Gao Style Bagua

Gao Yi Sheng was born in 1866. When Gao was 26 he began to study Ba Gua with Sung Chang Jung. After 3 years of practice with Sung all Gao had learned was circle walking and a single palm change. Gao asked for more instruction, but Sung refused so Gao left to find another teacher.

When Gao was thirty he met Chou Yu Hsiang, Chou took Gao to Beijing to meet his teacher Cheng Ting Hua. Cheng accepted him as a student. Gao learned the majority of the system from Chuo and would travel periodically to study with Cheng himself, until Cheng's death 2 years later.

After Cheng's death Gao continued his study with Zhou until he was forty-five. It is said that one day a monk came to watch Gao's class. The monk didn't look very happy with what he saw. Noticing his expression Gao asked him what was wrong. The Taoist told him 'Even though you have been scraping the surface of this art for many years you are still boxing blindly'. 

Questioned further, the Daoist revealed himself as Song Yi Ren. He had been a student of Pi Cheng Xia, the teacher of Dong Hai Chuan. He claimed that Dong had only stayed long enough to study the pre-heaven skills of Ba Gua, and to teach the art completely the post-heaven skills also had to be taught. Gao then begged the Daoist to stay and teach him.

     It is stated that Gao taught in and around Tianjin for 25 years. In 1942 he got into an altercation with a Tai Ji teacher in the park. Gao defeated him but had injured him so badly he died 3 days later. To avoid the police Gao fled. Gao died in 1951 at the age of 85.

In the preface written by Gao in the Manuscript of "Yu shen Bagua Lian Huan Zhang" (Swim body Eight Diagram Linking Palm), Gao said: 

When I was young, I liked martial arts very much. For a long time I carried on the family teachings. I had high regard for the Inner Family Arts, but I could not find them. When I was thirty years old, I followed Zhou Yuxiang of Wuqing County Wafang Village and practiced Baguazhang. 

Then I went with my teacher to Cheng Ting Hua's school to continue my training. I concentrated my attention and devoted myself to Baguazhang. Now and then, Liu He, Wang Shutang, and others of the Bagua genealogy instructed me. Wang was engaged in business in the capital. For a long time he followed Master Cheng on a tour. I felt sad that though I had a little instruction I was still ignorant. When I was forty-five years old, because friends invited me to their ancestral home in Haifeng, Shandong. In their free time, the friends studied in the palm arts. I followed one who had the appearance of a beggar coming to beg. I asked what his name was, but he did not tell. He only said these words: 

“Where is your hometown, We belong to same family, We practice an art that does not have an end, I am Song Yi Ren, I learned the whole set, I transmit it everywhere under heaven, I transmit the art and I don't hold back, This ability is to encourage people.” 

Therefore, we called him "Song Yi Ren". Then I became happy through my close association with him. I started to compare what he told us with the secrets that I received from Mr. Wang Shutang. Moreover, I went out of my way to intensely study this for many years. I began to see that when I first followed Master Zhou, I only practiced the art of Pre-heaven, and at Song I practiced the way of the post-heaven. 

Gao style bagua consists of many things. Here are a few:

8 Mother Palms

Fierce Tiger descends the hill 

White Monkey presents the peach 

Huge Roc spreads wings 

Lion Opens mouth 

Push window to glance at the moon 

Holding the moon to the chest 

Point to heaven & pierce to ground 

Black Bear stretches arms

8 Big Palms

Snake Form: Follow shape palm 

Dragon Form: Piercing hand palm 

Tiger Form: Return & Strike the Tiger palm 

Swallow Form:Overturns covering the hands palm 

Turn-around body over the back palm 

Twist the body & pat the horse palm 

Turn-over body & Rear Insert palm 

Stop body, Parry & Hook palm

12 animals

Ape 

Dragon 

Lynx 

Tiger 

Eagle 

Bear 

Snake 

Chicken 

Horse 

Phoenix 

Lion 

Leopard 

Links for Gai style Pakua:

http://www.chineseboxingclub.org/gaobagua.htm, http://cstang.www3.50megs.com/, http://www.gaostylebagua.com/, http://www.gaostylebaguausa.com/,