Ba Gua’s Lineage
Dong Hi Chuan 1813-1882 considered the founder of Ba Gua, was the first to
take the system public. There are many stories of Ba Gua being practiced
for thousands of years as a meditation, and healing system, prior to its
modification into a fighting system and becoming public.
Cheng Ting Hua 1848-1900 was one of Dong’s primary students. Born the
fourth son of a farming family in Hebei County Cheng studied the village
martial arts. He moved to Beijing in his late teens to apprentice work, and
began practicing Shuai Jiao religiously eventually becoming a disciple of
Dong Hi Chuan. Cheng was one of the most prolific teachers of his
generation, and produced several exceptional students, including Zhou Yu
Xiang and Gao Yi Sheng. Cheng was killed in 1900 during the boxer
rebellion by german soldiers.
Gao Yi Sheng (1866 –1951) began studying Da Hung Chuan (Big Red Fist) as a
boy in his home village. Gao’s study of Ba Gua Zhang began in 1892 when he
was twenty-six under the tutelage of Sung Zhang Jun one of Dong’s students.
Gao went in search of a new teacher after Sung refused to teach him more
than circle walking and the single palm change, during three years of
practice. In 1896 Gao met Zhou Yu Xiang who refused to take him as a
disciple but after introducing him to Cheng Ting Hua trained him in most of
the system. Gao became a disciple of Cheng, studying with him periodically.
Gao returned to his home village of Da Shan in Shandong province in 1911
where he began teaching Gao Style Ba Gua Zhang. It is not clear when the
system was modified to include the Hou Tian sets and many other new aspects.
The prevailing theory is that he learned at least some of them from Cheng,
Zhuo, and Li Cun Yi, later refining, standardizing, and probably creating
some new forms to create the sixty-four.
It is also possible that Gao devised post heaven training methods by fusing
Hsing I concepts and movement into his Ba Gua. This allowed inexperienced
students to build an understanding of combat strategies, principles, and
techniques, rather than having to be an expert martial artist prior to
learning Ba Gua (which was the classical training requirement).
Gao moved to Yang village in 1917 and began teaching there and in Tianjin
city, while returning to Da Shan periodically to teach. In 1942 Gao was
forced to flee Tianjin City after winning a fight with a Tai Chi Chuan
teacher. Unfortunately his opponent was injured so badly he died three days
later. Gao Yi Sheng never taught publicly again, and spent the rest of his
life living in the back of a chinese medicine shop in a Wu Ching village.
Gao’s first disciple was Wu Meng Xia 1906-1979 who was also one of Zhang Jun
Feng’s close friends and primary teachers. Gao also studied Hsing I Chuan
with Li Cun Yi somewhere between 1902-11, which probably influenced his Hou
Tian forms.
Zhang Jun Feng (1902 – 1974) began studying martial arts sometime in his
teens, and by twenty-one was a close friend, and training partner of Wu Meng
Xia. Wu introduced Zhang to Gao Yi Sheng and was accepted as a disciple.
Zhang studied privately with Gao in the mornings and evenings and trained
extensively with his friend and senior classmate Wu. Zhang learned a great
deal form Wu Meng Xia who was reputed to have excellent fighting skills, and
to have studied with Niu Chun Ming, Han Mu Xia and Gao Yi Sheng.
Zhang Jun Feng also studied Hebei Hsing I Chuan with Li Cun Yi, but learned
primarily form Li’s son Li Bin Tang. Zhang lived and taught Martial Arts
from 1921 through 1948 in Tianjin City and became the chairman of the
Tianjin City Martial Arts Association. Zhang moved to taiwan in 1948 after
the Communists took power.
Zhang Zhun Feng was one of Gao Yisheng’s most powerful and able fighters.
After founding his school in Taiwan Zhang produced many high level students.
However only his first group of ten disciples received the whole of his
fighting skills Foremost among these disciples were the Hung brothers (Hung
Yi Wen, Hung Yi Mien, and Hung Yi Xiang).
In 1950 Zhang founded the Yi Zong martial arts school. Yi Zong was the
generational name given to Zhang Zhun Feng, by Gao Yisheng. The Yi Zong
lineage of Ba Gua has become one of the most prolific and successful lines
of Ba Gua Zhang.
Hung I Wen ( ) - Hung I Mien (1920-2001) - Hung I Xiang
(1925-1993)
The Hung brothers studied with Zhang Jun Feng for approximately ten years
and were listed among his original ten disciples. They studied all of
Zhang’s martial arts but specialized in different areas. Hung I Wen
specialized in Tai Chi Chuan, Hung I Mien in Ba Gua Zhang, and Hung I Xiang
in Hsing I Chuan.
Luo De Xiu began his study of the Internal Martial Arts at the age of
thirteen with Hong Yi Xiang, first studying Hsing I Chuan. As his interest
in the Yi Zong martial arts developed Luo Loushri became engrossed in the
thought processes of Ba Gua Zhang. Luo De Xiu supplemented his training
with many of Zhang Jun Feng's senior Disciples, extensively researching and
comparing the theory and forms of Gao Style Ba Gua Zhang. He also brought
back many aspects and principles which had been given only to select
students, allowing him to rebuild the complete teaching curriculum of Gao Yi
Sheng.
Luo De Xiu supplemented his Ba Gua training with many of Zhang’s first
generation students including Hung Yiwen, and Hung Yimian. He also studied
Ba Gua with Liu Qian, an early student of Sun Ji Cun which gave him a
different perspective on Ba Gua’s principles and thought processes, and
which greatly furthered his understanding as a whole. Luo Loushri was also
offered the Sun lineage but refused out of respect to his teacher.
Luo De Xiu is considered one of the foremost experts of Gao Style and Ba Gua
in general. He carries on the Yi Zong tradition, teaching Gao style Ba Gua
Zhang and Hebei Hsing I Chuan, in Taipei, Taiwan with yearly seminars
throughout Europe and America. Luo loushri also teaches, Chen Pan Ling
style Tai Chi, and Sun Ji Cun style Ba Gua.
Luo De Xiu's school name is Yi Zong Ba Gua Men Qian Kun She.
Li Cunyi's Xingyiquan
Classes in: Internal Martial Arts, Tai Chi Chuan, Ba Gua Zhang, Hsing I Chuan, Pentjak Silat Sera Serak, Chi Gung, Nei Gung, I Liq Chuan, Meditation, Gao Style Ba Gua Zhang, Wu Style Tai Chi and Chen Pan Ling Style Tai Chi.
©Copyright Richard Upton 2007-2011
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