Gao Baguazhang

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="0d3dedc2ddualp.gif"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150691e0.gif" border=0 width="105" height="30" ALT="Baguazhang Characters" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Introduction"><U><B>Introduction</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Origins"><U><B>Origins</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Development"><U><B>Development</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Founders Bio"><U><B>Founder's Bio</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Family Tree"><U><B>Family Tree</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Masters"><U><B>Masters</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Systems"><U><B>Systems</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sets"><U><B>Sets</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Weapons"><U><B>Weapons</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Featured Articles"><U><B>Featured Articles</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Discussion Room"><U><B>Discussion Room</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tea Room"><U><B>Tea Room</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Members Rooms"><U><B>Members' Rooms</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Baguazhang Teachers"><U><B>Baguazhang Teachers</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id78.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photos"><U><B>Photos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Baguazhang Links"><U><B>Baguazhang Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FreeForAllLinks"><U><B>Free-For-All-Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Free Email Service"><U><B>Free Email Service</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>About Us</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Search Engines"><U><B>Search Engines</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Email Mailing List"><U><B>Email Mailing List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Search Engine"><U><B>Search Engine</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="0d464643.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>BAGUAZHANG CITY</B></FONT>    |     <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BAGUAZHANG CITY"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> Gao Baguazhang</div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cheng Baguazhang"><U>Cheng Baguazhang</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id82.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fan Baguazhang"><U>Fan  Baguazhang</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fu Baguazhang"><U>Fu Baguazhang</U></A>   |   <B>Gao Baguazhang</B>   |   <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gong System"><U>Gong System</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jiang Baguazhang"><U>Jiang Baguazhang</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Liang Baguazhang"><U>Liang Baguazhang</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sun Baguazhang"><U>Sun Baguazhang</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Yin Baguazhang"><U>Yin Baguazhang</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Synthesized Systems"><U>Synthesized Systems</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Gao System Baguazhang was created by Gao Yisheng.</div> <bR> <div> Gao Yisheng was born in 1866 in Shandong Province, later when he was still young he moved to Hebei Province. As a youngster he learnt Dahongquan, that was taught by his family. Later he learnt Xingyiquan from Li Cunyi.</div> <bR> <div> His Baguazhang studies started under the tutelage of Song Changrong, at the age of twenty-six. Song Changgong was a student of Dong Haichuan.</div> <bR> <div> It is said that he spent three years learning the single palm change. Having been refused more instruction from Song on the basis that he was not yet ready for it, Gao Yisheng was disappointed, decided to find another Baguazhang teacher.</div> <bR> <div> When he was thirty years of age Gao Yisheng met Zhou Yuxiang. Zhou Yuxiang was a student of Cheng Tinghua, and a highly regarded fighter. They compared skills, and Zhou Yuxiang defeated Gao Yisheng three times.Gao the asked Zhou Yuxiang to become his student. Due to the small age difference, Zhou Yuxiang took Gao to Cheng Tinghua. Cheng Tinghua accepted him as a student, and this meant that Zhou Yuxiang and Gao Yisheng became brothers in the same Baguazhang lineange.</div> <bR> <div> After being formally accpeted Cheng Tinghua's disciple, Gao Yisheng returned to  Shangdong and continue to train with his Baguazhang brother, Zhou Yuxiang. Gou Yisheng continued make regular triops to Beijing, and until Cheng Tinghua was killed in confrontation with German soldiers two years later.</div> <bR> <div> After Chen Tinghua's death, Gao Yisheng continued to study Baguazhang with Zhou Yuxiang until he was forty-five, when he returned to his hometown in Shangdong Province and commenced to teach Baguazhang. After defeating a number of local wushu teacher Gao Yisheng soon developed a reputation as being a superior wushu fighter. This attracted many students for nearby villages.</div> <bR> <div> One day a long-bearded Daoist monk was watching one of Gao Yisheng's classes. His expression plainly displayed a distain for what he saw. Noticing this distain Gao Yisheng approached the Daoist and asked him what was wrong. It is said, the Daoist replied by saying: 'Even though you have scraping the surface of this art for many years you are still boxing blindly.'</div> <bR> <div> When Gao Yisheng question the Daoist further he learnt that Daoist's name was Song Yiren, and that he had been a student of Pi Chengxia, who he said was the teacher of Dong Haichuan. He claimed that Dong Haichuan had only stayed long enough to learn the Pre-Heaven skills of Baguazhang, and that for Gao Yisheng to complete his training he would have to learn the Post-Heaven skills as well.</div> <bR> <div> Gao Yisheng then begged the Daoist to stay and teach him the Post-Heaven skills of Baguazhang. At this point he stopped teaching, and dedicated himself to learning the Post-Heaven skills.</div> <bR> <div> in the preface written by Gao Yisheng in the <I>Manuscript of Yu Shen Bagua Lianhuan Zhang</I> (' Swimming Body Eight Trigram Linking Palm'), Gao said:</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>When I was young, I liked martial arts very much. For a long time I carried on the family teachings. I had high regard for the Inner Family Arts, but I could not find them. When I was thirty years old, I followed Zhou Yuxiang of Wuqing County Wafang Village and practiced Baguazhang. </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Then I went with my teacher to Cheng Ting Hua's school to continue my training. I concentrated my attention and devoted myself to Baguazhang. ?K Now and then, Liu He, Wang Shutang, and others of the Bagua genealogy instructed me. Wang was engaged in business in the capital. For a long time he followed Master Cheng on a tour. ?K I felt sad that though I had a little instruction I was still ignorant. ?K When I was forty-five years old, because friends invited me to their ancestral home in Haifeng, Shandong. In their free time, the friends studied in the palm arts. I followed one who had the appearance of a beggar coming to beg. I asked what his name was, but he did not tell. He only said these words: </B></I></div> <div> <B>Where is your hometown, We belong to same family, 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. </B></div> <div> <I><B>Therefore, we called him "Song Yi Ren". Then I became happy through my close association with him. I started to compare what he told us with the secrets that I received from Mr. Wang Shutang. Moreover, I went out of my way to intensely study this for many years. I began to see that when I first followed Master Zhou, I only practiced the art of Pre-heaven, and at Song I practiced the way of the post-heaven. </B></I></div> <div> <B>When he was fifty Gao left Shandong and returned to Hebei, where he taught in Yang Cun village close to Tianjin. During this time he met with his old teacher Zhou, who wanted to test his student's progress. He made three attacks on Gao, 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 was unable to find him. </B></div> <div> <B>Tianjin is the closest major port to Beijing. At the time it was a thriving place with districts, or concessions given over to the control of foreign powers. In 1936 Gao began teaching on the football fields of the English concession. </B></div> <div> <B>It was in Tianjin that Gao taught the majority of his students that began to spread his style so widely. One student, He Ko Cai began to teach in Hong Kong. Yu I Xien took the system to San Francisco. Another Chan Chun Feng emigrated to Taiwan. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Though the branches of Gao's Ba Gua have diversified with each generation, their division into pre and post heaven has remained. The terms pre-heaven (Xian Tien) and post-heaven (Ho Tien) refer to arrangements of the eight trig rams. The pre-heaven arrangement has balances the opposing trig rams opposite each other. It represents a state of ideal balance existing in stillness. From a medical viewpoint it corresponds to the innate or genetic. </B></div> <div> <B>The post-heaven arrangement places the trig rams in an order that shows progressive change when followed clockwise around the periphery. It represents the pattern of cyclic development found in nature. Medically this corresponds to the acquired characteristics of an individual. </B></div> <div> <B>The pre-heaven contains the strategy of the art, while post-heaven contains the tactics. The circular changes exercise the body through its entire range, and include all the essential shapes and directions that can be combined to make a myriad of techniques. To look for a specific technique in the pre-heaven forms, to label a movement particular for instance would be limiting and incorrect. The ability to move smoothly transferring the whole body's power to its periphery while retaining the ability to change direction is the primary concern. </B></div> <div> <B>The Xian Tien can be divided into single palm change, eight palm changes and a final form called Wu Long Bai Wei, or Black Dragon Waves its Tail. These ten elements can be likened to a dragon. Single palm change makes the dragon's head, all the other movements are derived from and follow it. The body is made of the eight changes. The tail of the dragon is Wu Long Bai Wei which is formed from a condensed combination of the previous eight palm changes. </B></div> <div> <B>Gao's Xian Tien show the characteristics of Ba Gua derived from Cheng Ting Hua. The back is held straight and upright, the movements are large, round and flowing. It is the smooth flowing quality that has given the various branches of Cheng's Ba Gua the nickname swimming body, or swimming dragon. </B></div> <div> <B>The Ho Tien is concerned with technique. Each post-heaven palm contains particular techniques, or principles that are directly applied to application. Again they are not limited to single techniques, but they are much closer in form to this. </B></div> <div> <B>The Ho Tien are derived from the Xian Tien, and are divided into eight sets of eight palms. The different sets themselves have different emphases. For instance one set contains the simplest and most important principles of application, another has kicking methods, another elbows. In all it is a comprehensive systemization of fighting techniques. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The beauty of Gao's Ba Gua is that it provides a entrance to the deeper principles in its Ho Tien praxes. Leaving it in Gao's words </B></div> <div> <I><B>"Without pre heaven Ba Gua the art has no root, </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>without post-heaven the art is incomplete. </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Pre-heaven is for strengthening the body, </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>post-heaven is for protection." </B></I></div> <div> The </div> <div> The beauty of Gao Yisheng's Baguazhang is that it provides an entrance into the the Ho Tien praxes. </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="400" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="165"><div> <B>Xian Tian</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="216"><div> <B>Ho Tian</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 184 ><NOBR><div> <B>Meaning</B></div> <div> Pre-Heaven</div> <div> Former Heaven</div> <div> Pre-Birth</div> <div> Pre-Natal</div> <bR> <div> <B>Concept</B></div> <div> Flexibility of Strategy</div> <bR> <div> <B>Movement Method</B></div> <div> Circular-Walking Method</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B>Meaning</B></div> <div> Post-Heaven</div> <div> Latter-Heaven</div> <div> Post-Birth</div> <div> Post-Natal</div> <bR> <div> <B>Concept</B></div> <div> Tactical Use of Attack and Defense</div> <bR> <div> <B>Movement Method</B></div> <div> Straight-Line Method</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>1. Basic Exercises</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="602" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="598"><div> <B>1. Basic Exercises </B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 1193 ><NOBR><div> <B>1.1 Start posture </B></div> <div> <B>1. Static stands</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>2. mud walking</B></div> <div> <B>1.2 8 Basic Stretches </B></div> <div> <B>1.3 10 Heavenly Stems </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(???) </FONT></div> <div> <B>1. Parry 2. Chop 3. Ladle 4. Strike 5. Lean </B></div> <div> <B>6. Smash 7. Grasp 8. Thrust 9. Defeat 10.Relax </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>2. Basic Forms - Turning Forms (??) </B></div> <div> <B>8 Mother Palms:</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> (???)</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>Fierce Tiger descends the hill </B></div> <div> <B>White Monkey presents the peach </B></div> <div> <B>Huge Roc spreads wings </B></div> <div> <B>Lion Opens mouth </B></div> <div> <B>Push window to glance at the moon </B></div> <div> <B>Holding the moon to the chest </B></div> <div> <B>Point to heaven & pierce to ground </B></div> <div> <B>Black Bear stretches arms </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>3. Main Forms - Changing Forms (??) </B></div> <div> <B>8 Big Palms:</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> (???) </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Snake Form: Follow shape palm </B></div> <div> <B>Dragon Form: Piercing hand palm </B></div> <div> <B>Tiger Form: Return & Strike the Tiger palm </B></div> <div> <B>Swallow Form:Overturns covering the hands palm </B></div> <div> <B>Turn-around body over the back palm </B></div> <div> <B>Twist the body & pat the horse palm </B></div> <div> <B>Turn-over body & Rear Insert palm </B></div> <div> <B>Stop body, Parry & Hook palm </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>4. Beginning and Ending Palms: </B></div> <div> <B>1. Single Change Palm </B></div> <div> <B>2. Double Chang Palm </B></div> <div> <B>3. Five Dragons Palm </B></div> <div> <B>Black Dragon swings tail </B></div> <div> <B>Green Dragon stretches claw </B></div> <div> <B>Yellow Dragon turns body </B></div> <div> <B>White Dragon splits the water </B></div> <div> <B>Red Dragon clings pale </B></div> <div> <B>4. Black Dragon swings tail through the forest set </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>5. Ho-Tien 64 Palms (??????)</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>Solo Forms </B></div> <div> <B>8 continous series </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>6. 12 animals (????--??) </B></div> <div> <B>Ape </B></div> <div> <B>Dragon </B></div> <div> <B>Lynx </B></div> <div> <B>Tiger </B></div> <div> <B>Eagle </B></div> <div> <B>Bear </B></div> <div> <B>Snake </B></div> <div> <B>Chicken </B></div> <div> <B>Horse </B></div> <div> <B>Phoenix </B></div> <div> <B>Lion </B></div> <div> <B>Leopard </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>7. Push Hands and Attack & Defense</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>8. Weapons Form </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <IMG SRC="05abc1d0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="285" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>