As far as we know, Baguazhang was developed by Dong Haichuan in the late 1800’s. The story is that he learned it from Daoists in the mountains and combined that with the martial arts he already knew.
Dong was very private about his past and never told his students his exact history. As a child and as a young man, we know that he trained the martial arts of his village (a kind of “Long Fist”) intensely. He was poor and often got into trouble. At some point in his life he received extensive training from a Daoist monk (or monks) who taught him circle walking techniques. According to legend Dong Haichuan spent so much time walking around a tree that eventually the tree swayed towards him as he circled it. We also know that around 1864 Dong arrived in Beijing and that he obtained employment at the residence of prince Su. He worked as a servant and waiter in the prince’s household.
He kept his fighting skills a secret for some time while working for the prince. Then during a crowded banquet he caught people’s attention by lightly maneuvering through the banquet-hall packed with guests, and even climbing walls, serving drink and food. The prince recognized that Dong Haichuan must be skilled in martial arts and asked him to perform for him and his guests. Not being able to refuse his master’s wish, Dong Haichuan did as he was asked, impressing the crowd with his performance. The prince’s personal bodyguard saw his position threatened by Dong and so challenged him to a fight. The bodyguard was soundly defeated. Prince Su later appointed Dong Haichuan as head of the bodyguards in the palace and as a tax collector for many years.
When Dong left the prince’s service he devoted himself to developing and teaching Baguazhang. He called his art “Zhuan Zhang (Turning Palms)”. It was in his public teaching period that scholars convinced him to use the name “Baguazhang (eight tri-gram palm)” instead.
Common features of Baguazhang training are continuous motion, circular footwork, circular or spiraling body motion, and complex internal mechanics for power release. Also, you could say that eight different styles are inside of this.
The fighting characteristic (shared by all eight sections) of Baguazhang is in the use of clever footwork and body placement to disrupt and unbalance the opponent in order to create an opening for an attack. Bagua strategy emphasizes constant change in response to the spontaneous and “live” quality of combat.
