Baguazhang legender

Cheng Baguazhang

Tung Hai Chuan and Cheng Ting Hwa

by Frank Allen and Clarence Lu

With the loss of Yin Fu, Tung Hai Chuan decided to accept new Baguazhang students. He no longer considered Yin Fu to be in his lineage and he wanted the teachings to continue, so he took on a number of students. He figured that each student could carry a piece of the knowledge and as a whole, they would preserve the art of Baguazhang. It was 1876 and Tung would die in 1882. No student would ever spend the amount of time with him that Yin Fu did.
Strangely, Tung's first new student was brought to him by Yin Fu's cousin, Shih Chi Tung. Although fourth in lineage, Shih's friend was destined to become Tung's most popular student and the most ardent teacher in the history of the art.

Cheng Ting Hwa was born in 1848 and like Tung and Yin, he was from Hebei Province. As a youth, he was fond of martial arts and practiced broadsword and staff in his home, the Cheng Family Village. Cheng developed into a short and stocky, powerful young man who was known for his aggressive and gregariously friendly nature.

While in his late teens, Cheng moved to the capital, where he was apprenticed to an eye glass maker. As soon as he moved to Beijing, he began to study the art of Shuai Chiao, "Chinese wrestling". Two styles were popular in the capital at the time and Cheng studied both of them. He was good at the powerful and deliberate Mongolian Wrestling, but his specialty was Pao Ting, the new fast style wrestling. In Pao Ting, on first contact, the opponent was explosively thrown. Cheng felt that the Fast Style best suited his personality. Within five years he was a known figure in Beijing wrestling circles. He was known as "Cobra Cheng" because the cobra was known as the eyeglass snake and Cheng made and wore spectacles. Later in his life he was to be known as "Invincible Cobra Cheng" due to his many victories. Throughout his life, due to his profession, Cheng was most often refereed to simply as "Spectacles Cheng".

While working in the eyeglass shop Cheng sat with one leg crossed over the other as did his co-workers; the only difference being that Cheng never used a chair! He stood on one leg, and crossed the other leg over the thigh of his standing leg which was parallel to the floor. This was Cheng's major stance work throughout his life. He later augmented this practice with the continual wearing of a ten pound weight vest.

When he was twenty eight years old and had ten years of Shuai Chiao under his belt, Cheng Ting Hwa was brought to Tung Hai Chuan, by Shih Chi-Tung. At their introduction, Tung asked to see a demonstration of Cheng's wrestling skills. He invited Cheng to attack him several times. Each of Cheng's explosive Pao Ting attacks found only air, as Master Tung was never quite where he seemed to be. Cheng Ting Hwa immediately knelt at Tung Hai Chuan's feet and begged to become his disciple. Tung accepted, making Cheng Ting Hwa his fourth Baguazhang student.

Cheng worked incessantly on his Baguazhang skills. He practiced his striking palms on a 300 pound basket filled with sand which he hung from a beam in the back of his shop. Each day he would fill a wooden tub with water and tie a rope to the handle of the tub. He would practice his circling exercises while holding the tub by the rope. He kept the tub on the inside of his circle by switching hands when he performed his change of direction. He would practice this exercise for hours while never spilling a drop of water and seeming never to get tired.

Tung was pleased with Cheng's hard work and the speed with which Cheng learned the foundations of Baguazhang. Once Cheng had digested the basics of the art, Tung taught Cheng a form of Baguazhang which best utilized Cheng's wrestling skills. It was quite different from the palm thrusting, oriented Baguazhang of Yin and Shih or the Bagua fist techniques of "Coal" Ma. Within a relatively short time, Cheng was the new thumb student and the boxer who answered all challenges to Tung's school. Cheng was never bested in a match while defending the honor of his school. He defeated most of his opponents with his first technique, which was always "single pounding palm". This was when he became known as "Invincible Cobra Cheng". Cheng befriended and became training partners with a number of the leading Hsing-I masters in Beijing. They probably found common ground in the explosive first move orientation of their arts. Hsing-I, Pao Ting Wrestling, and Cheng Style Pa Kua are all known for their explosive first move, which is designed to end the encounter as it begins. Cheng taught Baguazhang to Li Tsun-I, Liu Te Kuan, and Chang Chao-Tung. Because they were already recognized martial arts masters when Cheng met them, they were given the lineage of Tung Hai Chuan, although they actually studied with Cheng. From these friendships, began the tradition of students studying both Hsing-I and Baguazhang.

Because of his many Hsing-I friendships, Cheng received a visit from "The Divine Crushing Fist", Hsing-I master, Kuo Yun-Shen. Kuo was the famous master of Half-Step Crushing Fist, which had sent many men to heaven, hence it was known as Divine. Kuo had spent time in prison for killing an opponent without first checking his political connections. During his confinement, Kuo practiced his Half-Step Crushing Fist while dragging his ball and chain along. When he was released his primary technique was more powerful than ever. Now he wanted to test his skill against the famous Baguazhang of Tung Hai Chuan, but first he wanted to talk to Cheng, an impartial Baguazhang boxer.

Over dinner, Kuo expounded his theory that Half-Step Crushing Fist could defeat everyone under heaven. Cheng begged to differ that Baguazhang Chang might be of, not under heaven and Tung Hai Chuan was not like ordinary men. Kuo tried to demonstrate his hand speed, but found his hand pinned to the table by Cheng's chopsticks. Infuriated, Kuo marched out into Cheng's garden and challenged Cheng to come out and taste the power of his Crushing Fist. As Cheng cleared the door, Kuo exploded at him. Cheng was suddenly behind him. Kuo wheeled and again exploded with crushing fist. Cheng effortlessly circled behind him and calmly went back in the house. He then called for Kuo to come in and finish dinner with him. His rage spent, Kuo complied. As they finished dinner Cheng explained that he didn't want to really fight the famous Kuo Yun Shen, but that if he could avoid two of Kuo's blows, perhaps Kuo shouldn't risk his unbeaten record on Master Tung. It was only because they were all from Hebei province that he didn't want to see anyone's reputation tarnished. Kuo thanked him, rethought his position and returned to Hebei province.

Cheng Ting Hwa brought his younger brother, Cheng Tien Hua, to the capital to learn to make eyeglasses and study Pa Kua. Together the Cheng brothers were successful and each month they returned to their home village for a few days to bring money to the family and to teach Baguazhang to the young men of the clan.
As Cheng's seventh year of Baguazhang was about to begin, Tung Hai Chuan became deathly ill. All the Baguazhang students were sorrowful, but, they were also apprehensive about who would now lead the school. The obvious choice was Cheng, but on his death bed Tung recalled Yin Fu and they reconciled. It was a tense moment as the old and new number one students eyed each other across their master's death bed. In a final moment of inspiration, Tung decreed that the capital would be split into four Baguazhang schools. Yin would be in the Eastern sector of the city, while Cheng taught in the Southern section. In time, Cheng's Baguazhang became known as "Southern City Baguazhang", the grappling style; while Yin's Baguazhang was called "Eastern City Baguazhang", the striking style.