Cheng Style Baguazhang
Encyclopedia
Cheng Style Baguazhang is the style of Baguazhang
descended from Cheng Tinghua
, the fourth disciple of Baguazhang's founder, Dong Haichuan
(Yin Fu
was the first, followed by Ma Weiqi
and Shi Jidong).
Cheng Tinghua was from Shen County; he later moved to Beijing where he had an eyeglasses shop located next to the Fire Spirit Temple on Si Shuai Street in the Flower Market Plaza. Therefore, he was called Eyeglasses Cheng.
During the boxer Rebellion (July 1900) Cheng swore to defend his country from the enemy. One day, around the government buildings near the Yong Ding Gate, Cheng met ten of the enemy and subdued them all and none dared to advance. The officers were furious, and ordered a large patrol with rifles to surround Cheng. Cheng calmly used piercing palm to evade them. Then he turned around, leaped up on top of a wall and walked away. They did not have pity on him when he was on the wall and he perished in a hail of bullets.
The special characteristics of Cheng Style Baguazhang are:
Due to Cheng Tinghua's extensive background in shuaijiao throwing techniques before learning baguazhang, Cheng style tends to emphasize throwing techniques, while Yin style tends to emphasize striking techniques. In Yin style bagua, many of the martial applications are evident in the form. Cheng style applications are not as evident, but are equally as powerful.
Each Cheng substyle uses as its technical basis eight basic palms (Badamuzhang 八大母掌), from which more complicated linking forms are derived.
Of the eight basic palms, only the first three (Laosanzhang 老三掌) are considered to be the oldest and passed down by Cheng Tinghua himself before his death in 1900.
These three palms are:
Cheng style has many substyles, some of the lineages for which are given below:
Baguazhang
Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...
descended from Cheng Tinghua
Cheng Tinghua
Cheng Tinghua was a renowned master of Chinese Neijia martial art Bagua Zhang.-Biography:Born in the Cheng family village, Shen County, Hebei , he was the third of four brothers....
, the fourth disciple of Baguazhang's founder, Dong Haichuan
Dong Haichuan
Dong Haichuan was born on the 13th of October 1797 in Zhu village, Ju Jia Wu Township, Wen'an County, Hebei Province, China and died on the 25th of October 1882 in Beijing. He is regarded as a skillful martial artist and is widely credited to be the founder of Baguazhang...
(Yin Fu
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...
was the first, followed by Ma Weiqi
Ma Weiqi
Ma Weiqi was 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"....
and Shi Jidong).
Cheng Tinghua was from Shen County; he later moved to Beijing where he had an eyeglasses shop located next to the Fire Spirit Temple on Si Shuai Street in the Flower Market Plaza. Therefore, he was called Eyeglasses Cheng.
During the boxer Rebellion (July 1900) Cheng swore to defend his country from the enemy. One day, around the government buildings near the Yong Ding Gate, Cheng met ten of the enemy and subdued them all and none dared to advance. The officers were furious, and ordered a large patrol with rifles to surround Cheng. Cheng calmly used piercing palm to evade them. Then he turned around, leaped up on top of a wall and walked away. They did not have pity on him when he was on the wall and he perished in a hail of bullets.
The special characteristics of Cheng Style Baguazhang are:
- The stepping method are the hook step and the swing step. Their qualities are: the hook step must be small, and the swing step must be big.
- The Dragon Claw palm as follows: the thumb is spread wide. The tiger's mouth is curved and pushed up. The second, third and fourth fingers are slightly spread apart. The little finger and the fourth finger are in contact with each other.
Due to Cheng Tinghua's extensive background in shuaijiao throwing techniques before learning baguazhang, Cheng style tends to emphasize throwing techniques, while Yin style tends to emphasize striking techniques. In Yin style bagua, many of the martial applications are evident in the form. Cheng style applications are not as evident, but are equally as powerful.
Each Cheng substyle uses as its technical basis eight basic palms (Badamuzhang 八大母掌), from which more complicated linking forms are derived.
Of the eight basic palms, only the first three (Laosanzhang 老三掌) are considered to be the oldest and passed down by Cheng Tinghua himself before his death in 1900.
These three palms are:
- Single Change Palm (單換掌)
- Double Change Palm (雙換掌)
- Smooth Posture Palm (順勢掌)
Cheng style has many substyles, some of the lineages for which are given below:
- Dong HaichuanDong HaichuanDong Haichuan was born on the 13th of October 1797 in Zhu village, Ju Jia Wu Township, Wen'an County, Hebei Province, China and died on the 25th of October 1882 in Beijing. He is regarded as a skillful martial artist and is widely credited to be the founder of Baguazhang...
- Cheng TinghuaCheng TinghuaCheng Tinghua was a renowned master of Chinese Neijia martial art Bagua Zhang.-Biography:Born in the Cheng family village, Shen County, Hebei , he was the third of four brothers....
- Cheng Youlong
- Sun Xikun
- Liu Ziyang
- Cheng Youxin
- Cheng Yousheng
- Sun ZhijunSun ZhijunSun Zhijun is a well-known present-day teacher of Cheng style baguazhang, living in Beijing, China. Born in 1933 in Cheng Village, Shen County, Hebei Province, Sun began his baguazhang training under Liu Ziyang , disciple of Cheng Dianhua...
- Sun Zhijun
- Yang Mingsheng
- Wang Rongtang
- Liu Bin
- Wang Wenkui
- Liu Xinghan
- Sun Lutang
- Sun Cunzhou
- Sun Jianyun
- Li Wenbiao
- Luo Xingwu
- Cheng Youlong
- Cheng Tinghua