Dong Haichuan
董海川
Founder of baguazhang from Wen'an County in Hebei, who served in the household of Prince Su in Beijing and died in 1882. Sources disagree on his year of birth.
Quick Facts
ChinaBiography
Dong Haichuan is the founder of baguazhang, an art that according to the Chinese national intangible heritage portal was originally called Zhuanzhang (turning palm). He came from the village of Zhujiawu in Wen'an County in Hebei Province. His year of birth is disputed. English Wikipedia gives 1797 or 1813, and the journal Wuhun of 1994 ascribes to him an age of a little over fifty around 1860. He died in Beijing in 1882, on 25 October according to YMAA.
From youth, according to the portal, he practised martial arts, travelled widely and sought out masters before settling in Beijing. Sources differ on where he learned circle walking. The book by Liang Shou-Yu, Yang Jwing-Ming and Wen Ching-Wu names the Taoist Dong Mengling of Mount Jiuhua in Anhui, another account the Taoist Bi Chengxiu. According to English Wikipedia, there is no historical evidence of Taoist baguazhang before his time.
In Beijing he served in the household of Prince Su. English sources describe him as a servant and later a tax collector, while Chinese press repeats the story that he had himself castrated and worked in the palace as a cook. We have not resolved the dispute. He taught mainly people who already mastered another art, and they combined baguazhang with their own styles, so several lineages arose. His students included Yin Fu, Cheng Tinghua, Liang Zhenpu, Shi Jidong and Ma Gui.
His students buried him east of Dongzhimen, and according to the journal Wuhun they erected stone tablets at the grave in 1883 and 1904. The grave was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and in 1980 or 1981 moved to Wan'an Cemetery. Baguazhang has been on the national list of intangible cultural heritage of China since 2011. We have not found a quote of Dong Haichuan with a traceable origin.
Early life
According to the Chinese heritage portal, Dong Haichuan came from the village of Zhujiawu in Wen'an County in Hebei. His year of birth is disputed. English Wikipedia gives 13 October 1797 or 1813, YMAA 13 October 1797. The journal Wuhun of 1994 writes that around 1860 he was a little over fifty, which fits a birth around 1810 better. According to English Wikipedia, in his youth he trained in styles derived from Shaolin, perhaps Bafanshan, Hongquan, Xingmenquan and Jingangquan, while other sources give Erlangquan and Luohanquan. Around 1853 he left Hebei to find work because of the poverty of his family, and we have not verified this year in a better source.
Training and teachers
According to the Chinese heritage portal, he travelled widely and sought out well-known masters before settling in Beijing in later life. The book by Liang Shou-Yu, Yang Jwing-Ming and Wen Ching-Wu says that he learned from the Taoist Dong Mengling of Mount Jiuhua in Anhui, known in Taoist circles as Huang Guan Dao Ren. Other accounts, for example the site Ottawa Chinese Martial Arts, name the Taoist Bi Chengxiu as his teacher and themselves call this a legend. The journal Wuhun of 1994 places the acceptance of Yin Fu as a student around 1860.
Contribution and innovations
According to the heritage portal, he combined the strengths of several martial traditions with circle-walking practice and the principles of the Book of Changes. The art was originally called Zhuanzhang (turning palm), and the name baguazhang refers to the eight trigrams. According to the portal, its foundations are Lao Bagua Zhang, the 64 palms and the exercises Tangni Bu and Dingshi Zhuanzhang. Most of his students already mastered another art and combined baguazhang with it, which is why different lineages arose. According to English Wikipedia, some sources say he consistently taught only the first three palms, others much more.
Legends and documented facts
Chinese press tells that after injuring a man in a quarrel he had himself castrated, hid in Beijing and worked as a cook in the palace of Prince Su. English Wikipedia by contrast describes him as a servant and later a tax collector and does not mention castration. We have not resolved the dispute. The literature describes a duel with Yang Luchan or with Guo Yunshen as a legend, and Nick Scrima writes on Kungfutoday that it was never documented. Some traditional teachers claim that he secretly studied in Taoist schools, but according to English Wikipedia there is no historical evidence of Taoist baguazhang before the modern era. The date of death also differs, YMAA gives 25 October 1882, other sites 15 December 1880.
Legacy
The heritage portal lists among his successors Yin Fu, Cheng Tinghua, Liang Zhenpu, Zhang Zhaodong, Shi Jidong, Liu Baozhen, Fan Zhiyong and Liu Fengchun. According to English Wikipedia he spent the last years of his life with his student Ma Gui in his lumber warehouse, while other sites name Shi Jidong instead. According to the journal Wuhun, Yin Fu and other students buried him east of Dongzhimen and erected stone tablets at the grave in 1883 and 1904. The grave was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and in 1980 or 1981 moved to Wan'an Cemetery. Baguazhang was entered in 2011 in the third batch of the national list of intangible cultural heritage of China under number 797.