Dong Hai Chuan 董海川


Dong Haichuan (1804-1882) Originally from Jingnan, Wenan county. The founder of Bagua Neigong and Baguazhang. He was extremely passionate about martial arts from a young age. At 12 he became a disciple under an instructor named Li from Cang county in Hebei and from him studied "6 Harmonies Skills". In 6 years he successfully completed his training. He often made visits to various famous teachers. He searched though many famous areas, Wu, Yue, Ba, Shu and others.* Upon entering Jiangxi, deep in the mountains he happened to bump into 2 Monks, one Buddhist and Daoist. Each of them 70 years old. He became their disciple and under their guidance deeply researched "He Tu", "Luo Shu", "Yi Jing", "Yi Zhuan", "Former Heavan Bagua", "Post Heavan Bagua", "Pre and Post Heavan Harmonized in One Form Bagua Diagrams", "Damoniyuan Greater Vehicle Secrets"**, and other ancient philisophical texts and ancient practices. He worked on developing himself through both the Daoist and Buddhist paths. He delved very deeply into both. After his successfull completion of these studies, his teachers sent him down from the mountain to create a school of inner and outer cultivation in Baguazhang gongfu. The reputation he established sent shockwaves through the teaching community of the capital and through greater Jiangnanbei. He had 10 primary students and countless lesser pupils.***
--from Xie Peiqi's Yin Style Bagua books.

* These are ancient place names for regions mostly around Zhejiang and in Sichuan. I can't say precisely on some of them because the regions they indicate has changed in some cases over the dynasties.

** This entire list is names of various sutras and religious texts. I have translated where I could but some of the names make no particular sense without the context and at least one of them the "Damoniyuan Greater Vehicle Secrets", in Chinese is clearly just a Chinese transliteration of an Indian term. So I have just left the pinyin in these cases.

*** - Translation by Omar Belove.

Students of Dong Haichuan standing in front of the original tomb.



It's thought that the 3rd in from the left is Men Baozhen and the 2nd in from the left is Gong Bao Tian.

Charcol rubbing taken from Dong's original tomb.




Dong Hai Chuan's Primary Students

1. Yin Fu
2. Ma Weiqi
3. Shi Jidong
4. Cheng Tinghua
5. Song Chang Rong
6. Shun Tian Zhang
7. Liu Dengke
8. Jiao Yu Long
9. Gu Yushan
10. Ma Cun Zhi
11. Zhang Jun
12. Qin Xi Kuan
13. Liu Dian Jia
14. Lu Chengde
15. An Fen
16. Xia Mingde
17. Geng Yong Shan
18. Wei Ji Xiang
19. Xi Zhang
20. Wang Xinsheng
21. Wang Huai Qing
22. Shen Chang Shou
23. Wang Deyi
24. Zhu Zhi Yun
25. Song Yong Xiang
26. Li Wan You
27. Fan Zhi Yong
28. Song Long Hai
29. Wang Yong Tai
30. Peng Lian Gui
31. Fu Zhen Hai
32. Wang Hong Bin
33. Gu Bu Yun
34. Chen Chun Lin
35. Wang Ting Ju
36. Shuang Fu
37. Li Chang Sheng
38. Xu Zhao Xiang
39. Liu Baozhen
40. Liang Zhang Pu
41. Zhang Ying Shan
42. Guo Yu Ting
43. Zhao Yun Xiang
44. Zhang Jinkui
45. Jiao Chunfang
46. Liu Feng Chun
47. Si Yuan Gong
48. Zhang ?
49. Qing Shan
50. He Wu
51. He Liu
52. Guo Tong Hai
53. Xu He Nian
54. Feng Guang Lian
55. Li Shou Nian
56. Chen Jin

Secondary Students

1. Zhang Zhe Min
2. Ma Gui
3. Yang Jun Feng
4. Liu Jin Yin
5. Wen Zhi
6. Kui Yu
7. Wang Zhi
8. Shi Ting
9. Ju Qing Yuan
10. ??
11. Geng Wang Lin