he students of Dong Hai Chang were extremely active in the promotion of their art. The current styles are derived from those masters. The information about this third generation of practioners are divided as follows:

Gong Baotian started training with Yin Fu while he was still an adolescent while working as a waiter in a restaurant. Gong Baotian’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.

Students
Gong Baozai, Liu Yun Chiao

Lu Zijian trained in many styles such as Shaolin (Zimen Boxing) and Wudang in addition to Bagua. He also learned from a Taoist, Li Chang-Ye, "the Longevity Monk," of the Emei Meeting Fairies Cave on Emei Mountain. Li was exceptionally good in You Shen Baguazhang (Swimming Body Bagua). Li was rumoured to be 108 at the time. Video tape of Lu performing his form is available.

Ma Gui was Yin's oldest student but he is also considered to be a student of Dong.

Men Baozhen (1870-1957). The last of Yin’s top three students. He spent nearly 20 years studying with Yin and later cared for Yin in his old age. Thus, he is considered to the one who inherited Yin’s complete system. Men was by nature well rounded; he spent as much time learning the healing and philosophical sides of Bagua as he did learning the martial aspects.

Students
Xie Peiqi (1920 -)

Wan Tongli was considered to be the best student of Yin by Xie Peiqi. The only information about about him, is that he works in stringing pearls together.

Yin Yuzhang was Yin Fu's fourth son. He was also the author of the book, "Brief description of baguazhang".

Students
Guo Zhongshan, Jiang Haoquan, Liu Xiwu, Pei Xirong, Wang Fu

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Cheng Style

Cheng Ting Hua (1848-1900) was one of the of the most prolific teachers of Bagua. He developed his own style - Cheng's style.

Cheng Yulung (1875-1928), also known as Cheng Haiting, was the eldest son of Cheng Ting Hua. He trained with his father when he was young and he practicedeven more diligently after his father passed away, He was described as fair-skinned, with the attributes of a scholar, and his nature was forthright and frank. Hi smain interest was in Baguazhang but he also studied Taijiquan with Yang Jianhou. He was able to blended the two arts to make Bagua Taiji Quan - a synthesis art that is still being practise today. He extensively researched the principles of fighting. He also researched every nuance of the Paired Baguazhang Method and Bagua Meridian Mandarin Duck Axes. Besides his interest in the martial arts, he was also an expert in drawing and calligraphy. According to some sources, he died of cancer because of his exercisive smoking. He was responsible for spreading the art to Beijing and Tianjin.

Students
Guo Zhushan, Sun Xikun

Cheng Youxin also called Shouting, was Mr. Cheng Tinghua's second son. When Cheng Tinghua left this world, Youxin was only nine years old. He really never got his fathers true teachings, but learned from Cheng Tinghuas students. They all gave him instruction and he reached a very high level. As a result of this, the instruction that he received came from many teachers. He did not receive one formal Bagua transmission. Nevertheless his skill caught up to that of his older brother, though it did not surpass it. Mr. Youxin was short and small. He was expert in lower basin stepping. Men called him Cuo Ye (Short Uncle). The sum of his studies was his 64 Palms, only he was closefisted in teaching it. He was consider one of Three Elders of Beijing Bagua circles in the sixties.

Students
Liu Jingru (Liu Tanfeng)

Feng Junyi was good at using the leg method. Men called him Flying Legs Feng Junyi.

Gao Yi Sheng (1866 -1951). Gao Yi Sheng was born in 1866 in Shandong, though he moved to Hebei province when he was still young. As a youth, he learned his family style, Da Hong Quan. Later, he studied Hsing Yi with Li Cun Yi. At twenty six, he learned the basics of Bagua with Song Chang Rong. At thirty, he was defeated by Zhou Yu Xiang in a contest. Zhou introduced him to his teacher, Cheng Ting Hua for further instructions. For the next two years, he trained with Zhou in Shangdong and Cheng in Beijing.

By forty five, Gao has established a reputation in Haifeng, Shandong. He finally meet his last teacher, Song Yi Yan (§º¯q¤¯), a Taoist who claimed to be a student of Pi Cheng Xia, the teacher of Dong Hai Chuan. Song told Gao that Dong had only stayed long enough to study the pre-heaven skills of Ba Gua. He suggested that the "post-heaven" skills also had to be studied in order to complete the system. Gao then learned the complete system from Song.

"We practice an art that does not have an end, I am Song Yi Ren. I learned the whole set. I transmit it everywhere under heaven. I transmit the art and I don't hold back. This ability is to encourage people. "

"Yu shen Bagua Lian Huan Zhang" (Swim body Eight Diagram Linking Palm) Gao Yi Sheng

At fifty Gao returned to Hebei, where he taught in Yang Cun village close to Tianjin. In a meeting with his old teacher Zhou, Zhou made three attacks on Gao to test the progress of his student. He was twice deflected, and the third time knocked away. Zhou was impressed enough by Gao's sixty four post-heaven palms that he returned to Shandong in search of the Sung Yi Jen, but hewas unable to find him.

In 1936, Gao began teaching on the football fields of the English concession in Tianjin. It was in Tianjin that Gao taught the majority of his students that began to spread his style widely. in 1959, Gao passed away. His legacy is passed on through three students - Wu Meng Xia, Zhang Jun Feng and Ho Ho Choy.

Students
Han Mu Hsia, Ho Ho Choi (1911-1995), He Ko Cai (taught in Hong Kong), Lau Fung Choi, Li Yuen Zhang, Pau Chum, On Jai Hai, Wu Meng Xia, Yau Fung Pui, Zhang Jun Feng (from Hubei)

Liu Bin was Mr. Cheng's youngest disciple.

Li Wenbiao (?-1925), also called Guangpu, was from Yixian county of Hebei province. He taught in Shenyang and was considered among Cheng Tinghua's most outstanding students. Physically, he was big, tall and strong with bright eyes that convey his strong spirit. Li was famous for his depressing palm (ta zhang). No man dared to lightly test him. At that time, the martial community universally praised him.

Li travelled extensively across China as part of the Republican government. He followed the Supervisor of the Military, Xu Shichang to Northeastern regions. In Fengtian, he worked in the area of counter espionage. He was in the company of distinguished martial artists including the Warlord Li, the Spiritual Wrestler Ji Si, Pigua expert Li Baorong, and Chen Tai Hui's nephew Cheng Yougong. Li was later transfered to the office of President Cao Kun in Beijing. At that time, he was in the company of many of his Baguazhang classmates including Miller Zhang's student Cui Yugui, Cheng Youlong's student He Jun, Zhu WenBao's student Liu Zhigang, and Cheng Tianhua's student Liu Zitai.

Li was killed when Feng Yuyang rebelled against President Cao Kun.

Sun Lutang followed Guo Yunshen's student Li Kuiyuan and studied Xingyi Quan. He later trained with Cheng Tinghua. Sun also studied Taiji Quan with Hao Weijin. Thus, Sun Lutang was known as an expert in the three internal martial arts. He wrote many books to promote the martial arts including, The Real Meaning of Fighting, The Study of Xingyi Quan, The Study of Baguazhang, The Study of Taijiquan, and The Study of Bagua Sword.

Sun LuTang held a teaching post at the Nanjing Central Kuoshu Institute. He earned a reputation as one of the great martial arts teachers of his time.

Yang Mingshan was also a student of Yin Fu. Yin Fu taught Yang Mingshan and and Jin Yuhui a special weapon set - qixing gan (bamboo pole of seven stars). This weapon is a special kind of bamboo pole filled with the mercury inside. From the outer point of view it is an easy thing, but the strike is very hard. The weapon set with qixinggan has 4 parts, each part consists of 32 forms.

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Practitioners of other styles

Fan Fenglan (1884-1967) was Fan Zhiyong’s only daughter. In the sixties, she was considered to be one of Three Elders of Beijing Bagua circles (along with Guo Gumin, Liang Zhenpu’s disciple; and Cheng Youxin, Cheng Tinghua’s son). Since she was very honest, sincere and kind person, people called her with respect Fan “Dagu” (Elder Aunt Fan). Fan Fenglan learnt from her father since early age and, as she was a bright and diligent student, received true transmission from him and became inheritor of the complete art of Baguazhang. Her most famous disciples were Yi Shilin, Zhao Zhihai, Wang Zengku, Wang Yuan, Wang Gang and Wen Dasheng. [1]

Students
Wang Gang, Wang Yuan, Wang Zengku, Wen Dasheng, Yi Shilin and Zhao Zhihai,.

Fu Zhensong (1881-1953), nicknamed Qiankun, was from Henan province. He began studied martial art in his village when he was 16 years old. He studied Chen family taijiquan from Chen Dianshan. He studied Bagau with Sun Lu Tang and Mai Gui.

In 1911, Fu became martial art teacher in one of Kaifeng's Guard Bureau. He was in the army from 1920 to 1927. In 1928, he became a martial arts teacher at the Central Guoshu Institute in Nanjing . In 1929, he became the teacher for the Guoshu institute of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. During the Second World War, he was vice-director of another guoshu institute. In 1945, he returned to Guangzhou and began to teach taijiquan. Fu Style Bagua is one of the six official Bagua styles recognized by the Sports federation in China.

Students
Fu Yonghui (son), Lin Chaozhen

"He has a lively attitude and perfectly combines hard and soft; he has no dead spots or purely hard spots. He is a real asset to the martial scene. And to top it off, he is good at theoretical studies. "

Li Jinglin, Wudang sword master

Jiang Rongqiao (1891-1974), also known as Guangwu, was born into a martial arts family in Hebei in the north of China. His father, Jiang Tingju, was a master teacher of mizong boxing. He trained in his family style and earned a high level of proficient in the whip and sword. In 1909, he became a student of Zhang Zhangui and studied bagua and xingyi. He also learned taishi whip from Li Yusan, taijiquan from Tang Shilin, and wudang sword from Li Jinglin. He trained seriously and always wanted to understand the theory and application of techniques.

In the 1920's, while he worked for the Tianjin-Shanghai railway, he started to teach martial arts. In 1928, he formed the Association to Achieve Virtue by Esteeming the Martial in Shanghai and started to write books to spread the martial arts. In 1932, he was made the director of the editorial department of the National Martial Arts Centre in Nanjing, where he was responsible for writing and editing, but also had time for teaching. He left Nanjing when the Japanese attacked, and spent years as a teacher of literature and history, but never stopped teaching martial arts. He later moved to Shanghai where he lived out his retirement. In his later years, he concentrated on research and writing, but continued to teach even as he lost his eyesight.

Students
Jiang Hao-Quan, Sha Guozheng, Yuan Qiqiang

Wu Yao (1873-1966) was nicknamed Zixiong. He was a Moslem from Inner Mongolia. He studied baguazhang and stick-fighting from his father Wu Ying since he was a child. During Xinhai Revolution, he was a member of underground Tongmenghui organisation. He is recognized as a famous teacher of the Suiyuan guoshu institute.

Students
Bai Fu, Tao Dal, Wu Yao (son), Xi Erqing, Yun Liansheng

References

[1] Origins And Characteristics of Fan Family Baguazhang By Wen Dasheng, J.Szymanski, 1999. [04/2002] - BACK

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