Piguaquan (Chop-Hanging Fist)
劈掛拳A northern Chinese style from Cangzhou with fast strikes of explosive power and the long saber miaodao. On the national intangible heritage list since 2008.
Quick Facts
ChinaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
About Piguaquan (Chop-Hanging Fist)
Piguaquan, the chopping and hanging fist, is a northern Chinese style from Cangzhou in Hebei. According to China's national intangible cultural heritage portal it was already widespread in the mid-Ming dynasty, and in the Republic period it was systematically refined by Ma Yingtu and Guo Changsheng. The style rests on fast movements with explosive power and on practical use in combat. It draws on the techniques of tongbiquan and bajiquan, with which, English Wikipedia says it is often taught as a complementary pair. Its sets include qinglongquan, guaquan, paochui and feihuquan, and the weapon most closely tied to it is the long saber miaodao. The portal bases the theory of the style on the pairs yin and yang, hard and soft, and inner and outer. Tradition speaks of two branches from the mid-Qing dynasty, Nanpi and Yanshan, whose founders we have not found in a higher-level source. We have not been able to verify the founder of the style or the year it originated. Since 2008 piguaquan has been on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage as an extension of the Cangzhou wushu item, with the bearer Guo Guizeng. The portal, however, warns that the style faces a shortage of successors.
History
According to China's national intangible cultural heritage portal, piguaquan comes from Cangzhou in Hebei and was already widespread in the mid-Ming dynasty. In the Republic period it was systematically refined by Ma Yingtu and Guo Changsheng. According to English Wikipedia, both were trainers at the Central Guoshu Institute, founded by the Nationalist government in 1928, and combined elements of two branches, Yanshan and Nanpi. Tradition links the Nanpi branch with Guo Dafa and the Yanshan branch with Zhuo Baomei, both from the mid-Qing dynasty. We have not found these names in a higher-level source.
How it differs
The closest relative of piguaquan is bajiquan, from which, according to the national portal, it draws. English Wikipedia says the two styles are often taught as a complementary pair and some lineages practice joint baji-pigua sets. Piguaquan shares long whipping strikes with tongbeiquan and, according to the portal, also draws on it. According to Wikipedia the unified system took over skills from the 24 forms of tongbeiquan. According to Wikipedia, the Yanshan branch specialised in qinglong forms and slow piguaquan forms.
Technique
The national portal describes piguaquan as a style of fast movements with explosive power and emphasis on attack, defense and practical use in combat. It draws on the techniques of tongbiquan and bajiquan. Its sets include the fast and slow set, qinglongquan, guaquan, paochui, feihuquan and pigua gunlei zhang. The weapon most closely tied to the style is the long saber miaodao, which piguaquan adopted. The portal names the staff fengmo gun, the saber pigua dao, the spear qi qiang, the sword qingping jian, the hooks xing gou, the double-headed snake shuangtou she and the halberd ji.
Training
We have not found a specific training methodology in the sources. The national portal bases the style's theory on the pairs yin and yang, heaven and earth, round and square, hard and soft, and inner and outer, and speaks of Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian influence. According to the English Wikipedia, piguaquan power comes from accelerating the rotating arms, the hips merely guiding the large chops. In bajiquan it comes from turning and sinking the hips.
Ranks and progression
We have not found a grading system of its own for piguaquan in the sources. On the national list the style is carried within the Cangzhou wushu item VI-10, inscribed in 2006 in the first batch and extended in 2008 to include piguaquan. The portal names Guo Guizeng as its bearer.
Today
Cangzhou wushu has been on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage since 2006 as item VI-10 with serial number 292. The applicant was the city of Cangzhou and it is protected by the Cangzhou wushu association. Piguaquan was added in 2008 in the second batch as an extension of the item, alongside liuhequan from Botou, bajiquan from Mengcun and yanqingquan. The portal also warns that, despite the support of the wushu association, the style faces a shortage of successors and needs better protection.
Did you know
A well-known saying, which English Wikipedia also cites, holds that when pigua is added to baji, even gods and demons are afraid. Cangzhou, where piguaquan comes from, is inscribed on the national list as a whole under the name Cangzhou wushu. Under this one item, alongside piguaquan, are also liuhequan, bajiquan and yanqingquan. According to the English Wikipedia, piguaquan also appears in video games, among others in the Tekken, Dead or Alive and Shenmue series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between piguaquan and bajiquan?
Both come from Cangzhou and, according to English Wikipedia, are often taught as a complementary pair. The national portal states that piguaquan draws on bajiquan, but it is a separate style with its own sets and weapons.
Who shaped piguaquan into its present form?
China's national intangible cultural heritage portal says Ma Yingtu and Guo Changsheng refined it systematically in the Republic period.
Which weapons belong to piguaquan?
The best known is the long saber miaodao. The national portal also names the staff fengmo gun, the saber pigua dao, the spear, the sword qingping jian and the halberd ji.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.