Bajiquan
Bajiquan is a traditional Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power in close combat and is well-known for its rapid elbow and shoulder strikes. Its full name is kaimen bajiquan.
The eight extremities in Bajiquan are the eight distalmost parts of the body used to strike the opponent. This includes the fist, forearm, elbow, shoulder, hip, thigh, knee, and foot to deliver a powerful blow in close range. Bajiquan is also known as the "bodyguard style", as this was the pugilism style taught and used by personal bodyguards for Mao Zedong, Chiang Kai-shek, and Puyi.
Bajiquan is now popular in northern China and Taiwan. Later, it was introduced to Japan, South Korea, and other countries such as the United States, Canada, Britain, France and Italy, among others.
Etymology
According to most common etymology, bajiquan was originally called baziquan because the fists, held loosely and slightly open, are used to strike downwards in a rake-like fashion. The name was considered to be rather crude, so it was changed to bajiquan. The term baji comes from the I Ching and signifies an "extension of all directions". In this case, it means "including everything" or "the universe".However, this etymology is not universally accepted.
History
Little is known about the origin of the style. Information before the Republican era of China is extremely rare, with clearest documentation beginning circa 1920s-1930s.The first practitioner clearly identified in written history was a man named Wu Zhong, a member of the Hui minority and from the Wu family clan of the Mengcun region of Cangzhou, Hebei.
According to the genealogical records of the Wu family, Wu Zhong's great-grandfather left the family stronghold to settle about 50 km away in the isolated hamlet of Houzhuangke in the neighboring province of Shandong. Wu Zhong is said to have been born in Houzhuangke before returning to settle with the main branch of his family in the village of Mengcun, Hebei province. Little is known of Wu Zhong, except that he quickly reached an unparalleled level in the practice of martial arts. His prowess earned him the nickname "god of the spear", as well as being recruited to serve as an instructor at the imperial court under Prince Xun. When he was about 60 years old, Wu Zhong returned to Mengcun where he devoted the last thirty years of his life to transmitting his fighting art, and the village became the source of the development of bajiquan.
The origin of the mastery acquired by Wu Zhong remains unknown to this day, it is currently the subject of many controversies between the different branches of bajiquan. Historical documents contain two versions of the origins of bajiquan:
- The Cang County annals, the baji manual of the Wu family, and the Pobei manuscript indicate that an itinerant Taoist monk by the name of Lai and his disciple Pi would have stayed in Mengcun to teach bajiquan as well as the handling of the great spear to Wu Zhong. By the admission of the Wu family of Mengcun, this reference is probably to be considered as a legend.;
- The other is Zhang Yueshan, a monk from Yueshan Temple in Henan Province, who was returning to secular life and traveling around. It is said that he taught the great spear method.
- Besides those two theories, there is also speculation that the martial art originates from Shaolin Temple in Henan, unrelated to Zhang Yueshan.
The first historical reference to bajiquan appears in military treaty called Jixiao Xinshu written by general Qi Jiguang. It is inferred that bajiquan may have been a well-established martial art during the 16th Century.
Wu Zhong had only one child, his daughter Wu Rong, who at the age of 30 married an expert in Changquan and stopped practicing bajiquan after a few years. To avoid remaining childless and ensure the continuity of his art, Wu Zhong adopted Wu Ying, a distant nephew of the Wu family of Mengcun. Wu Zhong transmitted all his knowledge to Wu Ying, as well as to Wu Zhongyu, another distant nephew of the Wu family of Mengcun. In 1790, at the request of his master, Wu Ying officially introduced the name "bajiquan" and he wrote the first martial manual of the Wu family to ensure the transmission of the family art among generations to come. Thus, bajiquan was transmitted within the Wu family who also ensured the dissemination of the style to other families in Mengcun and the surrounding villages.
At first, bajiquan was transmitted mainly to the Hui people of Meng Village, but it was also transmitted to Luohan, an area where many Han people live. Eventually, it came to be divided into the Hui lineage of Mencun and the Han lineage of Luo.
Contemporary history of ''bajiquan''
Li Shuwen was considered one of the most important movers of the martial art during Qing dynasty. He was from Cangzhou, Hebei, and acquired the nickname "God of Spear Li". A Beijing opera Wu Shen by training, he was also an expert fighter. His most famous quote is, "I do not know what it's like to hit a man twice." Li Shuwen's students included Huo Dian Ge , Li Chenwu, and Liu Yunqiao . Bajiquan has since acquired a reputation as the "bodyguard style". Ma Fengtu and Ma Yintu introduced bajiquan into the Central Guoshu Institute where it is required for all students.The impetus that set the spread of bajiquan throughout China was that of the Central Guoshu Institute, as a regular course common to the two training courses "Shaolin Gate" and "Wudang Gate". It all started with the establishment of "bajiquan teaching materials for group training". As the branch of Central Guoshu Institute expanded, bajiquan became more popular and popularized.
Relation to ''piguaquan''
In the tradition of Ma brothers, bajiquan is believed to share roots with another Hebei martial art, piguaquan. It is said that Wu Zhong, the oldest traceable master in the bajiquan lineage, taught both arts together as an integrated fighting system. The legend has it that they eventually split apart, only to be recombined by Li Shuwen in the late 18th to early 19th century. As a testament to the complementary nature of these two styles, a proverb states: "When pigua is added to baji, gods and demons will all be terrified. When baji is added to pigua, heroes will sigh knowing they are no match against it."No historical proofs supporting this version, however, were found.
Branches and lineages
Prominent branches and lineages of the art survived to modern times, including Han-style, Huo-style, Ji-style, Li-style, Ma-style, Qiang-style, Wu-style, Wutan-style, and yin yang-style bajiquan. Each has a unique element while sharing core practices. Some lineages are more common or only exist in China, while others have spread to Western countries.Mengcun ''bajiquan''
Meng Village is said to be the original birthplace of bajiquan, or at least the modern versions of the art. Baji is still widely practiced there.Nanjing ''bajiquan''
Bajiquan of Nanjing was introduced to the Guoshu Institute by students of Zhang Jingxing, Han Huiqing, and Ma Yingtu. Han had a great influence on the spread of baji in southern China, to the point that there was a saying bei li nan han meaning "Li in the north and Han in the south".Wu Xiufeng
Wu Xiufeng is the "grandfather" of many modern baji lineages. The following lineages descend from him.Tian-style
Tian-style is a branch which has mutual influences from Jingang Bashi—the second art practiced by Tian Jinzhong. Practitioners include Wu Xiufeng, Tian Jinzhong, and Shen Jiarui >> Zhou Jingxuan Tian-style is practiced in China and abroad.Yin Yang–style
Yin Yang-style was created by Zhao Fujiang, who combined his knowledge of baji, xingyiquan and yiquan to create a new art form. Yin-Yang is primarily practiced in China.Wutan-style ''baji''
Wutan-style baji is the most common lineage in the West today. Originally from Taiwan, where its founder, Liu Yunqiao, lived. This lineage includes additional arts that are taught alongside baji, such as piguaquan and baguazhang.Jian Diansheng >> Li Shuwen >> Liu Yunqiao >> Adam Hsu, Su Yuchang, and Tony Yang >> Many students in Taiwan and abroad.
Features
Tactics and strategy
Bajiquan opens the opponent's arms forcibly and mount attacks at high, mid, and low levels of the body. It is most useful in close combat, as it focuses on elbow, knee, shoulder and hip strikes. When blocking an attack or nearing an opponent, bajiquan techniques emphasize striking major points of vulnerability, namely the thorax, legs and neck.The "six big ways of opening" are:
- Ding : using the fist, elbow or shoulder to push forward and upward.
- Bao : putting arms together as if hugging someone. It is usually followed by pi .
- Ti : elevating the knee to hit the thigh of the opponent, or elevating the foot to hit the shin of the opponent, etc.
- Dan : using a single move.
- Kua : using the hip.
- Chan : entanglement with rotation around the wrist, elbow and shoulder.