Pa Kua Chang

The modern origin of the art of Pa Kua Chang (Bagua Zhang) begins with Tung Hai Chuan in the early 19th century. Some legends claim the art is much older. Tung was a skilled Shaolin practitioner who learned Pa Kua from Taoist monks. Tung taught numerous students (sources vary over the exact number, between 54 and 72 students), each of which was already an experienced martial artist. Tung taught each student differently, combining Pa Kua with the student’s previous experience. For this reason it is sometimes stated that Pa Kua is an unorthodox art. It is often taught alongside Hsing-I.

Wang Shu Shin (Wang Shu Jin) is the source of our Pa Kua. Called, Celestial Circling Dragon, our Pa Kua is unorthodox in appearance. The curriculum consists of Eight Palms, Eight Changes, and Eight Animals. Though these total only a few movements in number, they combine to make a variety of training exercises, the longest lasting up to an hour. Additional training includes various apparatus like the Ruler Ring, weapons, application, san shou, and Pa Kua Joint Hands.