Gao Style Baguazhang
高式八卦掌Baguazhang branch bearing Gao Yisheng's name. According to Wikipedia, it has a circular xiantian part and sixty-four straight-line houtian palms.
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About Gao Style Baguazhang
The Gao style of baguazhang bears the name of Gao Yisheng. We have not yet found a reliable source describing it. We found nothing about Gao in Green's encyclopedia of martial arts or on the Kung Fu Tea blog, nor a separate listing of the Gao branch in China's national intangible heritage list. It is a little-described branch and we are still looking for reliable sources. All the following information comes from English Wikipedia.
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According to it, Gao Yisheng lived from 1866 to 1951, was born in Shandong province, and his family later moved to Hebei. In 1892 he began studying baguazhang with Song Changrong, a student of Dong, and the article on the Gao branch names Yin Fu as a possible teacher too. In 1896 he met Zhou Yuxiang, a student of Cheng Tinghua, who brought him to Beijing to Cheng, and Cheng accepted him as a student. Around 1912 Gao claimed to have received the houtian forms from the Taoist Song Yiren of Guanghua mountain. Wikipedia considers this probably fictitious. According to Wikipedia, the training is divided into two parts. Xiantian consists of circle walking and palm changes on the circle, houtian of sixty-four palms practised in straight lines. Gao changed his forms more than once during his life, so several variants exist. Today the Gao branch, according to the same article, is widely practised in Tianjin (Liu Fengcai lineage), in Taiwan (Zhang Junfeng lineage) and in Hong Kong (He Kecai lineage).
History
We have not found any source other than Wikipedia that describes the Gao branch or Gao Yisheng. We searched Green's encyclopedia Martial Arts of the World, the blog Kung Fu Tea and the Chinese national intangible heritage list. English Wikipedia states that Gao Yisheng lived from 1866 to 1951 and was born in the village of Dazhuangzi in Wudi county in Shandong province, from where the family later moved to Wuqing county in Hebei. In 1892 he began studying baguazhang with Song Changrong, a student of Dong, and after three years left to look for another teacher. The article on the Gao branch gives his first teacher as Song Changrong or Yin Fu. In 1896 Gao met Zhou Yuxiang, a student of Cheng Tinghua, who brought him to Beijing to Cheng, and Cheng accepted him as a student. According to Wikipedia he learned most of the system from Zhou Yuxiang and only visited Cheng in Beijing occasionally. Around 1912 Gao claimed to have met the Taoist Song Yiren from Mount Guanghua, who gave him the houtian forms. Wikipedia considers this probably fabricated.
How it differs
English Wikipedia says that Gao Yisheng changed his straight-line forms, xiantian forms and weapon forms more than once during his life, and therefore several lineages with different variants exist.
Technique
According to English Wikipedia, Gao branch training has two parts. Xiantian is circle walking and palm changes on the circle, houtian sixty-four palms practiced in straight lines. According to Gao Yisheng, houtian was passed on by a man known as Song Yiren.
Training
English Wikipedia lists the contents of Gao's book, which Liu Fengcai prepared for publication in 2013: basic exercises, basic forms on the circle, xiantian with changes and the eight big palms, the forms Dan Huan Zhang and Wu Lung Bai Wei, the sixty-four houtian palms, the twelve animals, pushing-hands exercises with attack and defense, and weapon forms. According to the same article, Gao taught in public classes with several levels.
Today
According to English Wikipedia, the Gao branch is widely practiced today in Tianjin (Liu Fengcai lineage), in Taiwan (Zhang Junfeng lineage) and in Hongkong (He Kecai lineage). We have not found a listing of the Gao branch on the national intangible heritage list.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Gao Yisheng?
According to English Wikipedia, a student of Cheng Tinghua, to whom Zhou Yuxiang brought him in 1896. Wikipedia states that he lived from 1866 to 1951.
What do xiantian and houtian mean in the Gao branch?
According to English Wikipedia, they are two parts of the training. Xiantian consists of circle walking and palm changes, houtian of sixty-four palms practised in straight lines.
Where is the Gao branch practised today?
According to English Wikipedia, it is widely practised in Tianjin, Taiwan and Hong Kong, where it is led by the Liu Fengcai, Zhang Junfeng and He Kecai lineages.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.