChuan, Yin Fu, and Gong BaoTian were three generations of baguazhang masters who were all Royal Palace bodyguards.
Gong Bao Tian was from Qing Shan, Mou Ping County, Shandong Province. He practiced .
Gong BaoTian, who was a formal disciple of Yin Fu, went into the bodyguard service in the Royal Palace. Dong HaiChuan, Yin Fu, and Gong BaoTian were three generations of baguazhang masters who were all Royal Palace bodyguards.
Gao Yisheng
Gao Yisheng was the creator of the Gao style of the Chinese Internal Martial Art of Baguazhang. His life bridged the second generation and third generation of Bagua practitioners into the 20th century. He was one of the few third generation Bagua practitioners to live beyond the 1940's. His innovation and impact on Bagua as a fighting art cannot be underestimated.
Gao Yisheng was born in Da Zhuang Zi Village, Da Shan Township, Wu Di County, Shandong province, China in 1866. During his childhood his family fortune was lost so they moved to Wu Ching County, Shaogao township in Hebei province to find employment. When he was young his leg was broken by a mule cart and the bone was set incorrectly so Gao walked with a cane the rest of his life. As a boy he learned the art of Da Hung Chuan in his home village.
In 1892 when Gao was twenty-six years old he began his study of Baguazhang with Dong Haichuan’s student Sung Zhangjun . After three years of practice with Sung all he had learned was basic circle walking and the single palm change. Gao asked for more instruction, but Sung refused and Gao left to find another teacher.
At age thirty, in 1896, Gao met Zhou Yuxiang. Zhou was a talented student of Cheng Tinghua. Zhou’s skill in fighting had earned him the nickname “Peerless Palm” Zhou. Gao and Zhou “crossed hands” three times and Gao was defeated each time. Gao knelt and asked to become Zhou’s disciple. Zhou said they were too close in age for him to bring him into the system so Zhou took Gao to Beijing to meet his teacher Cheng Tinghua. Cheng accepted him as his student because of his previous experience with Sung and on Zhou Yuxiang’s recommendation. Gao learned the majority of the system from Zhuo and would travel to Beijing periodically to study with Cheng, until Cheng’s death four years later. Gao learned the eight shen tien palms, weapons forms and applications.
After six years of intense study Gao began teaching Cheng Tinghua Style Ba Gua Zhang in Shao-gao township, Wu Ching County, Hebei province. Some time between 1902 and 1911 Gao also studied Xingyi Quan with Li Cunyi. In 1911 he returned to his home village Shandong province at the age of forty – five at which time he started teaching his Gao style Baguazhang.
Around 1912 Gao claimed he met Sung Yi-Ren, a Taoist from Guang Hua Mountain who gave him the Hou Tien sets. It is likely that this is a fabrication because the Chinese attribute many of their martial arts to famous yet obscure sources. Even his direct students expressed doubts about this story. There are many Baguazhang systems with application based short forms similar to Gao’s Hou Tien Sets. It is not difficult to imagine that Gao had learned some of them from Cheng or Zhuo. Another student of Zhuo Yuxiang wrote a book that had thirty-one of Gao’s sixty-four Hou Tien palms in it. Han Muxia, grand-student of Cheng Tinghua and friend of Zhuo Yuxiang’s had forty - eight straight line Baguazhang sets almost identical to Gao’s. Based on the above facts, it is possible that Gao may have standardized forty-eight of the Hou Tiens from his experience with Zhou, Cheng and Li Cunyi then rounded out the total number to sixty-four in accordance with well known Daoist cosmology.
Between 1911 and 1917, Gao moved to Yang village, Wu Ching county, Hebei province, about ten miles from Tianjin city. He taught in Yang village and in Tianjin city. Gao would also periodically return to his home village in Da Shan Township in Shandong province to teach. Tianjin was a rough and violent place with many experienced martial artists, gangsters and coarse people. Anyone who taught martial arts in Tianjin City had to have real fighting skill.
Gao’s main source of income was teaching martial arts classes so his class structure was designed to teach anyone who wanted to learn. His public classes contained multiple levels, each level of study costing more money; some students only wanted to learn Baguazhang for health, others for show, some could not afford to learn more than what was taught in the basic class and still others wanted fighting skill. He trained his students according to their interests, attitude, and physical condition.
In 1942 he fought with a Taiji Quan teacher in the park. Gao defeated him but injured him so badly he died three days later. To avoid the police Gao fled to Wu Ching village outside Tianjin city. He never returned to Tianjin and spent his remaining years living in the back of a Chinese medicine shop; he died in 1951 at the age of eighty-five.
During his 40+ years of teaching Baguazhang Gao Yisheng's skill grew and developed. Accordingly his baguazhang changed and developed as well. During his long teaching career he had hundreds if not thousands of students. These students and schools show the progression of Gao as a martial artist. This does not mean that one lineage is better than another. What it does show is that Gao had a deep understanding of the principles of Baguazhang throughout his long career and all these schools are representative of Gao Yisheng's teaching and philosophy.
Today, there many schools and teachers that have descended from his lineage. There are many other schools not listed here. The main branches of his lineage come from Tianjin city, China, Taipei, Taiwan and Hong Kong, China.
Tianjin City: Liu Fengcai was Gao's nephew and studied with him in Shandong and followed him to Tianjin city when he moved there. He taught classes for Gao and was known for his skill in the Xian Tien palms.
In Taipei, Taiwan the older lineage comes from Wu Jin-Yuan and his son Wu Huai-Shan. Both of these men studied with Gao early on when he was teaching in Shandong province. It is possible that Wu Jin-Yuan, who was already an accomplished martial artist, helped Gao develop some of the Hou Tian sets. Wu Jin-Yuan was Gao's first disciple. The family fled to Taiwan during the Communist takeover of 1949.
The other lineage from Taipei, Taiwan comes from Zhang Junfeng. Zhang was a private student of Gao during his years in the city of Tianjin, China. He became Chairman of the Tianjin City Martial Arts Association and was known for his fighting skill. Gao gave his lineage the name "Yi Zong". He fled to Taipei, Taiwan during the Communist takeover of 1949.
The Hong Kong branch of Gao's art comes from He Kocai A.K.A Ho Ho Choi. Ho was a student of Gao’s who was small in stature and to work very hard against the larger students thereby learning a great deal in the process.
The Gao style system is referred to as the Gao Yisheng branch of the Cheng Tinghua system of Baguazhang. Essentially Gao Style Baguazhang is a unique subsystem. The Gao style system, because of Gao's own martial progression over time, can be found to have a number of different permutations, represented in various lingages. All are valid examples of Gao Style Baguazhang because they all represent Gao Yisheng’s progression as a martial artist. Not all of the lineages have all of the levels. Gao was refining and creating sets until he died. He changed his straight line, pre-heaven and weapons sets more than once in his life but at its core it is a complete Baguazhang system.
Gao's Bagua Zhang as listed in his book:
# Basic Exercises (Start posture, standing postures, Tang Ni Bu, Wu Xing Bu, 8 Basic Stretches
# Basic Forms - Turning Forms
# Xian Tien - Changing Forms
# Don Juan Zhang and Wu Lung Bei Wei
# Hou Tien 64 Palms
# 12 animals
# Push Hands and Attack & Defense
# Weapons Forms
Life
Gao Yisheng was born in Da Zhuang Zi Village, Da Shan Township, Wu Di County, Shandong province, China in 1866. During his childhood his family fortune was lost so they moved to Wu Ching County, Shaogao township in Hebei province to find employment. When he was young his leg was broken by a mule cart and the bone was set incorrectly so Gao walked with a cane the rest of his life. As a boy he learned the art of Da Hung Chuan in his home village.
In 1892 when Gao was twenty-six years old he began his study of Baguazhang with Dong Haichuan’s student Sung Zhangjun . After three years of practice with Sung all he had learned was basic circle walking and the single palm change. Gao asked for more instruction, but Sung refused and Gao left to find another teacher.
At age thirty, in 1896, Gao met Zhou Yuxiang. Zhou was a talented student of Cheng Tinghua. Zhou’s skill in fighting had earned him the nickname “Peerless Palm” Zhou. Gao and Zhou “crossed hands” three times and Gao was defeated each time. Gao knelt and asked to become Zhou’s disciple. Zhou said they were too close in age for him to bring him into the system so Zhou took Gao to Beijing to meet his teacher Cheng Tinghua. Cheng accepted him as his student because of his previous experience with Sung and on Zhou Yuxiang’s recommendation. Gao learned the majority of the system from Zhuo and would travel to Beijing periodically to study with Cheng, until Cheng’s death four years later. Gao learned the eight shen tien palms, weapons forms and applications.
After six years of intense study Gao began teaching Cheng Tinghua Style Ba Gua Zhang in Shao-gao township, Wu Ching County, Hebei province. Some time between 1902 and 1911 Gao also studied Xingyi Quan with Li Cunyi. In 1911 he returned to his home village Shandong province at the age of forty – five at which time he started teaching his Gao style Baguazhang.
Around 1912 Gao claimed he met Sung Yi-Ren, a Taoist from Guang Hua Mountain who gave him the Hou Tien sets. It is likely that this is a fabrication because the Chinese attribute many of their martial arts to famous yet obscure sources. Even his direct students expressed doubts about this story. There are many Baguazhang systems with application based short forms similar to Gao’s Hou Tien Sets. It is not difficult to imagine that Gao had learned some of them from Cheng or Zhuo. Another student of Zhuo Yuxiang wrote a book that had thirty-one of Gao’s sixty-four Hou Tien palms in it. Han Muxia, grand-student of Cheng Tinghua and friend of Zhuo Yuxiang’s had forty - eight straight line Baguazhang sets almost identical to Gao’s. Based on the above facts, it is possible that Gao may have standardized forty-eight of the Hou Tiens from his experience with Zhou, Cheng and Li Cunyi then rounded out the total number to sixty-four in accordance with well known Daoist cosmology.
Between 1911 and 1917, Gao moved to Yang village, Wu Ching county, Hebei province, about ten miles from Tianjin city. He taught in Yang village and in Tianjin city. Gao would also periodically return to his home village in Da Shan Township in Shandong province to teach. Tianjin was a rough and violent place with many experienced martial artists, gangsters and coarse people. Anyone who taught martial arts in Tianjin City had to have real fighting skill.
Gao’s main source of income was teaching martial arts classes so his class structure was designed to teach anyone who wanted to learn. His public classes contained multiple levels, each level of study costing more money; some students only wanted to learn Baguazhang for health, others for show, some could not afford to learn more than what was taught in the basic class and still others wanted fighting skill. He trained his students according to their interests, attitude, and physical condition.
In 1942 he fought with a Taiji Quan teacher in the park. Gao defeated him but injured him so badly he died three days later. To avoid the police Gao fled to Wu Ching village outside Tianjin city. He never returned to Tianjin and spent his remaining years living in the back of a Chinese medicine shop; he died in 1951 at the age of eighty-five.
Lineages
During his 40+ years of teaching Baguazhang Gao Yisheng's skill grew and developed. Accordingly his baguazhang changed and developed as well. During his long teaching career he had hundreds if not thousands of students. These students and schools show the progression of Gao as a martial artist. This does not mean that one lineage is better than another. What it does show is that Gao had a deep understanding of the principles of Baguazhang throughout his long career and all these schools are representative of Gao Yisheng's teaching and philosophy.
Today, there many schools and teachers that have descended from his lineage. There are many other schools not listed here. The main branches of his lineage come from Tianjin city, China, Taipei, Taiwan and Hong Kong, China.
Tianjin City: Liu Fengcai was Gao's nephew and studied with him in Shandong and followed him to Tianjin city when he moved there. He taught classes for Gao and was known for his skill in the Xian Tien palms.
In Taipei, Taiwan the older lineage comes from Wu Jin-Yuan and his son Wu Huai-Shan. Both of these men studied with Gao early on when he was teaching in Shandong province. It is possible that Wu Jin-Yuan, who was already an accomplished martial artist, helped Gao develop some of the Hou Tian sets. Wu Jin-Yuan was Gao's first disciple. The family fled to Taiwan during the Communist takeover of 1949.
The other lineage from Taipei, Taiwan comes from Zhang Junfeng. Zhang was a private student of Gao during his years in the city of Tianjin, China. He became Chairman of the Tianjin City Martial Arts Association and was known for his fighting skill. Gao gave his lineage the name "Yi Zong". He fled to Taipei, Taiwan during the Communist takeover of 1949.
The Hong Kong branch of Gao's art comes from He Kocai A.K.A Ho Ho Choi. Ho was a student of Gao’s who was small in stature and to work very hard against the larger students thereby learning a great deal in the process.
The Gao Style System
The Gao style system is referred to as the Gao Yisheng branch of the Cheng Tinghua system of Baguazhang. Essentially Gao Style Baguazhang is a unique subsystem. The Gao style system, because of Gao's own martial progression over time, can be found to have a number of different permutations, represented in various lingages. All are valid examples of Gao Style Baguazhang because they all represent Gao Yisheng’s progression as a martial artist. Not all of the lineages have all of the levels. Gao was refining and creating sets until he died. He changed his straight line, pre-heaven and weapons sets more than once in his life but at its core it is a complete Baguazhang system.
Gao's Bagua Zhang as listed in his book:
# Basic Exercises (Start posture, standing postures, Tang Ni Bu, Wu Xing Bu, 8 Basic Stretches
# Basic Forms - Turning Forms
# Xian Tien - Changing Forms
# Don Juan Zhang and Wu Lung Bei Wei
# Hou Tien 64 Palms
# 12 animals
# Push Hands and Attack & Defense
# Weapons Forms
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. Yin's kungfu skills advanced very fast during the next several years and Duan let Yin join the king's security guards.
When Master Dong retired, Yin took over as the supervisor of the security guards, working for the emperor in the Forbidden City. The Empress Dowager liked his skill and even wanted to study with him.
Yin taught Bagua and lived on the eastern side of Beijing city; as a result, the Yin style of kungfu is called Dong-cheng Zhang .
The other name for the Yin style is Niu-she Zhang because the palm's shape in this style looks like an ox tongue.
Yin style Bagua Zhang includes eight sections, each with eight postures. The sixty-four posture palm change is practiced in circle walking. This style allows a combatant to throw an opponent 5 meters away with a 2 inch palm strike to the chest.
Later some of Yin's students changed their style. They did eight palm changes as a major practice. This approach is similar to Cheng style.
Yin Fu was Dong's earliest disciple in Prince Duan's palace. Yin's kungfu skills advanced very fast during the next several years and Duan let Yin join the king's security guards.
When Master Dong retired, Yin took over as the supervisor of the security guards, working for the emperor in the Forbidden City. The Empress Dowager liked his skill and even wanted to study with him.
Yin taught Bagua and lived on the eastern side of Beijing city; as a result, the Yin style of kungfu is called Dong-cheng Zhang .
The other name for the Yin style is Niu-she Zhang because the palm's shape in this style looks like an ox tongue.
Yin style Bagua Zhang includes eight sections, each with eight postures. The sixty-four posture palm change is practiced in circle walking. This style allows a combatant to throw an opponent 5 meters away with a 2 inch palm strike to the chest.
Later some of Yin's students changed their style. They did eight palm changes as a major practice. This approach is similar to Cheng style.
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