He trained constantly with Dong, day and night, for at least 10 years. Yin Fu was the first disciple of Dong Hai Chuan, and studied with Dong the longest. On Dong Hai Chuans tomb is a list of his disciples. In 1980, the tomb was renovated and moved to Wan'an Cemetery. This tomb was damaged during the cultural revolution. On his graph was an epitaph written by his followers and a list of his students. He was buried beside the Red Bridge outside Beijing's Dongzhi Gate. Dong Haichuan died in 1882 at the age of 84. He taught many students in Beijing and all his students were known for their quality and skills. When pressed he told different stories about how he came to learn Baguazhang.ĭong became one of the prominent martial artists in the court and from that time on he began to teach baguazhang in Beijing and the surrounding areas. Everyone was struck dumb by his prowess.ĭong, Hai-Chuan rarely discussed the origin of the art with his pupils. After a few bouts, he made a sweeping, forceful movement with his palms and flung Sha to the ground a dozen feet away. When he saw no one come forward, he volunteered to take on Sha Huihui. He heard the challenger but hesitated over whether he should answer it. At that moment it happened that Dong Haichuan was serving food and drinks to the guests. During the heat of the moment, he issued an open challenge to those present. Sha was a strong man and his breath taking performance drew prolonged applause from the audience. Prince Shan Qi asked his bodyguard Sha Huihui to demonstrate his martial arts skills. In order to help, Dong took the tray with the tea and got to the prince. During one of those events, a servant with a large tray of tea couldn't get through to the prince because of the large crowd. The prince was famous for holding parties where he invited the greatest martial arts in the country to demonstrate their skills. In this story, Shan Qi was a great lover of wushu. One legend described how Prince Shan Qi became aware of the remarkable abilities of Dong. Later he was expelled from the temple, and went to Beijing where he posed as a eunuch by sneaking into the Emperor's palace.ĭong was employed in the house of Prince Shan Qi's during the reign of the Emperor Guang Xu. It is most likely that he combined various elements - his years of training in Wen An, the circle walking of the Daoists, the footwork and palm changes in the kitchen - to create his own Baguazhang forms.ĭong supposedly became a monk in a Taoist temple, because he was on the run from authorities. As a waiter he had to balance great dishes on each hand and in so doing he was inspired to create evasive maneuvers that may have influenced future Baguazhang movements. After he recovered he traveled to Beijing where he became a servant in the Emperor's kitchen. Monks reputedly of the Daoist Long-Men sect (Dragon door Daoists) found him and he was said to have been instructed in a healing method of exercise used by these Daoist monks who practiced a meditative method of walking in circles and chanting mantras. At the age of 40 he was attacked and almost killed on a road. He trained extensively in martial arts for much of his youth in his home, Wen An in Hebei province.
One story claims that Dong, Hai-Chuan created Baguazhang from his life experiences. Historians still argue over which if any of these stories is true. The following are a few of the stories told by or about Dong, Hai-Chuan and the founding of his system of Baguazhang. Many colorful legends surround the great Tung who supposedly first displayed his art to the Emperor while serving as a eunuch in the emperor's palace. Most modern day records indicate that the developer of modern day Pa-Kua Chang was Tung Hai Chuan (Dong Hai Quan, 1797-1882 A.D.). The beginnings of Pa-Kua Chang are as obscure as the origin of the I Ching itself. The style soon becoming popular in Beijing and the surrounding areas In most accounts he is reported as coming to Beijing in 1852, where he began to teach Baguazhang. The exact story of Dong Hai Chuan is hard to establish. He is regarded as a skilful martial artist and is believed to be the founder of Baguazhang. Dong Hai Chuan(1797-1882) brought Baguazhang into Beijing in the 19th century.